In the Country of Men is the debut novel of the writer Hisham Matar,[1] first published in July 2006 by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Books.

The book follows the plight of Suleiman, a nine-year-old boy living in Tripoli in Libya, stuck between a father whose clandestine anti-Qaddafi activities bring about searches, stalkings, and telephone eavesdroppings by Qaddafi's state police, and a vulnerable young mother who resorts to alcohol to bury her anxiety and anger.

The book describes Libya under Qaddafi's terror regime, portraying ordinary people's lives as they try to survive political oppression.

A week later, Suleiman sees his father being followed by his office clerk, Nasser, at the Martyr's Square and suspects him of being involved in something other than exotic trade.

Najwa and Moosa, Faraj's best friend and the son of a wealthy lawyer from Egypt, hang a picture of Qaddafi in their living room.

Suleiman is saddened and angered by watching his father's work being destroyed, and he keeps a book entitled Democracy Now, a gift from Ustath Rashid.

After making an allegiance with their neighbor, Abu Jafer, Suleiman and his family watch a national broadcast to show the strength of Qaddafi's revolution.