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The Buried: Life, Death and Revolution in Egypt

The Buried: Life, Death and Revolution in Egypt

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  • Create Date：2021-05-11 11:53:53
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Peter Hessler
  • ISBN：1788161319
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Summary

'Tenacious， revelatory， and humane。' - Paul Theroux

'The Buried is the kind of book that you don't want to end and won't forget。 With the eye of a great storyteller Peter Hessler weaves together history， reporting， memoir， and above all the lives of ordinary people in a beautiful and haunting portrait of Egypt and its Revolution。' - Ben Rhodes

In 2011， while revolution swept across Egypt， Peter Hessler was reporting on the everyday lives and ancient secrets of a country in turmoil。

The result is this unforgettable work of literary and documentary brilliance。 In The Buried， Hessler traces the human stories alongside the broader sweep of historic events: Tahrir Square， the massacres and the coup form the background， but so too do ancient cults， buried cities in the desert and dead pharaohs with huge ambitions。 Most important are the people forging their lives in this world。 We follow rubbish collector Sayyid; Arabic teacher Rifaat; and Manu， a translator。 There are also the Chinese immigrants who have built a lingerie empire， politicians and ingenious archaeologists。 Together， they raise the question: is revolution just repetition， or can things ever really change？

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Reviews

Allison ，

I absolutely LOVED this stunning book。 I loved that it was such a fantastic mix of learning about the Arab Spring， exploring ancient archaeological sites， learning about Egyptian culture and language， and just being immersed in Hessler’s life in Egypt， surrounded by these amazing people he met， and their fantastic stories。 Hessler is an incredible writer and I enjoyed every minute of this book。 Cannot recommend this highly enough。

Nicki Gunn ，

DNF。 Trudged to page 300 and had to quit。。 Boring。 I wanted more about the actual revolution and less about people I just could not care about。 Maybe I wanted to care more about them。 Either way， disappointing。 Star rating is for the bits I did like and the history involved。

Jonathan Mckay ，

41st book of 2021: Shallow Archeology What do the the last gasps of a civilization look like？ One could argue that it resembles something like the Arab winter， with coups， civil war， broken families and rampant hate。 Hessler came to Egypt from a long tour in China just as the Arab world seemed ready to change。 Mubarak had stepped down， and free and fair elections were about to be held。 For a book with the title 'The Buried' I would have hoped for more understanding of Egypt's context。 Like an o 41st book of 2021: Shallow Archeology What do the the last gasps of a civilization look like？ One could argue that it resembles something like the Arab winter， with coups， civil war， broken families and rampant hate。 Hessler came to Egypt from a long tour in China just as the Arab world seemed ready to change。 Mubarak had stepped down， and free and fair elections were about to be held。 For a book with the title 'The Buried' I would have hoped for more understanding of Egypt's context。 Like an oil driller willing only to scratch the surface or dig miles beneath， Hesser misses the most interesting geology sitting just beneath the surface。 He all but ignores Islam， post-colonialism and pan-Arabism to spend time pondering ancient Egypt， a culture with as much relevance to modern Cairo as the Picts to modern London。 He plays this up as a choice not to learn Fusha （standard Arabic） but in doing so renders himself effectively illiterate in a culture known for its high literature。 Instead he tells an oral history from people he meets like Manu， a gay translator or Said， a local garbage man。 For one unacquainted with Egypt， the stories are compelling。 Yet unlike China， Egypt's stories remain little changed from generation to generation。 Thus Hessler's vignettes are better covered by Egyptian authors such as Alaa Al Aswany （https://www。goodreads。com/book/show/1。。。） or anything by Naguib Mahfouz。 Once he finds Chinese traders， he finds a willing audience to look scornfully down upon Arab culture， from both the Chinese and American vantage points。 Here in Egypt， home to more than 90 million people where western development aid and billions of dollars have pourn in for decades。。。。 [why was the first plastics recycling plant] established by two Chinese migrants， one of them illiterate， and one of them with a 5th grade education？ These are fair criticisms， but the flippancy with which they are cast as well as Hessler's exasperation with a more conservative religious culture left a sour taste。 From the western vantage， it's hard to find positives in the Arab world when compared with China's unprecedented rise。 Even if we are watching the slow motion unraveling of Arab civilization， true insight remains buried even after finishing this book。 。。。more

