Review of A Dream For Peace
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Ogechi Orlumeni
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Review of A Dream For Peace
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Dream For Peace" by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah.]
A Dream for Peace is an enchanting narration of the author, Dr. Ghoulem Berrah’s life. It details his fight as an activist against colonialism and racism. It also covers his diplomatic journey, political journey, and love life. After reading this book, one would genuinely wonder how the author achieved and encountered so much. This memoir shows he lived a full life.
Dr. Ghoulem, although having a penchant for activism across Africa and diplomacy in other parts of the world, is originally Algerian-born. His childhood was in Algeria, where he lost his father early in life, but his mother, with fierce determination, ensured that Ghoulem was catered for and academically upright. Unfortunately, shortly after getting into the university, his mother also passed away. His activism journey officially began in France. This was during his days at the university as a medical student. However, even as a young child, he protested against racism when he declined to receive an award for brilliance because the donor had treated him unfairly.
Whilst in France, he joined a union of Algerian students fighting against the colonialism of Algeria by France, which was known as the General Union of Algerian Muslim Students (UGEMA). He was an ardent member of this committee and was constantly on the frontline. He was frequently sought out by French police and was occasionally detained. Also, he joined the Moroccan Liberation Army in the fight against Spain and France. After some time of active participation in the war against the French for control of Morocco and Algeria, he took on a scholarship to pursue a medical career in the United States.
During his studies in the United States, he achieved a scientific milestone as the first scientist to give a hypothesis on what was later identified as the Reverse Transcriptase Enzyme. He was working on his Ph.D. and also lecturing at Yale University when he decided he wanted to be back in his life of activism. He had felt like there was a void in his heart and his life’s purpose was unfulfilled. Then he quit his scientific career at Yale and moved to Côte d'Ivoire, where he worked closely with President Houphouët-Boigny as a translator and eventually special adviser. That was the start of a great relationship with President Houphouët-Boigny, who would later become a father figure to Ghoulem and his wife, Titi.
One thing that amazed me about this memoir was the ability of the author to recall and recollect conversations. It’s something I believe takes a lot of mental effort. I commend the author for that. Another thing that stood out to me was the fact that the author did not choose to share in-depth details about only his political life or his scholarly achievements. He also elaborates on his love for his wife, Titi. He talked about the trials they had to face to be together and how much she meant to him. Ghoulem was so in awe of Titi that he asked her to marry him on the first date. Their love was indeed a beautiful one to read about. The book contains some exquisite pictures of them together.
One downside to the book is that the author spoke on certain topics at length unnecessarily. Also, the book contained tons of unfamiliar words and a lot of names that I could not keep up with. I can only recall the few names that were present throughout the book. I found just one error in the book, and so I believe a professional edited it. This book receives a 4 out of 4 stars rating from me because it deserves it. I would recommend this book to ardent lovers of African colonial history. Because this book is over 600 pages, I would only recommend it to those who have the patience for books of such length.
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A Dream For Peace
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A Dream for Peace is an enchanting narration of the author, Dr. Ghoulem Berrah’s life. It details his fight as an activist against colonialism and racism. It also covers his diplomatic journey, political journey, and love life. After reading this book, one would genuinely wonder how the author achieved and encountered so much. This memoir shows he lived a full life.
Dr. Ghoulem, although having a penchant for activism across Africa and diplomacy in other parts of the world, is originally Algerian-born. His childhood was in Algeria, where he lost his father early in life, but his mother, with fierce determination, ensured that Ghoulem was catered for and academically upright. Unfortunately, shortly after getting into the university, his mother also passed away. His activism journey officially began in France. This was during his days at the university as a medical student. However, even as a young child, he protested against racism when he declined to receive an award for brilliance because the donor had treated him unfairly.
Whilst in France, he joined a union of Algerian students fighting against the colonialism of Algeria by France, which was known as the General Union of Algerian Muslim Students (UGEMA). He was an ardent member of this committee and was constantly on the frontline. He was frequently sought out by French police and was occasionally detained. Also, he joined the Moroccan Liberation Army in the fight against Spain and France. After some time of active participation in the war against the French for control of Morocco and Algeria, he took on a scholarship to pursue a medical career in the United States.
During his studies in the United States, he achieved a scientific milestone as the first scientist to give a hypothesis on what was later identified as the Reverse Transcriptase Enzyme. He was working on his Ph.D. and also lecturing at Yale University when he decided he wanted to be back in his life of activism. He had felt like there was a void in his heart and his life’s purpose was unfulfilled. Then he quit his scientific career at Yale and moved to Côte d'Ivoire, where he worked closely with President Houphouët-Boigny as a translator and eventually special adviser. That was the start of a great relationship with President Houphouët-Boigny, who would later become a father figure to Ghoulem and his wife, Titi.
One thing that amazed me about this memoir was the ability of the author to recall and recollect conversations. It’s something I believe takes a lot of mental effort. I commend the author for that. Another thing that stood out to me was the fact that the author did not choose to share in-depth details about only his political life or his scholarly achievements. He also elaborates on his love for his wife, Titi. He talked about the trials they had to face to be together and how much she meant to him. Ghoulem was so in awe of Titi that he asked her to marry him on the first date. Their love was indeed a beautiful one to read about. The book contains some exquisite pictures of them together.
One downside to the book is that the author spoke on certain topics at length unnecessarily. Also, the book contained tons of unfamiliar words and a lot of names that I could not keep up with. I can only recall the few names that were present throughout the book. I found just one error in the book, and so I believe a professional edited it. This book receives a 4 out of 4 stars rating from me because it deserves it. I would recommend this book to ardent lovers of African colonial history. Because this book is over 600 pages, I would only recommend it to those who have the patience for books of such length.
******
A Dream For Peace
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
