Flint Memorial Library (North Reading)

Revolution for dummies, laughing through the Arab Spring, Bassem Youssef

eng

autobiography

illustrationsplates

no index present

non fiction

Revolution for dummies

965997275

Bassem Youssef

laughing through the Arab Spring

"Bassem Youssef, a satirist who rose to fame in the middle of the Egyptian Revolution with his incendiary brand of comedy and his knack for unabashedly mocking dictators, has been called the "Jon Stewart of Egypt." Once a heart surgeon who filmed YouTube skits in the laundry room of his home, he eventually grew to become one of the most recognizable television hosts in Egyptian history, and his show became the most popular TV program in Egypt, much to the ire of the TV anchors, government officials, and military personnel who tried desperately to shut it down. So potent were Youssef's skits, jokes, and commentary that he was accused of insulting the Egyptian presidency, and even Islam itself, leading to a warrant in 2013 for his arrest. Despite turning himself in, Youssef was interrogated for six hours before being released on bail, which prompted his idol--Mr. Jon Stewart himself--to issue a statement on his behalf in an episode of The Daily Show. Though Youssef's case was eventually dismissed, his TV show was terminated, and he found himself fleeing Egypt in fear for his life. In Revolution for Dummies, Youssef proudly and hysterically riffs on the hypocrisy, instability, and corruption that manifested in Egyptian politics: everything from how the government tried to cover up the violent clashes in Tahrir Square to how the military announced they had created the world's first AIDS machine that could cure anyone of the disease to how officials were convinced Youssef was a CIA operative recruited by Jon Stewart, on a secret mission to bring down the country through sarcasm. (Yes, it gets that insane.) This is the version of the Arab Spring you've never heard, the one that doesn't get glossed over by the media's attempt to optimistically show promise of progress after revolution. This is the real story of guts and glory, and of how jokes are often mightier than the sword."--Jacket

part one. A heart surgeon breaking bad -- part two. Risky business -- part three. The clown, the traitor, the outcast

adult