Jessie Hoekstra ，

Very much enjoyed this book。 Probably was one my favorites of last summer。

Paula ，

Fascynujący obraz współczesnego Egiptu i kopalnia wiedzy o starożytnym Egipcie w połączeniu z osobistymi przeżyciami reportera mieszkającego w tym kraju przez kilka lat。 Bardzo ciekawa i warta uwagi lektura。 Pięć plus。

Frank Wu ，

Solid book from one of my fav authors。 Nothing too deep IMO but some pretty hilarious side stories and interesting commentary on modern day Egyptian society as well as ancient Egyptian culture/rulers。

Kelley ，

This was so very well written。 I love Hessler's narrative style。 I love the way he describes the people he encounters。 It's funny and informative。 This book paints a pretty good portrait of Egypt from Revolution to "Coup。" I was very interested in this book we someone who has visited Egypt often and has family there。 But I found myself disagreeing with many of Hessler's conclusions about the people and the country。 This is not a book to look tonight you want to understand political， religious o This was so very well written。 I love Hessler's narrative style。 I love the way he describes the people he encounters。 It's funny and informative。 This book paints a pretty good portrait of Egypt from Revolution to "Coup。" I was very interested in this book we someone who has visited Egypt often and has family there。 But I found myself disagreeing with many of Hessler's conclusions about the people and the country。 This is not a book to look tonight you want to understand political， religious or social histories。 One of the things which makes this book so compelling is Hessler's reliance on his own first hand encounters。 He's telling his story from his point of view。 He's very much a part of the story。 Then he'll take a break and give you some facts。 But don't be fooled， even these facts are collected through his own lens。 For example， Hessler is coming from China where he lived and worked for many years。 He is fluent in Chinese and his wife is Chinese-American。 A part of this book on Egypt then became him traveling around the country and meeting every single Chinese person there he could find。 This is actually pretty interesting but it's odd to find in a book about the Egyptian Revolution。 Additionally， coming from China which Hessler describes as having a culture of price haggling， he determines that Egyptians don't haggle。 I found the anecdote he shares pretty funny。 He tries to haggle down the price of an item in a shop and the shopkeeper starts making religious statements like "God help me！" Hessler concludes that his superior Chinese learned haggling skills have broken the man so much that he must invoke God。 He then concludes Egyptians don't haggle。 While this is funny I have to laugh at Hessler himself， who I can only hope then went about the rest of his years paying full price and never trying to haggle an Egyptian。 Later in the book he reveals a transaction between an Egyptian Imam and a Chinese shopkeeper。 The Imam beats the Chinese shopkeeper by threatening to pray right there in the shop if she doesn't relent to his price。 This type of religious manipulation is very common and in both stories is the way that Egyptians do haggle。 And if you're outside the religion and culture you're easy pickings。 Hessler lived in Egypt for 5 years。 But he never seemed to pick up on the way Egyptians will often say one thing but mean another。 At the end of his book he quotes a man saying "Inshallah" as a sign of agreement。 Arabic/Muslim 101 - Inshallah has over a thousand diff meanings but almost always means no。 Any Muslim child can teach you this。 Hessler spends much of the book with his zabbal - the trash collector for his neighborhood。 It's interesting because I don't think you'll ever find such a profile of a man of lower socioeconomic class in any book from any country or culture。 However it is clear Hesser often misunderstands him。 He interprets his intentions for us readers， and he sometimes gets it right。 But other times he assigns to him that which he has projected on him。 At one point Hessler's wife chastises the trash collector for not paying for his kids and Hessler says he seemed to take the criticism to heart。 Maybe the working class man really did appreciate being yelled at by the foreign woman （after getting out of jail no less）。 Or maybe the man who takes a salary from this couple had to just bear it。 By putting himself into the story， the different dynamics in social and economic class undoubtedly change the reporting。 This is ultimately my main issue with the book。 The stories are amusing but Hessler is biased。 His bias for China and America is clear throughout。 He obviously prefers Chinese approach to certain things and that is demonstrated by his constant comparison to how things work in Egypt vs China。 He also displays a very American centric worldview， especially as concerns politics。 This is unacceptable if this book was supposed to be able to be used as any sort of reference in future on Egyptian political history。 Hessler repeats the Obama administration's party line on the Revolution and Coup， even not calling it a coup。 He interviews political party members in Egypt but doesn't offer much analysis of their positions。 He accepts Sisi at his word （again Amerivan party line） that he never had any intentions of being president blah blah blah。 This was exposed very early on as being a lie by other political journalists。 Evidence has been exposed that shows Sisi and other actors planned not only the coup but the Revolution， and even the election of Brotherhood members。 Once again， Hessler's blindness to the Egyptian ability of manipulation and Machiavellian level political games undermines his understanding of the culture。 It exposes a belief that Egyptian society is inferior to that of America or China。 And thus while I found myself amused by the anecdotes of an Egypt I have started to know well， I was left with a distaste for Hessler's overall product。 I'm now curious as to what he's written about China。 But I fear whatever it is， it will bias me in some way。 I'm blessed to have had my own experiences in Egypt and to know the country differently than Hessler。 He ends his book with his departure from the country because living there is just too hard he says。 Every Egyptian i know who has ever lived outside Egypt agrees that life is easier in these other countries。 But they all say the same thing - life is easier， but it isn't Egypt。 They leave but they long to go back。 To paraphrase "Cheers，" wouldn't you want to live somewhere where everyone knows your name？ In Egypt there's definitely a feeling of connectedness which one doesn't find just anywhere else。 So in reality most people don't leave。 And the ones that do， the exodus defines their exile。 For myself， it took many years， but at some point that longing for Egypt grew in me。 My connection to the country grew as I grew connected to its people。 To know any Egyptian well is to understand what is good about the country （and admittedly maybe a little of what is bad with it）。 It's not an easy place to live but the ease is in its people。 The more connections you have the easier you will find it （and sometimes harder - because Egypt is a land of contradictions no？） That Hesser found this ease in its people and at the same time the hardship that comes with the country is not some defect of the place but it's national identity。 Hessler moved from Egypt but admits he had already been back for a visit。 I too， while stuck in a pandemic， find myself thinking on the next trip back。 。。。more

