Aired 02/05/12

How did the Egyptian people overthrow longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak and are the people of Egypt better off today?

I am very excited to speak with WAEL GHONIM, the Egyptian web exec who played a leading role in last year's Tahrir Square protests. With the first anniversary of those protests and the recent elections in Egypt, we have a lot to talk about.

WAEL GHONIM was a little-known 30-year-old Google manager, unwilling to publicly criticize the Egyptian regime -- silenced like many by resignation and the fear of reprisals -- until he anonymously launched a Facebook campaign to protest the death of one particular Egyptian man at the hands of security forces. In his new memoir, he tells us - from his experience -- why and how the Egyptian people finally rejected 30 years of oppression and found their voice.

Let me read two quotes from WAEL GHONIM: "Social media allow ideas to be shared. They are places where people can unite, Revolutions can begin. A new type of Revolution - Revolution 2.0"
and finally -- "People have called me a hero, but that is ridiculous - this has not been a revolution of heroic individuals, but about people coming together to overcome dictatorship.

https://www.facebook.com/WaelGhonim

http://hmhbooks.com/hmh/site/hmhbooks/bookdetails?isbn=9780547773988&srch=true&utm_source=02-05-2012-GHONIM&utm_campaign=Wael+Ghonim-02-06-2012&utm_medium=email