The First Ten Focus Group Feedback for A Dream for Peace: An Ambassador's Memoir

Because A Dream for Peace was Book of the Day, some of our most trusted members have carefully looked over the cover, the description, and other aspects of this book as a part of purchase-intent focus group. We then asked each participant in the focus group if they planned to buy and read the book, and why they planned to buy and read the book or not. Their answer to that question and reasons are displayed below. We call this awesome feature The First Ten Focus Group.

Keep in mind, the responses from the members are not reviews. This is purchase-intent focus group which means the participants are people who have NOT yet bought or read your book. A purchase-intent focus group is an important and extremely useful marketing tool for any product, not just books. For other products, you might walk on the street and show people an item in a package and poll them about whether they would buy if or $X or not. These kind of focus groups are one of the ways big marketing companies find the ideal price points for products and test the effectiveness of different packaging. The focus group can help you identify your market so you how to target ads of your book, and it can (but may not) provide you new useful info about your "packaging" (e.g. your book cover, your book synopsis on Amazon, etc.). The point of the focus group comments is to give you information from people who have not bought or read your book about why they plan to buy your book which will help you in marketing the book. These are not reviews or critiques of your book because they are not from people have read the book. This is a marketing tool, not reviews. The trick of book marketing and book advertising is that you have to convince people who have not read your book yet that your book is worth buying and reading. For marketing, it doesn't matter much if people love your book after reading it if you cannot convince potential buyers before they read it that they will love it.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable. This is because we only poll about 20 or so readers, and all readers have to say "no" to almost all books. Over a million books are published each year. Even a very active reader cannot come close to even reading 1% of books out there.

This is also why publishing books is such a tough industry.

Ann Ogochukwu

A Dream For Peace is a memoir about Dr. Ghoulem Berrah's diplomatic work around the world. The book starts with homages from a few friends cum colleagues and then proceeds with an account of the author's early life.
I sampled this book only because of this program. I don't fancy memoirs unless I'm interested in the author or their work. In this case, I was not interested in the author, and I didn't like any particular thing about the book, so I won't be completing this book. I did see an OBC review.
I didn't notice any errors in the bit I read, and I don't think this book needs any improvement.

First Ten review added on May 31, 2021, at 4:49 am by Ann Ogochukwu.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

smolbird

Seeing on the cover that this book is a memoir, I would not have read it outside of the program. Its official OBC review gave it a high rating, but it didn't make me interested in reading the book. Based on the first ten pages, I found the book to be well-edited, as I didn't notice any errors. I liked that it is evident that Dr. Ghoulem Berrah is an admirable person with good ambitions. However, I disliked how monotone the book was. I couldn't help but feel uninterested in reading it. Thus, I won't be reading any further. I have no suggestions for improvement to the author, as my disinterest in the book may only be because I'm not big on memoirs.

First Ten review added on May 31, 2021, at 4:38 am by smolbird.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Howlan

I would not have read the book without the program, as I do not enjoy reading biographies. The first chapter outlines the marriage customs of native Algerians, the narrator's early education, his mother and the love she had for the narrator. It also included the narrator's early childhood and one instance of racism the narrator witnessed in middle school. The narration is good and easy to understand. However, I am not going to buy and read this book as I do not enjoy reading biographies. No typos were found in the first ten pages. I found nothing to improve in the first ten pages. The Official OBC Review is present, and the reviewer rates it highly.

First Ten review added on May 30, 2021, at 1:59 pm by Howlan.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rayah Raouf

I would not have chosen to sample the book due to the genre. It is a political book, and I do not read political books or any books related to the government. I will not read the whole book. I am not the intended audience for this book. I did not enjoy reading the sample, and I would only read it if it was part of a course requirement. I noticed no grammatical errors in the sample. Therefore, the book seems to be professionally edited. I like the pictures included in the book. I cannot think of any improvements to be made. There was an official review. However, I still do not want to read the book.

First Ten review added on May 30, 2021, at 11:34 am by Rayah Raouf.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Iva Stoyanova

If I wasn't part of this program I wouldn't have chosen to sample or read this book. I wasn't attracted to the title, nor the cover or the genre. I don't typically read non-fiction and this book is not an exception. Also, the cover and the title suggested a boring read. My thoughts were that the book is probably related to politics and that it's maybe an autobiography of the man from the cover. So, I wasn't interested in the book at all as I don't like reading about politics or autobiographies. What's more, the official review gave me a good idea of the book too and supported my thoughts. So, I will not buy and read this book. As I mentioned above, I don't like books about politics or biographies of diplomats. Also, I didn't change my mind after reading the first ten pages.