Piotr ，

Długaśna książka przedstawiająca Egipt z różnych stron， ale nie skupiająca się wyłącznie na suchych faktach。 Razem z autorem przechodzi się płynnie pomiędzy starożytnością， Egiptem nowożytnym i tym teraźniejszym， poznając mnogość losów ludzkich i to， jak w miarę niewiele zmieniło się w naturze ludzkiej。

McKenna Alcombrack ，

Amazing and wonderful descriptive ethnography of Egypt during the revolution and how ancient Egyptian archaeology has impacted the nation。

Tranhieu0410 ，

I read this book on the 10th anniversary of Arab Spring。 This insightful book gives me a chance to learn more about this powerful event。 Egypt is a particular example of a political uprising in Middle East countries。 Peter Hessler - gifted storytelling - leads readers through the most chaotic period of Egyptian history and also intertwines more than 3 thousand years of Pharaoh。 I like how Peter connects all the dots and interprets them in a fascinating way from the garbage collector， the Arabic I read this book on the 10th anniversary of Arab Spring。 This insightful book gives me a chance to learn more about this powerful event。 Egypt is a particular example of a political uprising in Middle East countries。 Peter Hessler - gifted storytelling - leads readers through the most chaotic period of Egyptian history and also intertwines more than 3 thousand years of Pharaoh。 I like how Peter connects all the dots and interprets them in a fascinating way from the garbage collector， the Arabic teacher， the gay journalist， the concept of djet and neheh， Pharaoh Akhenaton， Muslim brother， Sisi。。。 After 10 years seem like it will need more courage and knowledge from young people in Egypt if they truly want a democratic institution。 If you are interested in the Middle East， this one is a must-read。 。。。more

