Review of A Dream For Peace
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
-
- Book of the Month Participant
- Posts: 1060
- Joined: 22 May 2018, 14:01
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 128
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kenneth-onyenwe.html
- Latest Review: The Blandford Fly by D.N. Moore
Review of A Dream For Peace
A Dream For Peace by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah is a true-life account of Algeria's and other French colonies' struggles for independence. The book detailed the life history of Dr. Ghoulem Berrah and the role he played in Algeria's independence. While studying medicine on scholarship In France, he involved himself with student bodies intending to form synergies to free Algeria from colonial rule. After many failed attempts by the French police to nail him, he fled to Spain but was imprisoned there because of French influence. After his release, he traveled back to Algeria and practiced his medical profession for a while before moving to America to obtain his doctoral degree. Motivated by the quest to serve Africa, the author resigned from his teaching position at Yale University and moved to the Ivory Coast to assist President Houphouët-Boigny in building the country as a special assistant. This position helped him contribute to Algeria's independence from France, the development of the Ivory Coast, and the peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. If you want to know more about the Nigerian Civil War, the apartheid regime in South Africa, and the independence of Somalia, the rest of the book has a good account.
A little heads up before reading this book should be to read for knowledge's sake and not to attach emotions. I said this because an African who read this book and learned about France's unfair treatment of their colonies might develop a hatred for the French people. For example, at some point, the French National Assembly passed a bill in 1947 that equated the single vote of a French citizen from the first college to eight Algerian Muslims from the second college. This action was in the past and should not be used to judge the future. Let peace lead.
The one thing I disliked about the book is that it has a lot of names (characters) who played minor roles in helping the author contribute toward Algeria's freedom. I did not bother memorizing the many characters in the book because I was reading for knowledge rather than academic purposes. I struggled to connect the dots in the stories while trying to remember the many names mentioned.
I learned from this book that we cannot always get what we want out of life. In such situations, be brutally honest with yourself and move on. When the author met Titi, a beautiful young lady studying pharmacy in Switzerland, he fell in love. For the next couple of months, he shuttled between Abidjan and Switzerland every weekend to physically see his new lover. Dr. Berrah even arranged for his boss, the president, to help tell Titi how much love he has for her. After these sacrifices, the young lady's parents did not give their consent. It took time for the author to be sincere and walk away.
Furthermore, the publishers did great work proofreading the novel. The author has a good command of English and is very knowledgeable about the world's political and religious events. The book has themes not limited to war, marriage, and religion. The author was a Muslim who married a Christian and worked as a diplomat, a job that took him around the world to help build mosques and cathedrals, in addition to helping bring peace to the Middle East and Africa. I did not find any profane words in the book. Considering the above, I am awarding this book a rating of four out of four stars.
I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about inspiring political transformation. This book also has a comprehensive account of the activities of the colonial masters in Africa. Also, this book has valuable lessons on how the author successfully maintained an interfaith marriage between a Christian and a Muslim.
******
A Dream For Peace
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
- Rita Nuncia
- Posts: 498
- Joined: 03 Jan 2022, 02:39
- Currently Reading: Natural Relief for Anxiety and Stress
- Bookshelf Size: 149
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-rita-nuncia.html
- Latest Review: Wild World by Peter S. Rush
- Nwaka Chukwuemeka
- Posts: 1134
- Joined: 21 Apr 2022, 05:52
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 36
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nwaka-chukwuemeka.html
- Latest Review: A Dream For Peace by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah
-
- Book of the Month Participant
- Posts: 339
- Joined: 25 Aug 2022, 02:17
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 72
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bef-ozo.html
- Latest Review: Ditching Success? by Batoul I. Ajlouni
- Mercy Udeokeke
- In It Together VIP
- Posts: 535
- Joined: 29 Aug 2022, 10:37
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 66
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mercy-udeokeke.html
- Latest Review: Mothers Vol. 1 by Ben Burgess Jr.
- Judy O
- Posts: 532
- Joined: 07 Sep 2022, 04:23
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 44
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-judy-o.html
- Latest Review: Granite Kingdom by Eric Pope
-
- Posts: 594
- Joined: 07 Oct 2022, 21:39
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 55
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-blessing-chi-peculiar.html
- Latest Review: Maria Tunicka Conductor by James Aiello
-
- Posts: 836
- Joined: 29 May 2022, 12:15
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 60
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-stevenmusk.html
- Latest Review: Under the Blue Moon by Joan Schweighardt
-
- Posts: 59
- Joined: 30 Sep 2022, 07:31
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 24
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-hakeem-nuel.html
- Latest Review: Man Mission by Eytan Uliel
-
- Posts: 88
- Joined: 08 May 2023, 12:44
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 19
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-cesyao.html
- Latest Review: Donny and Mary Grace's California Adventures by Catherine A. Pepe
-
- Posts: 73
- Joined: 09 May 2023, 02:57
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 20
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-elvischukwu.html
- Latest Review: Man Mission by Eytan Uliel
-
- Book of the Month Participant
- Posts: 256
- Joined: 11 May 2023, 02:31
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 31
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kelvin-modilim.html
- Latest Review: Sound of Redemption by William John Rostron
-
- Posts: 18
- Joined: 17 Jul 2023, 08:04
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 21
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ori-daniel.html
- Latest Review: Entanglement - Quantum and Otherwise by John K Danenbarger