I think the book is well edited. There wasn't anything I liked about this book. However, I'm sure people interested in politics and African history will enjoy this book. The book will also be appreciated by readers of memoirs or those interested in the life of a gifted diplomat. Finally, I have no suggestions for improvement.

First Ten review added on May 30, 2021, at 8:05 am by Iva Stoyanova.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Jorge Leon Salazar

The book begins with an extensive prologue by H.E. Monsignor Justo Mullor García, from which an interesting profile of the author Dr. Ghoulem Berrah is obtained. He is Muslim but demonstrates broad respect for other religions. In the first ten pages a biography of H.E. Monsignor Justo Mullor García is presented. Next, there is a homage to the author in which relevant aspects of his personality and works are mentioned. Then, the author comments on some aspects of his childhood in Algeria, when it was under de rule of France.
The highlight of these first pages is the trait of religious tolerance of the author and the Ivorians. Reference is made to the peaceful coexistence between Muslims and Christians in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The construction of a catholic church and a mosque in the same place is impressive. The official review stands up the variety of things the author has achieved, which have been in diverse fields like science, religion, and politics.
The editing looks prominent as I didn't see any errors. I think the cover and title would capture the target audience as they directly suggest the memoir of a man who has made peace efforts. Overall, I didn't see anything that I believe could be improved. Dr. Berrah's memoirs seem attractive. However, it didn't completely catch me, so I guess I won't read the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2021, at 10:26 pm by Jorge Leon Salazar.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mariana Figueira

Before reading the first pages of the book, I wasn't interested in it because I don't like memoirs nor autobiographies. After sampling the book, I became a little bit curious when the author stated that he was born in Algeria, but not enough to read the rest of the book. I think the prologue was unnecessarily long, maybe that could be improved. This novel seems professionally edited and has an official Online BookClub review. There's nothing, in particular, I enjoyed about it.

First Ten review added on May 29, 2021, at 4:45 pm by Mariana Figueira.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Manang Muyang

Knowing that this was an autobiography, I was glad to see the picture of the author on the cover. The blurb and the title clearly showed what the author valued the most: world peace. Such a dream is a cliché, perhaps, but it is truly what our world needs. I would have sampled the book without the First Ten program if only to get to know Dr. Berrah a little better. Chapter 1 started with the author's parents and how they got together. It was a good thing that the prologue was written by the author's Catholic friend, so I learned a bit about the author's achievements. While I am sure Dr. Berrah led a very interesting life, I was not inspired to read the rest of his story. Nonetheless, the language was very accessible. The official OBC review mentioned that there were only four errors in the entire book. I found at least one in the bit I read. On page 24, "Although, I was told there were many who asked for her hand in marriage, she refused all marriage proposals, fearing that a new man in her life will not raise us in accordance with her standards" did not need the first comma. I was happy to learn about the history of Algeria, a country I had little knowledge about. The official OBC reviewer gave a raving review and the perfect rating for the book. I believe the reviewer was duly impressed by the author and his story. However, I wish the book started with something more exciting than the author's childhood to engage readers early on. I also wish he included dates to allow the readers to appreciate the events referred to.

First Ten review added on February 3, 2021, at 4:59 am by Manang Muyang.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Rodel Barnachea

Upon going over the memoir's official OBC review and Amazon page, I decided I wouldn't purchase the book. I'm not interested in Dr. Berrah's character and personality; I'm also not curious about the multiple stories and personal experiences that he will relate in the title. The book is about 590 pages, and I thought I don't want to read a book that is that long. Sampling the book didn't convince me. My decision remains, and I still wouldn't purchase the book. This is for the reason that when I sampled the book, nothing particularly stood out to me or had me wanting to read the rest of the book. Moreover, my initial thoughts about the book remained even after I sampled it. The first ten pages include a prologue and some pages of Chapter One. My favorite part is when Essy Amara and Dr. Ghoulem Berrah decided to "join forces with the local villagers and set up a fund to build a Catholic church and a mosque." I didn't manage to find any errors or typos in the sample; I believe the book is professionally edited. I have nothing to suggest to the author.

