Review of A Dream For Peace
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Martin Skinn3r
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Review of A Dream For Peace
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Dream For Peace" by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah.]
Born in the Algeria that was run by the French colonials, Dr. Ghoulem Berrah experiences growing up were filled with witnessing political instabilities and early signs of anarchy. He details a situation where a peaceful soccer match turned really sour when the local team lost. This shows the mindset and mood of the country at the time. And this would help shape his political ideas which followed him right to university where he became a political activist in France. Prison stays and fleeing authority would feature in his life until he returned home. A Dream For Peace is a magnum opus of a memoir, if it can be called that. It chronicles a life so astonishing, it requires reading it to believe it.
Although the book chronicles the many different sides and roles the author has played throughout his life, Chapter 6 pivots into his time spent under the wings of once president, Houphoët-Boigny. Around this time, the author spent his life in Côte d'Ivoire having shed his research and medical careers behind for a more politically inclined existence. This is where he found his calling in life and settled to become one of Côte d'Ivoire's most important luminaries of the past few decades.
His third marriage would take place during this time. He fell in love with a black woman of Catholic faith, a contrast to his own Arab and Muslim upbringing. This is very important to note because it seems to be what inspired the title of the book. Two people of such vast differences should, on paper, have a very difficult union, especially when you read about the obstacles they first encountered. But peace was central to their lives because peace was what made them the people they were. A great lesson for all who live in this world of great diversity and differences. This was, for me, the moment when I fell in love with the memoir. I'm always looking for a lesson to learn from all the memoirs I encounter, and this was that moment.
I also look for the moments of self-awareness when the author shows their flaws when reading a memoir. And although the author does share a very few moments of self-awareness, I felt like there could have been more shared on that front. For its length, the book spends entirely too much time sort of glorifying its subject and as such, I feel that the man should have revealed more of his shortcomings to balance it out a bit.
The book is exceptionally edited, and for its length, I thought it was thoroughly impressive that it could achieve that. I see no reason not to rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It's easily one of my favourite new books, if not my favourite from this year.
I have never felt so confident recommending a book in my life. It is definitely a memoir that can be enjoyed by readers who love human stories that centre around politics and political ideas. I think the older crowd, who were old enough to remember the political climate of the 1980s to the 1990s, will appreciate this book the best.
******
A Dream For Peace
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Born in the Algeria that was run by the French colonials, Dr. Ghoulem Berrah experiences growing up were filled with witnessing political instabilities and early signs of anarchy. He details a situation where a peaceful soccer match turned really sour when the local team lost. This shows the mindset and mood of the country at the time. And this would help shape his political ideas which followed him right to university where he became a political activist in France. Prison stays and fleeing authority would feature in his life until he returned home. A Dream For Peace is a magnum opus of a memoir, if it can be called that. It chronicles a life so astonishing, it requires reading it to believe it.
Although the book chronicles the many different sides and roles the author has played throughout his life, Chapter 6 pivots into his time spent under the wings of once president, Houphoët-Boigny. Around this time, the author spent his life in Côte d'Ivoire having shed his research and medical careers behind for a more politically inclined existence. This is where he found his calling in life and settled to become one of Côte d'Ivoire's most important luminaries of the past few decades.
His third marriage would take place during this time. He fell in love with a black woman of Catholic faith, a contrast to his own Arab and Muslim upbringing. This is very important to note because it seems to be what inspired the title of the book. Two people of such vast differences should, on paper, have a very difficult union, especially when you read about the obstacles they first encountered. But peace was central to their lives because peace was what made them the people they were. A great lesson for all who live in this world of great diversity and differences. This was, for me, the moment when I fell in love with the memoir. I'm always looking for a lesson to learn from all the memoirs I encounter, and this was that moment.
I also look for the moments of self-awareness when the author shows their flaws when reading a memoir. And although the author does share a very few moments of self-awareness, I felt like there could have been more shared on that front. For its length, the book spends entirely too much time sort of glorifying its subject and as such, I feel that the man should have revealed more of his shortcomings to balance it out a bit.
The book is exceptionally edited, and for its length, I thought it was thoroughly impressive that it could achieve that. I see no reason not to rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It's easily one of my favourite new books, if not my favourite from this year.
I have never felt so confident recommending a book in my life. It is definitely a memoir that can be enjoyed by readers who love human stories that centre around politics and political ideas. I think the older crowd, who were old enough to remember the political climate of the 1980s to the 1990s, will appreciate this book the best.
******
A Dream For Peace
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: American Dream? by Jeoung Lee
