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A Tourist in the Arab Spring (Bradt Travel Guides (Travel Literature)) Paperback – Illustrated, 25 Mar. 2013

by Tom Chesshyre (Author)

4.5 57 ratings

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In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, war reporters rushed to publish accounts of the uprising. Tom Chesshyre took a different approach - he jumped on a plane and became the first to return to the region as a tourist. The result is the fascinating, street-level tale of a lay traveller's journey through lands fresh from revolution. Chesshyre heads for tourist sites that few have seen in recent years, as well as new 'attractions' like Gaddafi's bombed-out bunker in Tripoli. In a book both touching and humorous, he also describes being abducted in Libya, listening to the sound of Kalashnikovs at night and talking to ordinary people struggling to get by. Extract from the introduction... 'I was travelling as a tourist, not as a foreign correspondent with a well-thumbed contacts book and a series of appointments. I would take the temperature of the region during a key period in its history - as a casual visitor. I would see what there was to see as a traveller with a guidebook. Yet by talking to people along the way, I'd get a sense of the bigger picture. That was my hope, at least. Being a tourist would be my way of unlocking the countries. I would take in the wonderful Byzantine ruins of Tunisia, the famous Roman remains in Libya, and the treasures of the pharaohs in Egypt, plus some lovely beaches in the Sinai Peninsula. What would I find out about the Arab Spring as I pottered among the ancient sights? What does an Arab Spring feel like?'

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Print length

256 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Bradt Travel Guides
Publication date

25 Mar. 2013
Dimensions

15.24 x 1.27 x 22.86 cm
ISBN-10

1841624756
ISBN-13

978-1841624754
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Product description

Review

'Account of a trip through freshly revolutionised parts of Egypt, Libya and Tunisia paints the region as one of the most fascinating on Earth.' Time Out 'A fascinating, often humurous, insight into a world in the midst of revolution.' Food & Travel 'With no brief other than curiosity, and equipped with nothing more than courage and compassion, he discovered that word of mouth was his best entry visa into the confidence of people whose lives had been so disrupted.' The Times 'A good read about not quite 'wish you were here' territory... yet.' Wanderlust 'The author is honest to admit he hasn't a clue, but his journey across these lands has the freshness of someone who hasn't just read the newspapers, but has been there and talked to the people, none of whom have a clue either.' Good Book Guide 'The result is the fascinating, street-level tale of a lay traveller's journey through lands fresh from revolution.' --The Middle East

'This witty, perceptive book provides a fascinating read for lovers of thoughtful, imaginative and well-written travel literature.' --Mail on Sunday

'A charming travel companion, entertaining and engaging'. --Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

Tom Chesshyre was born in London in 1971. He has a degree in politics from Bristol University, where he was news editor of the university paper, Epigram. He completed a newspaper journalism diploma at City University, after which he had short stints at the Cambridge Evening News, Sporting Life and Sky Sports. He freelanced for The Daily Telegraph and The Independent before joining the travel desk of The Times in 1997, where he still works. He has helped with the research on two non-fiction books: W. G. by Robert Low, a biography of W. G. Grace, and Carlos: Portrait of a Terrorist by Colin Smith, a biography of "Carlos the Jackal". He is the author of three previous travel books: 'How Low Can You Go? Round Europe for 1p Each-Way (Plus Tax)' published in 2007, 'To Hull and Back: On Holiday in Unsung Britain,' published in 2010, and T'ales from the Fast Trains: Europe at 186mph', published in 2011 and shortlisted in the 2012 British Travel Press Awards. His travel writing has taken him to almost 100 countries. He lives in south-west London.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bradt Travel Guides; 1st edition (25 Mar. 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1841624756
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1841624754
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 1.27 x 22.86 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 521,351 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 5,227 in Travel Writing (Books)

Customer reviews:
4.5 57 ratings

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Tom Chesshyre

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Tom Chesshyre is the author of eleven travel books. His latest is Lost in the Lakes: Notes from a 379-mile Hike Around the Lake District. He lives in London.

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AES

Intrepid, Open-minded and Fascinating

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 January 2014

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If only I had the nerve to emulate Tom Chesshyre and travel through these three countries at this time, each of which has experienced the Arab Spring in their own inimitable ways. In spirit, I sat beside him in the hire car, travelling along potentially lethal Tunisian roads to amazing archaeological sites and sympathised over the story of poor, tragic Mohamed Bouazizi. I feared for his safety in Libya as he was virtually abducted by a sneering policeman. The best part, for me though, was Tom's stay in Egypt. His enthusiasm for Cairo, even in the midst of the aftermath of the revolution, gave me great pleasure. Cairo is not an easy city to love and Tom's open-mindedness is a credit to him. Tom - there are three levels of waiter in Egyptian restaurants, the most senior, just below deputy restaurant manager, is indeed 'captain'.

A huge coincidence occurred while reading this book. In the final part Tom travels to Sharm El Sheikh and visits an unnamed hotel, although Tom describes the reception very clearly. With the assistance of a fellow tourist he surreptitiously photographs former President Mubarak's seaward facing villa, which can be found within the grounds of the same hotel. I was actually staying in this hotel at the time of reading the book, A Tourist in the Arab Spring being one of my holiday reads.

