Earlier this spring, SMU students followed the Egyptian revolution on Twitter and Dallas held it’s own protests in support of the ousting of Mubarak. But as the protests in Syria and the rest of the Middle East continue to expand, no book is as relevant as Robin Wright’s “Rock the Casbah.”

Named after a punk rock song by The Clash, “Rock the Casbah” was written to depict what Wright has called the “politics and culture of change.”

Wright, a journalist who has covered the Middle East region for the past four decades, has witnessed the extreme change in the way the people are revolting this time around.

Two-thirds of the region, more than 300 million people, are under the age of 30 and for the first time ever, most are literate. These numbers are leading to unprecedented dissatisfaction with the current state of government and Wright’s extensive experience in the region allowed her to categorize and unveil even the smallest of efforts against current regimes.

Previously, religious extremism and violence pervaded the way the Middle East fought for power, but now in the digital age, it is the young people who are rising up and claiming their rights through peaceful protests and viral videos.

In her book, Wright breaks down the political rebellions into three different categories: Arab revolts, the counter-jihad and the rebellion against Islamic ideology.

“Rock the Casbah” mainly highlights the movements in popular culture against the government. She gives examples of Youtube Imans redefining the Islamic religion for the young people, Arab rappers and Muslim comedians all finding new ways to spread their message of change for the region. Wright also tells of the new pink hejab movement, a way for Arabic women to still stay true to their Muslim roots, while expressing their own individuality.

Wright’s sense of humor is apparent throughout her writing. The examples given of this new comedy will have readers rolling on the floor. Even the titles of the chapters give life to this new type of protest. For instance, the title of Chapter 10 is called “Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes.”

But Wright also tells of the more serious side of these protests. In her book are stories of women protesting female circumcision and of the new martyrdom, a form not designed to kill anyone else, but instead to shame the government.

She also is quick to point out that this wave of change across the region is far from over. But Wright predicts in “Rock the Casbah” that by the end of this decade every one of the 22 Arab countries will be forced to make significant political changes as a result.

At Wright’s book signing in Washington D.C., she left the crowd with the real theme of her book, “Never underestimate the power of people.”