First Ten review added on February 3, 2021, at 4:58 am by Rodel Barnachea.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

va2016

The cover depicts the photo of the author. The title clearly conveys that the book is a memoir of the author, who worked as an ambassador. The sub-title helpfully says that the photographs inside are black and white. There are only 3 Amazon customer ratings, which is not a sufficient number for me to decide if I should sample the book or not. The Amazon summary provides a splendid account of the content of the book, which is about the author's work as a peace leader. Based on the Amazon summary, I would have chosen to sample the book, as I am interested in diplomacy topic. As I sampled through the book, I found the narration describing the author's childhood. As I am interested in the overall topic of the book, I am going to read this book in full. I found the sample professionally edited. There were no grammatical or mechanical errors in the sampled. What I liked most about the book is its theme. I don't have any recommendations for the improvement of the book. Although I found 1 OBC review of the book, my decision to read the book in full is based on my own sampling.

First Ten review added on February 3, 2021, at 4:56 am by va2016.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Vickie Noel

I wouldn't have read this book outside the program based on its title and cover art. I'm not a fan of memoirs, especially those that are based on political achievements. Reading the sample didn't change my mind. The information appeared convoluted, and my eyes started to glaze over. I can't read a book without some form of dialogue, so this one got completely ruled out. However, it was nice to note that the religious diversity between Dr. Berrah (Muslim) and H.E. Garcia (Catholic) "did not prevent either the profound meaning of [their] religiosity or the sincere friendship that compelled [them] to call each other brother." I found no grammatical errors; the book was professionally edited. I also have no recommendations for improvement. I saw an OBC review, but it didn't influence my decision.

First Ten review added on February 3, 2021, at 4:48 am by Vickie Noel.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

xsquare

I don’t usually read memoirs, so I wouldn’t have sampled the book based on the cover, blurb and title. The official OBC review, however, made me quite curious about the book. I enjoyed reading the little anecdotes of his time at school – one that particularly stood out to me was his public rejection of an award as a way of protesting against the racism that he encountered. There was nothing that could be improved about the book, and I did not see any typos. I’m certainly keen to read the rest of the book!

First Ten review added on February 3, 2021, at 4:24 am by xsquare.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Shrabastee Chakraborty

Although I love reading memoirs, I did not feel particularly inclined to read this one. Despite the official OBC review's praise for it, the premise did not appeal to me. I couldn't find any noticeable errors in the first ten pages. They consisted of a prologue by Berrah's friend, who detailed his memories of Berrah. While I liked the message of people from different religions coming together without the faintest hint of discord, the details of religious aspects made my read tedious. I can't suggest any improvement as the book stayed true to its theme. However, it was clearly not my cup of tea. Hence, I decided not to read this.

First Ten review added on February 3, 2021, at 4:08 am by Shrabastee Chakraborty.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Nikolas Farmakis

This is a biography about an Algerian Muslim ambassador who struggled to promote peace between religions and cultures. I would not have read this book based on the cover, the title, or the genre, as I do not like biographies. I will not read this book because it seemed boring and dull to me. I found an error in the sample I read, where the author wrote 'dialogue between Islam and Christian', whilst it should be 'dialogue between Islam and Christianity'. What I admired most about the book was that the author promoted peace and unity through the text. To improve, the author should make this book more interesting by adding more suspense and emotion to it. This book had an Official OnlineBookClub review, which did not influence my decision.

First Ten review added on February 3, 2021, at 4:07 am by Nikolas Farmakis.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Mutai Marshal

This is a memoir by one great ambassador, Dr. Ghoulem Berrah. He talks about his experience while interacting with people from different religious factions. Berrah believes that Africa holds lots of potentials yet to be exploited. I loved most the simple language deployed by the author. It makes the message easy to comprehend. I love memoirs, and from the cover page and book title, I would have read this book without sampling. However, having read the OBC review and sampled the first ten pages, I will not buy this book since the pages I sampled spoke a lot about religions. It seems exceptionally edited, and there are no recommendations for improvement that I suggest.

First Ten review added on February 3, 2021, at 3:16 am by Mutai Marshal.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Jennifer Donovan Smith

I would not have sampled the book based on the cover or title because it is clearly a memoir, and I don’t enjoy reading memoirs. The official OBC review was positive but did not change my mind.

Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind either. There was nothing I particularly liked in the sample; the majority of it was not actually the memoir at all but was three lengthy supplemental prefaces. My recommendation to the author is to consider reducing this supplemental content or placing it at the end of the book. The first ten pages appeared to be well-edited. Because this is not a genre I enjoy, I will not continue reading the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on February 3, 2021, at 2:20 am by Jennifer Donovan Smith.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sou Hi

If it's not for this program, I may not be interested in this book. The cover is not very eye-catching, and there are not may ratings on Amazon. Still, the official review and Amazon's blurb seem good enough, so I opt for reading. The sample begins with the prologue from Monsignor Justo Mullor, which depicts the friendship between him and the author. We then are provided with a brief bio of the Monsignor and a homage to the author written by Nana Yalley.

I like how Monsignor Mullor and Yalley share their view about the author. It looks like they have a very good relationship, and it sounds to me that these two really respect the author. However, while Dr. Berrah is supposed to be the owner of this memoir, it's the biograph of Monsignor Mullor they provide instead of the author's. What's more, there is a photo of Dr. Berrah at the end of Monsignor Mullor's bio section. I find it unnecessary and confusing. Besides, this sample doesn't really pique my interest. I guess I won't buy this book for now. The editing looks good.

Error example: however, the endeavor of reminiscing the exceptional brotherly bond with a friend - he, a Muslim, and myself an Apostolic nuncio -> I think there should be a comma after "myself"

First Ten review added on February 3, 2021, at 1:00 am by Sou Hi.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Annelore Trujillo

I would not have sampled this book based on the genre, blurb, OBC review, cover and title. I don’t usually read non-fiction, and I don’t like biographies. After reading the first ten pages, I won’t be finishing this book. I thought there was a lot of content prior to the actual content of the book. There was a prologue followed by a brief biography of the person who wrote the prologue. These were followed by a “Homage to the Author”. I personally would have preferred to just get straight into the content. The editing also needs improvement. I don’t think this book was professionally edited due to errors I saw. For example, “singlevolume” should be 2 words instead of one. I did like the pictures with the captions

First Ten review added on February 3, 2021, at 12:52 am by Annelore Trujillo.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Gabrielle Sigaki

Dream For Peace by Dr.Ghoulem Berrah is a non-fiction book that brings the story of an important diplomat who was involved in various historical events. If I didn't sample this book, I would read it based on its Official OnlineBookClub review since I enjoyed the fact that this book talked about a fascinating person who passed through various different situations. After sampling it, I didn't change my mind, and I will read the entire book since I liked the premise of the volume, which is to talk about someone who fights to bring peace and unity to the world. The book seems professionally edited, there's nothing to be improved in it, and my favorite aspect was the fact that the author narrated the events such as telling a story with details and the entire background of the events.

First Ten review added on February 2, 2021, at 9:44 pm by Gabrielle Sigaki.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

PeterRabitt20

Judging by the cover page, I didn't want to read the book. The cover looks preachy to me. After reading the sample, I changed my mind. I would read this book. The OBC review helped with that since I found the summary interesting. Also, I like historical memoirs from that period, and I wanted to find out about the author's meeting with Mao Zedong. The sample looked professionally edited, and I couldn't find any significant errors or typos, except that some paragraphs were too long. I would highly recommend that the cover page be re-done. Memoirs of a philanthropist don't usually have the full-face picture of the author. Also, the title font looks outdated.

First Ten review added on February 2, 2021, at 9:31 pm by PeterRabitt20.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Jeremie Mondejar

I salute to the title as well as the motto of the author for peace in Algeria. Peace isn't a one day process. The sample begins with the author's friend and his friend's biography. I like how the author weaves the starting point of his memoir. Through the sample, I learned that religion wasn't a hindrance for unity. However, I will not read this book because I can't relate to the place in Algeria. The OBC review is somewhat helpful in presenting this book well. Plus, I didn't notice any typos as well as anything for improvement. The sample looks well-written.

First Ten review added on February 2, 2021, at 6:59 pm by Jeremie Mondejar.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Sarah_Khan

I am not a fan of the cover of this book because I do not like covers with people's faces on them. I do like the title. I would not have sampled this up without the First Ten program because I do not read memoirs. This book is professionally edited. I have to say I was not expecting to read about such a strong reaction to the lost of a football game. The OBC review was positive, but it did not change my mind. I can see how fans of this genre would enjoy this book. Personally, I will pass on reading the rest. I do not have any suggestions for the author.