Jy ，

It's been some time since I read such a gripping non-fictional account; it was very much a page-turner， and I found it extremely difficult to put the book down midway as I followed Hessler's account of his five-year stay in Egypt （which commenced right after the Arab Spring）。 By introducing us to an extremely interesting and diverse cast of characters （a traditional garbage collector， an enlightened and modern Arabic teacher， the Chinese lingerie dealers， several local politicians， and a young， It's been some time since I read such a gripping non-fictional account; it was very much a page-turner， and I found it extremely difficult to put the book down midway as I followed Hessler's account of his five-year stay in Egypt （which commenced right after the Arab Spring）。 By introducing us to an extremely interesting and diverse cast of characters （a traditional garbage collector， an enlightened and modern Arabic teacher， the Chinese lingerie dealers， several local politicians， and a young， gay translator）， Hessler manages to paint an extremely vivid， interesting image of modern Egypt， its culture， its societal fabric， its institutions， and how， the culmination of all these factors ultimately resulted in the "failure" of the Egyptian revolution （as the lives of the people simply have not improved even after having overthrown the previous dictator）， and the "failure" of the Chinese / Western investments and aid in improving the Egyptian economy。 Ultimately， The Buried: An Archaeology of the Egyptian Revolution offers readers so much more than just an analysis and exposition of the Egyptian Revolution; it showcases the readers the real， day-to-day struggles of ordinary Egyptians living in modern Egypt， and it offers illuminating （and surprising） insights about the parallels between modern Egypt and ancient Egypt。 Now I'm excited to try Hessler's other books， and I can't wait to get my hands on what his wife， Leslie Chang， has to say about her 5-year stay in Egypt （as Hessler mentioned that， due to strict gender rules in Egyptian society， majority of the individuals whom he documented were male， whilst the majority of the individuals whom Leslie interviewed were female）。 。。。more

Rayne ，

I really enjoyed this personal look at the Egyptian Revolution; the author kept his own opinions impartial， which is a mark of true journalism， and was much appreciated。 Wonderfully written。

Hans ，

Again ‘Well done Peter！” Enjoyed Reading it。 Looking forward to reading another of your books。

Richard ，

A personal， interesting， and amazingly thoughtful book about personal experiences of a journalist with egyptians。 This book is more "Un-earthing of Egyptians" than about the fact that many people are living a smaller life than a westerner would want。 It gives a great glimpse into poor administration where promises and signs lead no-where， male-dominated societies where woman have no power except with each other or foreigners， where leadership is even more blunt than in the west， where personal i A personal， interesting， and amazingly thoughtful book about personal experiences of a journalist with egyptians。 This book is more "Un-earthing of Egyptians" than about the fact that many people are living a smaller life than a westerner would want。 It gives a great glimpse into poor administration where promises and signs lead no-where， male-dominated societies where woman have no power except with each other or foreigners， where leadership is even more blunt than in the west， where personal interaction is more true than hopes， conjecture， and fears， and where its ancient history when un-earthed reveals very different history。 When dusting off the people in this book I feel the sadness of lives that could be more fruitful with more kindness， support， regulation and focus。 A book worth reading。 The humanity is spell-binding。A beautiful error。 When I bought the book I thought it was going to deal with how archaeology was changing by virtue of the revolution （teaches me a lesson about reading a bit deeper） and I am so pleased with the story line - weaving people and history and current events and cultures。 。。。more

