A few interesting tidbits, particularly on Gamal Nasser, a recent historical figure on par with Lincoln or Martin Luther King Jr. in terms of his impact on society, and one not many Americans may be familiar with. I'd pick up another book that focused on Nasser.

At 245 pages (minus footnotes), this should be a sleek and compact coverage of Egypt's recent history. Instead, it felt like an overstuffed "The Economist" article. The author writes about how Cairo and Alexandria now have "suffocating crowdedness, domineering compactness and stifling closeness." (p. 200) So...they're crowded. He goes on for several pages to explain the highly-familiar topics of urban crowding, flight to the suburbs, and ghettos. The author also summarizes the plots to several Egyptian movies, which, while diverting, seemed odd and somewhat off-topic.

The book was published before the recent demonstrations in Egypt that led to Mubarak's fall, so that isn't covered. I just wish I could have gotten a better sense of the underlying currents that led up to that moment. Unfortunately, the relevant information is so buried under academic jargon that I walked away not knowing much more about Egypt than I had before. On the bright side, this made me grateful that I'm no longer forced to read books in the weird world of academia, where obfuscation is a desirable trait.

I'd recommend "The Economist" for those interested in learning more about recent events in Egypt. Also, "Who Hates Whom" by Bob Harris gives a quick historical overview of major world conflicts in a breezy style. ( )

Economist, sociologist, Humanist, Architecture, Art and Music critic...etc. Mr. Osman has many facets and uses all of them to write a contemporary Egypt history. Secularism, Muslim Brotherhood, Khedives, Kings and modern Pharaohs this narrative is poignant and each chapter endures and resonates. What are human societies on the brink of? Is Egypt a window opened for the rest of the world to see its future as it succeeded in magnifying its past? ( )