Review of A Dream For Peace

[Adrian Rondon Salazar]

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

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3 out of 4 stars

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Dr. Ghoulem Berrah was born in Algeria when it wasn't an independent country. From a young age, he saw how the French conquerors oppressed his people. However, despite the difficulties he experienced, he got the opportunity to study medicine in France and achieved remarkable merits as a scientist in the United States. During his life, he was always enthusiastic about fighting for racial equality, justice, and the independence of Algeria. His dream of achieving peace in the world led him to work for the president of Côte d'Ivoire, Félix Houphouët-Boigny.

In A Dream For Peace, Berrah tells us in great detail about his efforts to resolve multiple conflicts in Africa. He witnessed the adversities faced by Algeria and other African countries to achieve independence. Working for Houphouët-Boigny, he had a more active role in the resolution of multiple political, social, and humanitarian problems. He also gives us his perspective on major conflicts in world history, such as the Cold War and the conflict between Palestine and Israel.

There are only positive things to say about Berrah; he was a generous man dedicated to Africa—his story is full of inspiring acts. I felt a lot of admiration for President Houphouët-Boigny: he always resolved conflicts peacefully. I loved that no room for doubt was left; the author provides emails, letters, and photographs to give authenticity to his story. The detailed way in which the author recounts his experiences is unmatched. I liked that the author shared plenty of information about his culture and the Côte d'Ivoire culture.

Although I liked the story of Berrah, the book has some negative aspects. Almost the entire book is about political, social, and armed conflicts; only a couple of chapters have personal issues. There are chapters with detailed political information mixed with trivial events; as a result, I found the content of the book unorganized. The book has a problem with chronology: in the first chapters, the events are told chronologically; however, in the last chapters, the chronology is lost. Lastly, this book is exhausting at times for the reason that multiple political events are covered at once.

Due to the problem with the chronology and the unorganized content, I deducted one star from the book: I rate it 3 out of 4 stars. I found very few errors; the editor did a great job. Although the author is a devout Muslim, this book can be read by religious and non-religious alike. Since the work of Berrah and President Houphouët-Boigny was remarkable, I recommend this book to readers interested in political science.

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A Dream For Peace
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[Hannah Mae Fabro]

I read this book and I also found a lot of positive aspects. I liked in this book the courage that the author showed when he mentioned the background story of his marriage. Thank you for your wonderful review.

[Dauria04]

I love that the author shared so much about his culture. Great review.

[Prisallen]

The author sounds like an inspiring man who has certainly seen a lot of historical events take place. It's too bad that the last part of the book wasn't as organized as the first part. Thanks for your excellent review!

[Oluchii]

Dr Ghoulem Berrah really lived an amazing life. His fight for a better Africa was both commendable and motivational. We need more people like him. Great review.

[Natalie Sheph]

I love reading good memoirs about inspiring people. Thank you for your well-written review.

[Chinazo Anozie]

I've read this book and I absolutely loved it. Although I have a different opinion regarding your negative aspects, I enjoyed reading your review about the book and seeing it from a different perspective.

[Nweze Raalchukwu1]

The book is a little to long for me. Good review!!