Qaddafi's Green Book (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
Reading Qaddafi in Beirut (Photo: Emily O'Dell)
Freedom of expression is the right of every natural person, even if a person chooses to behave irrationally, to express his or her insanity.
— Qaddafi, The Green Book
While my friends and I were trapped indoors in Beirut last night by some much-needed rain–along with extreme thunder and lightning–we picked up The Green Book, written by Qaddafi in 1975, and began to read. Composed as required reading for the citizens of Libya, The Green Book is thought to have been inspired by Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book. As we huddled together to read The Green Book on the couch, while the storm was making the lights flicker, we all agreed that the chapter on “Women” was our favorite chapter in the book…
