DIARIES OF AN UNFINISHED REVOLUTION REVIEW

Critical Book Review: Diaries of an Unfinished Revolution

Tafadzwa Ryan Nemarundwe
Portland State University

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It is not until we can observe something from multiple perspectives that we can truly understand
its advantages and disadvantages. Diaries of an Unfinished Revolution is written by eight
different authors and editors. It is made up of eight different real life short stories of events that
the various authors experienced. These events all have to do with revolution because these
authors are all citizens in countries going through revolutions at the time they are written. They
are stories of people from the countries affected by the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring is what the
revolutions, demonstrations and protests in the Middle-East and North Africa have been labeled.
The reader gains a deeper understanding of revolutions, what sparks them, and what ends them.
Due to having access to multiple stories and numerous perspectives, the reader can form a less
biased opinion and can discover the different approaches that different countries took with their
own revolutions.
Of the stories in Diaries of an Unfinished Revolution some of the revolutions are still
ongoing, some have just begun, and some have already ended. Through the analysis of the
countries whose revolutions have ended we can form an idea of how revolution affects countries
in the long-term. Although the book doesnt have enough stories and personal experiences to
form a solid basis of the effects of revolution, it allows for the reader to develop a basic
understanding and idea of what would occur. Although learning about a topic from multiple
perspectives allows for less bias, each author in this book is very biased about their own
countries and people, and so one should tread carefully with the lessons learned from these
stories. Through the events that occur within the stories it is evident that revolution will not
automatically fix all of the countrys problems as the people would hope. Revolution will not

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improve the peoples daily lives, give them job security, nor rid the government and people of
corruption.
From the passages it is clear that revolutions can become extremely violent. No matter
how effective, violence should always be avoided because of the risk that comes with it. As seen
in Tunisia, where their revolution was very violent, a lot of people will lose their lives if the
masses take to violence, and the innocent will suffer as well. Once the protesters begin using
violence, then the authorities will have to use excessive force to keep the peace. Violence creates
chaos without proper leadership, and it is made clear in the passages that the various countrys
revolutions had no proper leadership. Once chaos ensues then society will start to break down.
Crime rates begin to increase and public and private property would be vandalised. All of this
occurs in the stories, some worse of than others, but none the less it is still chaotic. What Diaries
of an Unfinished Revolution has shown us is that if the government does not respond to the
masses call for change, then it is very likely that they will turn violent. This is especially true if
the government attempts to silence the peoples complaints and criticisms with force. There are
cases though, such as in Syria, where force and propaganda were effective for quite some time.
Risking ones life is undoubtedly a risk that comes with supporting a revolution. Are the
sacrifices worth it? What the book has taught the reader is that an individual cannot push for a
revolution on their own; the risk is far too great for any single person because a single death
would be enough to end the fight. If the majority of the nation does not believe that the change is
worth enough to take up the risk, then the revolution shall fail.
How do the people determine whether or not revolution is worth the risk? If the people do
not have something they truly want to fight for, then it is unlikely the revolution will go through.
We saw this in Syria, where change could not occur because not enough people were willing to

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take the risk. The government used forced and propaganda to effectively discourage the people
from rebelling. Tunisia on the other hand, was the opposite. The people were extremely
passionate about their revolution. Living conditions were so poor for most people that they had
something they could rally on and fight intently to change. If the people have a noble and distinct
cause to fight for, such as jobs or taking down a dictator such as Gaddafi, then they are more
likely to succeed in their revolution. The reason they are more likely to succeed is because
having a cause is like having a fire, every time someone joins the cause they are adding firewood
to the flame; and as more and more people join, the fire grows, until it is so big that it is too
difficult put out. Once the fire grows too big for the government, it is burned down, and the
people can replace it with the changes they were fighting for. Fire is a very destructive force
though; the bigger it grows, the more likely it will burn unintended subjects, such as the people
themselves.
One of the sacrifices that comes with revolution is the damage that is done to the
economy. If the revolution were to become violent then it could be possible that stores and
markets would have to close down due to fear of looting and damage to private property. Other
services would shut down as well due to either pressure from the government or fear of the
people. This means a lot of people would lose their jobs. A revolution of people fighting for jobs
would cause people to lose their jobs. This is why a revolution might not be worth it to some
people, because they already have what they need and do not see a reason to risk losing it for
others that were unfortunate enough to not have their needs met as well. Without a cause they
can passionately get behind, they would have no real incentive to push for a revolution. This is
one of the lessons the book has, that some people will be more involved in the revolution than
others due to how willing they are to risk their livelihood.

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While some fight on the front lines, others will write articles under fake names or from
outside the country. The reader is given the opportunity to see and analyse how different people
contributed to their own countrys revolutions in the book. Although writing was an important
aspect in most of the authors lives, they all had different contributions and experiences with
their own revolutions. This shows the reader that anyone can contribute to the revolution in their
own way, no matter how small or impactful it is; it all adds to the fire.
Diaries of an Unfinished Revolution is not captivating due to its organization, and
although it is made up of multiple stories, feels very biased. A factor in it not being captivating is
that it is made up of various stories written by different people. This each chapter is written in a
different writing style, which makes the book a lot harder to digest. Some chapters are extremely
biased, which makes the entire book feel biased, and that could be a deterrent for some readers.
Each individual story does a great job at getting their ideas across, but clash with some of the
other stories in the book. Although each chapter has its own ideas, all of them go back to the
main focus, revolution, which allows all of the chapters to have a connection, making every
chapter slightly more meaningful.
This book will not inspire countries to start revolutions, nor is it outstanding in anyway.
However, it will give more people the chance to read about the Arab Spring from people with
first hand experiences. This makes the events that occurred in these countries more than just a
news headline; it makes them all the more real. That is the main purpose of Diaries of an
Unfinished Revolution, to make the events that occur within revolutions better known and
understood.

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References:
Zubaidi, L. (n.d.). Diaries of an unfinished revolution: Voices from Tunis to Damascus.