The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Once again,
Egyptian author Galal Amin delves into the deepest and darkest aspects of Egyptian
society with his latest release. This time it’s an era that is still raw; the era of Hosni Mubarak. In Egypt in the Era of Hosni
Mubarak (1981-2011), Amin goes back in time prior to the revolution, even
before Mubarak became president, and tries to come up with the answers
to many questions concerning Egypt’s future.

From the
cover picture depicting the irony of a poor man holding bread, oblivious of the
huge ‘Yes to Mubarak’ banner behind him, we know that this book is going to be as
compelling and provocative as Amin’s previous work. His analysis isn’t based on
random assumptions or predictions; these are rational conclusions made by an
intellectual thinker who has, in his prior books, analysed the last 30 years following
the 1952 revolution up until Mubarak’s era. The man knows what he’s talking about.

Thirty
years is a long time for one man to be ruling a nation, but the author puts it
in a context that makes it ironically strange. As he tries to get across the
idea that it’s difficult to predict the political and economic
future without looking at the past few decades, he goes on to list major world-changing
eras of presidents and kings who have come and gone, political unions that were
created and dissolved while Mubarak still ruled Egypt.

As
mentioned, the book does not only examine Mubarak’s era; it goes back to the beginning
of Egypt’s political foundations to compare obvious differences and also to
prove all the corruption and deception witnessed in this period of time, and
the inevitable consequences blighted on Egyptian political history.

Egypt in
the Era of Hosni Mubarak is an informing read; it presents the reader with a different view on a much-maligned era. The author doesn’t point fingers of blame or
accusations; instead he presents his perspective on the causes and effects of
this era, which don’t attempt to excuse the old regime as much as they explain
its evolution.