Revolution for Dummies
Written by Bassem Youssef
Narrated by Bassem Youssef
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
"The Jon Stewart of the Arabic World"—the creator of The Program, the most popular television show in Egypt’s history—chronicles his transformation from heart surgeon to political satirist, and offers crucial insight into the Arab Spring, the Egyptian Revolution, and the turmoil roiling the modern Middle East.
Bassem Youssef’s incendiary satirical news program, Al-Bernameg (The Program), chronicled the events of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, and the rise of Mubarak’s successor, Mohamed Morsi. Youssef not only captured his nation’s dissent but stamped it with his own brand of humorous political criticism, in which the Egyptian government became the prime laughing stock.
So potent were Youssef’s skits, jokes, and commentary, the authoritarian government accused him of insulting the Egyptian presidency and Islam. After a six-hour long police interrogation, Youssef was released. While his case was eventually dismissed, his television show was terminated, and Youssef, fearful for his safety, fled his homeland.
In Revolution for Dummies, Youssef recounts his life and offers hysterical riffs on the hypocrisy, instability, and corruption that has long animated Egyptian politics. From the attempted cover-up of the violent clashes in Tahrir Square to the government’s announcement that it had created the world’s first "AIDS cure" machine, to the conviction of officials that Youssef was a CIA operative—recruited by Jon Stewart—to bring down the country through sarcasm. There’s much more—and it’s all insanely true.
Interweaving the dramatic and inspiring stories of the development of his popular television show and his rise as the most contentious funny-man in Egypt, Youssef’s humorous, fast-paced takes on dictatorship, revolution, and the unforeseeable destiny of democracy in the Modern Middle East offers much needed hope and more than a few healing laughs.
Bassem Youssef
Bassem Youssef was the host of Albernameg, the first-of-its-kind political satire showin the Middle East from 2011 until the show's termination by the Egyptian government in 2014. Youssef is currently the host of The Democracy Handbook, a digital series with Fusion TV, and now lives in the United States.
Related to Revolution for Dummies
Related audiobooks
The Greater Freedom: Life as a Middle Eastern Woman Outside the Stereotypes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wrong End of the Table: A Mostly Comic Memoir of a Muslim Arab American Woman Just Trying to Fit in Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everyone Versus Racism: A Letter to My Children Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Arab Winter: A Tragedy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inside the Middle East: Making Sense of the Most Dangerous and Complicated Region on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created a War Without End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Erdogan Rising: The Battle for the Soul of Turkey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Man Who Created the Middle East: A Story of Empire, Conflict and the Sykes-Picot Agreement Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Understanding Iran: Everything You Need to Know, From Persia to the Islamic Republic, From Cyrus to Khamenei Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Making the Arab World: Nasser, Qutb, and the Clash That Shaped the Middle East Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Behind the Kingdom's Veil: Inside the New Saudi Arabia Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Afghanistan: What Everyone Needs to Know Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Crossed a Bridge and It Trembled: Voices from Syria Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Catch-67: The Left, the Right, and the Legacy of the Six-Day War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5From Beirut to Jerusalem Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Levant Express: The Arab Uprisings, Human Rights, and the Future of the Middle East Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5ISIS: A History Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Palestinian Delusion: The Catastrophic History of the Middle East Peace Process Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the US, and Iran's Global Ambitions Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Muslim Women Are Everything: Stereotype-Shattering Stories of Courage, Inspiration, and Adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The State of Israel vs. the Jews Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Muslim Problem: Why We're Wrong About Islam and Why It Matters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Netanyahu Years Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5We Stand Divided: The Rift Between American Jews and Israel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Terrorist Factory: ISIS, the Yazidi Genocide, and Exporting Terror Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Personal Memoirs For You
The Woman in Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Counting the Cost Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'm Glad My Mom Died Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Me: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Glass Castle: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Y'all Doing?: Misadventures and Mischief from a Life Well Lived Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wishful Drinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Night: New translation by Marion Wiesel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bad Mormon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love, Pamela: A Memoir of Prose, Poetry, and Truth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Making It So: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Enough Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pageboy: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Year of Magical Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Summer of Fall: Gravity is a bitch, but I'm still standing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: Built for This: The Quiet Strength of Powerlifting Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Stolen Life: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5See You on the Way Down: Catch You on the Way Back Up! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Writing into the Wound: Understanding trauma, truth, and language Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Angela's Ashes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dad on Pills: Fatherhood and Mental Illness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for Revolution for Dummies
31 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Boring boring, egypt needed to get rid of the extremists and need a chance to pass the 2011 chaos
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This made sense of rhe nonsensical. Scarey how similar we are across cultures when it comes to being stupid and how intractible our stupids are. Thank you for writing this Yossef.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bassem Yousef showed a great deal of integrity even for those which were not great fans for him. For those who wish for a democratic, civil governance for Egypt this is a very true memoir on what happened in Egypt during the revolution in 2011 and afterwards. Although Bassem is very liberal with his language but the book is very interesting and reveals the controversies in the Egyptian society and their views on their rulers. He also shed lights on similarities with what’s happened in America recently.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hilarious and well written. Worth the listen for even those who had no previous overview of the situation