Inside Egypt: The Road to Revolution in the Land of the Pharaohs

First published in 2008 with the subtitleThe Land of the Pharaohs on the Brink of a Revolution, this strikingly prophetic and critically acclaimed book caused an international media firestorm when it was banned by former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak. When the revolution it uniquely predicted took place in early 2011, Inside Egypt became essential reading for anyone wanting to understand what led to revolutionary upheaval in the Arab world's most populous country. In a new Introduction for this updated 2011 edition, the author explores the revolution itself, and ponders the still precarious future of a country he lived in for more than a decade.

Book Author

John-r-bradley John R. Bradley was born in England in 1970. He was educated at University College London, Dartmouth College in the United States, and Exeter College, Oxford. Fluent in Arabic, he is the author of four books on the region that draw heavily on his personal experience: Saudi Arabia Exposed (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005), a Foreign Affairs bestseller; the critically acclaimed Inside Egypt (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008; updated 2012), which uniquely and accurately predicted the Jan. 25 Cairo uprising; Behind the Veil of Vice (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010); and After the Arab Spring (Palgrave Macmillan, 20...
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Book Reviews

  • Robert Baer, author of See No Evil and Sleeping with the Devil
    "Egypt is the next domino to fall and, as they say, so goes Egypt so goes the Middle East. John R. Bradley hits the nail on the head, explaining why a pillar of American dominance in that part of the world is about to crumble."
  • Peter Bergen,author of Holy War Inc and The Osama bin Laden I Know
    "Inside Egypt is an original, angry, brilliant, subtle, and highly readable exposé of contemporary Egyptian politics and society."
  • Al-Ahram Weekly (Egypt)
    "One of Bradley’s longest chapters, on torture, is particularly well documented, while religious strife, and the disastrous state of health and education, among other afflictions, are carefully exposed in all their sad reality."
  • United Press International
    "Essential reading for anyone interested in modern Egypt and the looming dramas of the Arab world."
  • Gideon Rose, Managing Editor of Foreign Affairs
    "John R. Bradley says that Egyptians love their country but hate their regime. So does he — and, after reading this scathing, heartbreaking, beautifully written report from the front lines, so will you."
  • Kirkus Reviews
    "Terrifically well told and extremely sobering."
  • Library Journal
    "In this highly readable and thoughtful volume, Bradley provides a devastating critique of Egypt’s current dictatorial government."
  • New Statesman
    "Compelling… Inside Egypt depicts a hopelessly dysfunctional country where poverty, torture, and corruption are ubiquitous."
  • The Daily News (Egypt)
    "Insightful and eye-opening…a must read for anyone interested in Egyptian politics."
  • Literary Review
    "…informed and immensely readable."
  • Al-Masry Al-Youm (Egypt)
    "This book caused an uproar in Egypt."
  • New Yorker
    "Bradley’s book suggests Egypt’s rupture had clear omens… and was promptly banned by the Mubarak government."
  • Christian Science Monitor
    "This dark and sober look at contemporary Egypt… offers a compelling explanation for the anger now being seen on the streets of Cairo."
  • Fraser Nelson, The Spectator
    "John R Bradley didn’t just predict the Egyptian uprising but wrote a book on it."
  • Fareed Zakaria, Book of the Week (CNN)
    "If you want to understand how Egypt got to this crossroads, read this book."
  • The Daily Telegraph
    "A comprehensive account of an Egypt crippled by corruption, autocracy and poverty."