by President of the United States of America
First published 2017
Mohammed Bouazizi stands outside the provincial government headquarters in Tunisia, fuel soaking his clothes. The young vendor has lost everything to corrupt officials who confiscated his cart and refused to hear his complaints. His desperate act of self-immolation sparks something unexpected. Hundreds, then thousands of protesters flood the streets. They face batons and bullets but refuse to retreat. Week after week they march until their dictator of two decades finally falls. Barack Obama watches these events unfold and delivers a historic speech about the wave of revolution spreading across the Middle East and North Africa. He traces the story from Tunisia to Egypt, Libya, Syria, and beyond, connecting Bouazizi's sacrifice to America's own struggles for freedom. Obama sees parallels between this young vendor and Rosa Parks, between Tunisian protesters and Boston patriots. The book captures a president grappling with how America should respond when ordinary citizens rise up against tyranny and demand the dignity their governments have denied them.
Genres: history, international-relations, biography-memoir, 21st-century, current-affairs, african-american-historical-fiction, academic, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-figures, political-commentary, real-events
Setting: Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Middle East, North Africa
Period: 21st Century
56 pages · Paperback · Independently Published