Review of A Dream For Peace
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Gyemmat Gotus
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Review of A Dream For Peace
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Dream For Peace" by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah.]
This book is a memoir that tells us the story of a political figure without half-truths and with no manipulation of historical facts to suit the author. In his presentation of his life’s story, he leaves it to the reader to like him or dislike him, to accept the facts stated therein or to discard it.
Dr. Ghoulem Berrah wrote this book in the first person and the title of the book, A Dream for Peace aptly captures what he sought to achieve throughout his career. As a seasoned diplomat, his passion for his native land, Pan-Africanism and multilateralism is unmatched – he had quite the unadulterated love for it. He was born straddling two worlds: the last years of French colonialism which he actually contributed to its fall and the journey of post-independent Algeria.
The reader is welcomed to his childhood, with a detour to the story about his parents and their ancestors; his schooling days in Algeria; his leaving home and the journeys across the continents that are not his continent of birth. Perspective matters when we tell our stories, and this author does not shy away from his truth. He tells us about racism and classism and its effect on which he became. He discusses Pan-Africanism and the fight for independence from colonial rule and the years following thereafter. He tells us the history of his people before the French invaded and tells us the various facets of diplomacy – what works in the Middle East may not necessarily work in North America. And the reason for it not necessarily work is culture.
Whether we seek to dismiss it or not, culture also shapes international relations in as much as culture shapes peoples and communities. This author holds the opinion that culture and the role of culture is important and has immeasurable value. We see Algerian culture as regards to food, marriage and ceremonies and who goes to school and study what. Of course, the book would not be complete if there is no mention of love and family.
The downside for the book was the length. 600 pages for nonfiction is a tad bit long for my usual reading taste; especially considering that it was not a thriller and there was no suspense. On the upside though, it provides a rich source material for historical as it relates to pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial history from the perspective of the colonized. This is important because most of what we know about these eras are written by the colonizers. The simple language used was also a good point for me – anyone with a decent grasp of the English language can read and comprehend the memoir.
Persons interested in history and politics will find this book quite helpful, especially with the insights provided about how regional politics shape international politics. I did not come across any grammatical error while reading the memoir and it was professionally edited. For these reasons, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.
******
A Dream For Peace
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
This book is a memoir that tells us the story of a political figure without half-truths and with no manipulation of historical facts to suit the author. In his presentation of his life’s story, he leaves it to the reader to like him or dislike him, to accept the facts stated therein or to discard it.
Dr. Ghoulem Berrah wrote this book in the first person and the title of the book, A Dream for Peace aptly captures what he sought to achieve throughout his career. As a seasoned diplomat, his passion for his native land, Pan-Africanism and multilateralism is unmatched – he had quite the unadulterated love for it. He was born straddling two worlds: the last years of French colonialism which he actually contributed to its fall and the journey of post-independent Algeria.
The reader is welcomed to his childhood, with a detour to the story about his parents and their ancestors; his schooling days in Algeria; his leaving home and the journeys across the continents that are not his continent of birth. Perspective matters when we tell our stories, and this author does not shy away from his truth. He tells us about racism and classism and its effect on which he became. He discusses Pan-Africanism and the fight for independence from colonial rule and the years following thereafter. He tells us the history of his people before the French invaded and tells us the various facets of diplomacy – what works in the Middle East may not necessarily work in North America. And the reason for it not necessarily work is culture.
Whether we seek to dismiss it or not, culture also shapes international relations in as much as culture shapes peoples and communities. This author holds the opinion that culture and the role of culture is important and has immeasurable value. We see Algerian culture as regards to food, marriage and ceremonies and who goes to school and study what. Of course, the book would not be complete if there is no mention of love and family.
The downside for the book was the length. 600 pages for nonfiction is a tad bit long for my usual reading taste; especially considering that it was not a thriller and there was no suspense. On the upside though, it provides a rich source material for historical as it relates to pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial history from the perspective of the colonized. This is important because most of what we know about these eras are written by the colonizers. The simple language used was also a good point for me – anyone with a decent grasp of the English language can read and comprehend the memoir.
Persons interested in history and politics will find this book quite helpful, especially with the insights provided about how regional politics shape international politics. I did not come across any grammatical error while reading the memoir and it was professionally edited. For these reasons, I rate it 4 out of 4 stars.
******
A Dream For Peace
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
