{"product_id":"hot-maroc-9780815611356","title":"Hot Maroc","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith an infectious blend of humor, satire, and biting social commentary, Yassin Adnan gives readers a portrait of contemporary Morocco--and the city of Marrakech--told through the eyes of the hapless Rahhal La ouina, a.k.a. the Squirrel. Painfully shy, not that bright, and not all that popular, Rahhal somehow imagines himself a hero. With a useless degree in ancient Arabic poetry, he finds his calling in the online world, where he discovers email, YouTube, Facebook, and the news site Hot Maroc. Enamored of the internet and the thrill of anonymity it allows, Rahhal opens the Atlas Cubs Cyber Caf , where patrons mingle virtually with politicians, journalists, hackers, and trolls. However, Rahhal soon finds himself mired in the dark side of the online world--one of corruption, scandal, and deception. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLonglisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction in 2017, \u003ci\u003eHot Maroc\u003c\/i\u003e is a vital portrait of the challenges Moroccans, young and old, face today. Where press freedoms are tightly controlled by government authorities, where the police spy on, intimidate, and detain citizens with impunity, and where adherence to traditional cultural icons both anchors and stifles creative production, the online world provides an alternative for the young and voiceless. In this revolutionary novel that recalls Junot D az's \u003ci\u003eThe Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao \u003c\/i\u003eand Dave Eggers's \u003ci\u003eThe Circle\u003c\/i\u003e, Adnan fixes his lens on young Rahhal and his contemporaries as they navigate the perilous and changing landscape of the real and virtual worlds they inhabit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Syracuse University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/16\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780815611356\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 424","brand":"Yassin Adnan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40550679871669,"sku":"9780815611356","price":21.21,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_2eeb0d85-50d5-4416-b923-4b868eaae9dd.jpg?v=1626791840","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/hot-maroc-9780815611356","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}