Museveni ，

About meaningless as seen in the lives of ordinary Egyptians。 About time， and how despite seeming like its moving forward， we're actually stuck in a giant time loop。 About meaningless as seen in the lives of ordinary Egyptians。 About time， and how despite seeming like its moving forward， we're actually stuck in a giant time loop。 。。。more

Sarah ，

A bit long， but it was really interesting！

Bingxuan ，

This book is incredibly detailed and thorough in its investigation of both the Arab Spring and aspects of the everyday life in Egypt。 Hessler structures the book around the people he met—a garbage collector， a gay translator， an Arabic teacher， and many， many other people he interviewed， from prominent politicians to Chinese lingerie dealers to a man who helped murder Anwar Sadat。 Which makes me wonder， if there wasn’t a journalist like Hessler， who laboriously learned Arabic and adapted to life This book is incredibly detailed and thorough in its investigation of both the Arab Spring and aspects of the everyday life in Egypt。 Hessler structures the book around the people he met—a garbage collector， a gay translator， an Arabic teacher， and many， many other people he interviewed， from prominent politicians to Chinese lingerie dealers to a man who helped murder Anwar Sadat。 Which makes me wonder， if there wasn’t a journalist like Hessler， who laboriously learned Arabic and adapted to life in Egypt， would these stories ever be told in English？ But then again， who are the Egyptians that Hessler didn’t meet？ And how do the Egyptian locals perceive Hessler—a white American journalist—and how does that affect what they say and how they behave in front of him？ What conversations do they have behind his back？ With its richness and depth， perhaps The Buried also testifies to the diversity and complexity of Egypt， as well as the inherent impossibility of painting a portrait of a country through a single pair of eyes。 。。。more

Attila Babo ，

I never had any special interest in nowadays Egypt and even the glorious past was too far to be interesting。 After reading the Letter from Abydos by Peter Hessler at The New Yorker I bought the book and enjoyed the vibrant mix of what history is。 The family life of the garbage map， the local politician at a remote town， the Chinese lingerie dealers with the first plastic recycling facility， the hard life of a gay in Cairo， all those local characters， and the big swings of history。 This is an unu I never had any special interest in nowadays Egypt and even the glorious past was too far to be interesting。 After reading the Letter from Abydos by Peter Hessler at The New Yorker I bought the book and enjoyed the vibrant mix of what history is。 The family life of the garbage map， the local politician at a remote town， the Chinese lingerie dealers with the first plastic recycling facility， the hard life of a gay in Cairo， all those local characters， and the big swings of history。 This is an unusual book that I can highly recommend。 。。。more

多余人-Lishnye Lyudi ，

循环，永恒。

Kerry ，

A fascinating story about a topic that I admit to knowing nothing previously about。 Using the concept of archeology， Hessler digs into the culture and current and past history to reveal the features of a revolution， much like his friend the garbage collector digs into his customers' trash。 The inclusion of scenes with Hessler's companions in this unearthing of information， including a gay interpreter and the garbage collector， offer a multi-faceted， rich picture of a complex culture and time per A fascinating story about a topic that I admit to knowing nothing previously about。 Using the concept of archeology， Hessler digs into the culture and current and past history to reveal the features of a revolution， much like his friend the garbage collector digs into his customers' trash。 The inclusion of scenes with Hessler's companions in this unearthing of information， including a gay interpreter and the garbage collector， offer a multi-faceted， rich picture of a complex culture and time period。 。。。more

