Review of A Dream For Peace

michaelade · Post by **michaelade** » 03 Mar 2023, 19:46

[Following is a volunteer review of "A Dream For Peace" by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah.]

5 out of 5 stars

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The author of this book, Dr. Ghoulem Berrah, begins this memoir by detailing some of his prominent experiences as a child growing up in a colonized Algeria, especially those instances that concerned the negative impact of colonialism on his society. In his early years in school, he faced some degree of marginalization, but that did little to dampen his passion for his studies, so he was offered a scholarship to study in France.

His scholarship in France coincided with the advent of uprisings against imperialism that inundated Africa. In France, he was even more marginalized, so his desire to change the status quo led him to join and cofound movements against colonialism. His life became a frenzy of activities after that decision.

In a fortuitous turn of events, he got a scholarship to further his studies as a scientist in America. It was there in America that he made his name known in the science community by becoming the first person to give a hypothesis on the “Reverse Transcriptase Enzyme”. But the US wasn't his last stop, as he later answered the call of Africa by accepting the invitation to become a special advisor to the president of Ivory Coast. He still didn't stop there, as he took his dream for peace global by advocating for peace talks and acting as an intermediary between warring countries.

The author of this book is indeed a man of character and a stickler for his ideals. On multiple occasions, overt and implicit threats to his life were brought to his notice, yet he stood for what he believed in. If there is another personality trait that I envy in the author's life, it would have to be his adaptability to most situations he found himself. Time and time again, he found himself in differing climes surrounded by differing people under differing circumstances, but still, he always found a way to stay relevant.

This book is an offshoot of the author's goal to make people aware of his impassioned dream for peace in the world. His passion for his goal is palpable from page to page, as he goes from country to country, interacting with people from differing rungs of society, advocating and pushing forward his agenda for peace talks as a means of resolving conflicts in the place of armed struggle.

This book is professionally edited, as I found only a few errors in it. This book's chapters are arranged based on a chronological sequence, so the flow of this book is seamless. The conversations in this memoir are not as fragmented as I had initially expected; a lot of detail can thus be said to have gone into this memoir's development. The pictures attached to this memoir, though mostly of poor quality because of their age, lay credence to the events as described in it.

I found nothing to dislike about this book. This book deserves a perfect rating out of five for the aforementioned reasons. Therefore, I would rate this book 5 out of 5. A Dream For Peace by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah is a memoir I would recommend to people who want to learn about the author's impact on his country's struggle for decolonization and the fascinating life he led as a diplomat and peace advocate. The unique perspective in which the author presents different figures and events will also thrill history enthusiasts.

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A Dream For Peace
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