This book is well worth 5 stars. It is a riveting read and for those who have not travelled in the Middle East, is an excellent introduction. Where next Tom?

One person found this helpful

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Claudia Sutterby

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 August 2014

An interesting read, but not the enlightened one I was expecting.

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Mike Gerrard

I've read a lot of travel books and love people like Paul Theroux and Bruce Chatwin

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 December 2015

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I've read a lot of travel books and love people like Paul Theroux and Bruce Chatwin. Tom Chesshyre comes at things differently, though, with a journalistic background and an interest in the politics of the region he's visiting. It's a brilliant book, and being familiar with some of the places, such as Tunisia, I was eager to read it. I found it fascinating and well-written, and also funny and honest. I had to laugh at some of the scrapes the author got into, and at other times was sincerely glad he was making the journey and not me. But I envy him the book he got out of it.

It was one of those books I wished I could have read in one sitting, and I think it will appeal to anyone who enjoys a good travel book, whether you're interested in the politics of the region or not. Though it was published a couple of years ago, it's still very timely and relevant.

One person found this helpful

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Debbie Hindle

Thought-provoking

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 September 2013

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I preface this review by saying I know Tom - having met him through work. But I bought this book intrigued at the idea that someone would have visited countries so soon after the Arab Spring. I agree with the other reviewers that it's an excellently written book -almost painfully bittersweet in parts as you read about the hopes and fears of people who have been through so much and are learning to articulate their views of the world. Reading the book now after recent events in the Middle East makes it even more moving. As I read his book I kept wondering where those people are now. Superb and unusual book. Away from the news headlines a slice of how entire nations were feeling at a critical point in history. A tourist in the Arab Spring Aftermath should surely follow.

3 people found this helpful

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Peter Munn

True to the title

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 January 2014

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Exactly what is expected - a sympathetic trip through Tunisia, Libya and Egypt reporting on the sights and talking to the locals. What is clear is that in each country the ex dictators were hated by their peoples.

2 people found this helpful

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Mr D W Oliver

A fabulous read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 August 2018

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Very funny book and quite engrossing. You will think you are travelling with the author.

One person found this helpful

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CathyR

... Can You Go' is one of my all time favourite travel reads)

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 October 2014

I adore Tom Chesshyre's writing ('How Low Can You Go' is one of my all time favourite travel reads), so discovering that he had a new book in the offing was cause for excited anticipation. However, having just finished the book, I am left with a sense of vague disappointment.
This book is very different from what he's written previously because Tom doesn't have the same depth of knowledge and experience of North Africa as he has with Europe (which has provided the backdrop for his earlier books). To his credit, he is honest about his lack of familiarity with the region and this lends a sense of stumbling into the unknown and an unfamiliar edginess to some of the prose.
This book also contains less of Chesshyre's characteristic humour - possibly because life in the countries he visited is no laughing matter. There is a pervasive sense that despite the expectations that fuelled the Arab Spring, little has changed for people on the ground, and his recurrent theme is that they have seen no economic opportunity to compensate for the turmoil they've endured. Perhaps it's the lack of even a glimmer of a happy ending that distinguishes this from what he's previously written about the 'new' Europe that has emerged since the fall of the Iron Curtain.
I also can't help wondering whether being published by a more 'serious' travel press - Bradt - has also put a slight damper on Chessyre's previous bounce.
I found the sections on Egypt more enjoyable than those on Tunisia and Libya - there's a sense that he's closer to familar territory, and his observation and writing is more confident as a result.
I agonised about whether to give this 3 or 4 stars - he's a gifted writer and it's still a good book. Perhaps the acid test is that I've torn through every other Chesshyre book from cover to cover, whereas this took me a couple of weeks to finish.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 July 2013

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Great read and a good reflection of tourism as well as the civil unrest. I would recommend to anyone with an interest in the Arab world.

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Ginny

Behind the headlines of the Arab Spring

Reviewed in the United States on 11 July 2013

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For people who like the travel narrative genre, this book will be very appealing. While many such books rely on humor or absurdity in describing their travels, this author is much more sensitive to the people and sites he encounters. He comes as a tourist without a political agenda but not adverse to talking to the people about the huge changes that occurred throughout the region. His visits to local historic sites are revealing since many are unknown to most of the world. The book is a good mixture of personal encounters and geographical/historical descriptions all of which are told in a very readable, captivating way. I found the author more interested conveying a feeling for the people and places he visited rather than how those things affected him, a common trap for travel writers. The author does a great job of getting beyond the headlines and giving us a glimpse of how life goes on AFTER a revolution.

4 people found this helpful

Stephanie Franzos

A Tourist in the Arab Spring

Reviewed in the United States on 30 November 2013

Verified Purchase

It's interesting and alarming at times but I struggled with the way it was written.
The sentence construction and flow of thoughts was not to my liking.

2 people found this helpful

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A Tourist in the Arab Spring (Bradt Travel Guides (Travel Literature)) Paperback – Illustrated, 25 Mar. 2013

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