Lechevalier ，

A dramatic nonfiction book。

Elaine Ruth Boe ，

I didn't know much about the Arab Spring or recent Egyptian history， and my knowledge of Ancient Egypt was also pretty limited。 So， I really enjoyed learning about all three areas in this book， in addition to getting a glimpse into how a foreign correspondent lives and works abroad with a family。 Again and again I was struck by how restrictive women's lives are in Egypt today。 Wahiba is one of the standout characters in the book， in my opinion。 Her resilience and confidence were all the more imp I didn't know much about the Arab Spring or recent Egyptian history， and my knowledge of Ancient Egypt was also pretty limited。 So， I really enjoyed learning about all three areas in this book， in addition to getting a glimpse into how a foreign correspondent lives and works abroad with a family。 Again and again I was struck by how restrictive women's lives are in Egypt today。 Wahiba is one of the standout characters in the book， in my opinion。 Her resilience and confidence were all the more impressive given the limited means by which she could voice her convictions。 How she considered her niqab wearing， what it meant to those around her in different settings， exemplified the intelligence required of all Egyptian women navigating threatening and restrictive expectations of their movements and bodies。 I would be very interested to have also gotten more of Hessler's wife's perspective being a female journalist。 Egyptian's friendliness and ingenuity also featured heavily in Hessler's interactions。 He does a good job of creating a vivid landscape of community and events。 。。。more

Susan ，

The author moved with his family to live in Egypt at the beginning of the Egyptian “Arab Spring。” There， he immersed himself in the archeology， history， culture， language， and quotidian life of the people。 The book is titled an “archeology，” an interesting designation that left the author free to synthesize a mix of inquiry methods。 He is a journalist but also incorporated anthropological and hermeneutic perspectives that add depth to the narrative。 I do not have all that much interest in contem The author moved with his family to live in Egypt at the beginning of the Egyptian “Arab Spring。” There， he immersed himself in the archeology， history， culture， language， and quotidian life of the people。 The book is titled an “archeology，” an interesting designation that left the author free to synthesize a mix of inquiry methods。 He is a journalist but also incorporated anthropological and hermeneutic perspectives that add depth to the narrative。 I do not have all that much interest in contemporary Egypt but still found the book to be an extraordinary achievement。 。。。more

Hazimahyusop ，

I rarely read nonfiction but this one is such an interesting book rich of cultural，society and the author's experience throughout his 5 years in Egypt。I've learned so much about situation in Egypt during this 5 years by reading this book。 Previously i have read the news about the revolution from mubarak to morsi and finally to sisi。 But hessler story telling is quite interesting together with the personal experience and also the with people he work together。 Its very brave of him and his family I rarely read nonfiction but this one is such an interesting book rich of cultural，society and the author's experience throughout his 5 years in Egypt。I've learned so much about situation in Egypt during this 5 years by reading this book。 Previously i have read the news about the revolution from mubarak to morsi and finally to sisi。 But hessler story telling is quite interesting together with the personal experience and also the with people he work together。 Its very brave of him and his family to make a bold decision to move to foreign country，learning new language， mixing with new culture & religion。 Their relationship with their friends in egypt also shaped the years they resided there。 I love reading the relationship he build with the garbage man， sayyid， the translator manu， his late arabic teacher rifat，their baby sitter doorman etc。 All of them taught many things indirectly not only to him & his family but also to me as a reader。I will definitely read other books by him after this。 。。。more

Susan Tunis ，

What a fantastic book！ Peter Hessler， of the New Yorker， moved his wife and twin baby daughters to Cairo， Egypt shortly after the Arab Spring。 The family stayed for five years， and Hessler was a close observer of his adopted home。 He looks at Egypt through both a micro and macro lens。 Of course， he was reporting on all the biggest stories of an eventful time， but he was also building relationships with people from all walks of life。 Additionally， Hessler spent time exploring the country's celebr What a fantastic book！ Peter Hessler， of the New Yorker， moved his wife and twin baby daughters to Cairo， Egypt shortly after the Arab Spring。 The family stayed for five years， and Hessler was a close observer of his adopted home。 He looks at Egypt through both a micro and macro lens。 Of course， he was reporting on all the biggest stories of an eventful time， but he was also building relationships with people from all walks of life。 Additionally， Hessler spent time exploring the country's celebrated history。 The Buried is both interesting and informative， but perhaps what struck me most of all was the clear affection the author holds for Egypt and it's people， despite their many problems。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more

Gail ，

A great blend of political reporting and personal experience。 Peter gets very involved with some of the people he meets and that is what makes this book special。

