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lilyvanegeraat's review against another edition
4.0
I laid my eyes on the cover of this book on my first day working in Tunis for the Libya mission of a UN agency, and have been wanting to read it ever since to get a better understanding of a country I first got to know through tv reporting in 2011. This book succeeded in presenting a complex modern history of Libya, weaving together multiple dimensions – including tribal relations, shifting loyalties with Arab, African and Western countries, and Qaddafi family politics - leading to the downfall of the regime.
Contextualized within historical backgrounds and coupled with Hilsum’s observations while reporting on the onset, progress, and aftermath of the revolution, the mayor strength of the book is that it is narrated through the eyes and memories of ordinary Libyans. It therefore comprises a rich collection of different human histories of Libya, but also - although less prominently - presenting perspectives of those loyal to the regime. It is particularly these stories and fragments "We're a family country - that's how it works in Libya" that probably taught me more about Libya than any academic article could do. It is an achievement worth noticing that while the richness in detail and the shifts back and forth in time ask for dedication, at no point does this limit the accessibility of the book, even for those unacquainted with Libyan history.
Contextualized within historical backgrounds and coupled with Hilsum’s observations while reporting on the onset, progress, and aftermath of the revolution, the mayor strength of the book is that it is narrated through the eyes and memories of ordinary Libyans. It therefore comprises a rich collection of different human histories of Libya, but also - although less prominently - presenting perspectives of those loyal to the regime. It is particularly these stories and fragments "We're a family country - that's how it works in Libya" that probably taught me more about Libya than any academic article could do. It is an achievement worth noticing that while the richness in detail and the shifts back and forth in time ask for dedication, at no point does this limit the accessibility of the book, even for those unacquainted with Libyan history.
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