Generation Freedom

Bruce Feiler, whose earlier books Walking the Bible and Abraham were bestsellers, turns to the Middle East to examine how the biblical and historical roots of the region shape its present-day uprisings. Returning to the area, he looks at the sectarian and political struggles in Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian territories. He presents these conflicts as a meeting point of current political pressures, long-established religious traditions and entrenched cultural divides.

Feiler goes onto the ground in Tahrir Square and beyond, offering firsthand reports from the front lines of the protests that brought down dictators. He also profiles the politically aware young people who used social media to organize and reshape their societies, and he asks how ancient stories of liberation came to fuel a movement driven by technology.

The book traces the religious history that Judaism, Christianity and Islam share and considers whether those common narratives point toward conflict or cooperation. It also draws parallels between the biblical story of Moses and Pharaoh and the modern fight for democracy against authoritarian rule in Egypt, framing the contrast as an older revolution set against a newer one.