Janet H。 Kubalak ，

Engrossing and enjoyable read on Egypt during the Arab SpringIf， like me， your grasp of the events and implications of the Arab Spring was fuzzy even as it was being reported， this is the book that not only explains those events but describes daily life in Egypt so that the events make sense。Most of all this is a story of Egypt。 Not the Egypt of the wealthy but the Egypt of neighborhoods and every day people。 Hessler and his wife and two young twin girls live in an apartment on Zamalek， an islan Engrossing and enjoyable read on Egypt during the Arab SpringIf， like me， your grasp of the events and implications of the Arab Spring was fuzzy even as it was being reported， this is the book that not only explains those events but describes daily life in Egypt so that the events make sense。Most of all this is a story of Egypt。 Not the Egypt of the wealthy but the Egypt of neighborhoods and every day people。 Hessler and his wife and two young twin girls live in an apartment on Zamalek， an island in the Nile。 He befriends the local trash collector， Sayyid， who provides great insights into Egypt’s culture， which is not one of （western） systems but of people。 We get a look at family structure， the many strictures governing women， the legal system （？）， the role of Islam， treatment of lgbtq persons， and just generally， how things really work。One of my favorite stories concerned the new ring road。 Sayyid and his family lived in a poor neighborhood （an ashwaiyat） and because these informal settlements weren’t recognized by the government， they didn’t build any on or off ramps for the neighborhood to use the ring road。 The solution？ Build the ramps yourselves。 The neighborhood hired designers and builders and simply built their own ramps。 No one said a word。This is an absorbing read in which you care for the individuals and families who are described and in the meantime you learn history， both the recent past as well as the ancient。 。。。more

Barbara ，

I don't normally like books on politics， but I read a few of Peter Hessler's articles in The New Yorker and decided to give The Buried a try。 What a surprise！ He managed to blend the personal and the political and make it interesting and engaging。 I found myself learning so many things in this book。 A very rich， rewarding read。 I don't normally like books on politics， but I read a few of Peter Hessler's articles in The New Yorker and decided to give The Buried a try。 What a surprise！ He managed to blend the personal and the political and make it interesting and engaging。 I found myself learning so many things in this book。 A very rich， rewarding read。 。。。more

Bigi Parsons ，

Hessler， because of his long stays in both China and Egypt can compare these two cultures and provide fascinating insights。 One of the best travel writers， any of Hessler's books are worth taking time with even if this last one is a 434 small print read。 it would be very interesting to read his wife's take on Egyptian culture as ， because of cultural restrictions， Hessler focussed on the Eygptian male view of the world。 Of particular interest are Hessler's ruminations on the formation of caste c Hessler， because of his long stays in both China and Egypt can compare these two cultures and provide fascinating insights。 One of the best travel writers， any of Hessler's books are worth taking time with even if this last one is a 434 small print read。 it would be very interesting to read his wife's take on Egyptian culture as ， because of cultural restrictions， Hessler focussed on the Eygptian male view of the world。 Of particular interest are Hessler's ruminations on the formation of caste categories and tribal affiliations。 。。。more

Jaimie ，

If you have interest in modern Egyptian history， this was a great intro to it。 It did drag a little for me， but that's more a reflection of my personal taste in books than of this book。 It's a great glimpse into a culture that I knew very little about， and there were lots of very interesting facts （like numbers and words not reading in the same direction！）， and many people that you'll be introduced to， read about， and care for。 If you have interest in modern Egyptian history， this was a great intro to it。 It did drag a little for me， but that's more a reflection of my personal taste in books than of this book。 It's a great glimpse into a culture that I knew very little about， and there were lots of very interesting facts （like numbers and words not reading in the same direction！）， and many people that you'll be introduced to， read about， and care for。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Buried: Life, Death and Revolution in Egypt

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Buried: Life, Death and Revolution in Egypt&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Buried: Life, Death and Revolution in Egypt&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0