The Power of the People Is Greater Than the People in Power, A Memoir
January 30, 2012
Ghonim's name made headlines in early 2011 when, during the Egyptian revolution, the 30-year-old Google executive was abducted by Egypt's State Security and detained for eleven days. Ghonim's role in the revolution began well before that. Ghonim narrates his own story in this clear, matter-of-fact book, beginning with his days as an idealistic young man most comfortable online. Even after he marries, finishes graduate school, and is hired by Google, Ghonim retains a youthful romantic passion for social change; he explains that after seeing the movie V for Vendetta, he had "fallen in love with the idea of the mysterious warrior fighting against evil." This is exactly the role Ghonim takes when he begins agitating for change in Egyptâanonymously, but online. The engagement of the online community gives him confidence (the Facebook page he creates in honor of a young Egyptian killed by the police quickly gains 300,000 users), and recognizing "the possible connection between the virtual world and physical reality," Ghonim begins organizing protests. The movement soon takes on a life of its own. Then, in the midst of Egypt's youth uprising, Ghonim is arrested and held in secrecy. This is a bold, moving story of the interconnectedness of the modern world, and the hope, courage, and fearlessness it takes to start a revolution.