First Ten review added on February 2, 2021, at 3:22 pm by Sarah_Khan.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Yvonne Monique

Going by the description of the book, I would be interested in reading it as this gentleman seems to have had an amazing life, and his experiences can serve future generations as a reference. The first ten pages are written in an understandable language and seem to be well-edited. As this is a memoir, there is no hint of the future achievements of Dr. Ghoulem Berrah, but it is interesting to read about his roots. I will carry on reading this book as I think I can actually learn many things from it, such as international politics and the relationships between Muslim and Western countries.

First Ten review added on February 2, 2021, at 1:01 pm by Yvonne Monique.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Diana Lowery

The reviewer described the author as "an elegant and classy diplomat." The blurb gave lots of facts about his interesting life. The title seemed a little cliche, and the subtitle did not catch my interest. I would not have chosen to read this book based on the cover. There was a very long, but interesting, prologue, then a biography about the author of the prologue, then an homage to the author. Finally, the book started on page 18. My suggestion is to have the actual story start sooner. I liked that I learned some new facts and that there were no errors, but I will not finish reading the book because I am not interested in the subject matter.

First Ten review added on February 2, 2021, at 10:38 am by Diana Lowery.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

gen_g

Based on the title and cover, it seems like a piece of non-fiction/memoir, which I am not in the market for; hence, I would not have sampled it. I have also come across a positive OBC review of the book, but this would not have changed my decision not to sample, since this book does not belong to a genre that I am looking for. After sampling, there are a couple of errors present. For example, at page 5, there is a missing hyphen to mark a compound adjective/modifier: "...in a still(-)emerging Africa that presents itself...". I suggest more editing. However, I appreciate that the author asked his friend to give a short introduction about the book and its author; this will help the reader to better understand the author's reasons for writing the book. For example, we learn through Garcia, Dr. Berrah's friend, that the latter (who is Muslim) is respectful of the different religions and never tries to proselytise. We learn it via Garcia's recount of Dr. Berrah's recount of a trip that the latter and his wife (who is Christian) took to the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, and we learn that as he entered the basilica, his wife was overcome by the emotions she is feeling, and he comforts her by holding her hand and calming her down by speaking to her. However, as I am currently not in the market for memoirs, I will not be reading the rest of the book.

First Ten review added on February 2, 2021, at 10:00 am by gen_g.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

evraealtana

I skipped over the preface, since it wasn't written by the author and so I therefore didn't consider it "content"; this caused confusion about the presence of the biography of Monsignor Mullor, which seems unrelated to the remainder of the book. It was only after reading it (and expecting in vain that Berrah would appear somewhere in it) that I realized that it was there because Mullor had written the preface. Preface authors don't usually get biography pages, so I would have preferred that that section either be removed or be more clearly notated to ensure that the reader doesn't assume it to be part of the author's story (as I did). I avoided making the same mistake twice because Yalley's section was entitled "Homage to the Author", but if not for that, the photo of Berrah at the beginning of it would have led me to believe that it, too, was the start of the book. Once I made it to the ACTUAL start of the story, I found the first ten pages to be moderately enjoyable. I noted that the section beginning with "I was born into a humble but strong and proud family", discussing the author's family mausoleum, was written twice: once before the opening of chapter 1 and once in the middle of it. This seemed redundant and self-congratulatory. I felt that it had no business before chapter 1, since it doesn't set any kind of "mood" or establish any theme that I can tell. I loved the descriptions of the author's mother, particularly the details about her coaching him in French, which she neither spoke nor even understood. I developed a deep sense of respect for the author's mother, which I think was the point. Overall, I don't think I will continue reading for the simple reason that I'm not interested in memoirs and haven't yet found anything in the book that indicates that it is anything other than, as advertised, a memoir. I found three errors in the first ten content pages: a missing hyphen in "wheat and barley were piled mountain high" (mountain-high); a missing hyphen in "with an everabsent boss at the pharmacy where he worked" (ever-absent); and an extraneous comma in "Although, I was told that there were many who asked for her hand in marriage, she refused all marriage proposals" (no comma after "although"). I also found one typo in Yalley's chapter: a missing hyphen in "this singlevolume biography" (single-volume)

First Ten review added on February 2, 2021, at 6:48 am by evraealtana.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Alice Heritage

I would certainly have sampled this on the basis of its subject matter and Amazon description because I wanted to review it once. Unfortunately, I was unable to download it properly, and, according to site practice, this meant that the review opportunity was forever gone. I will read the rest of it because I am interested in international relations and would like to read about peace and religious tolerance. I liked the mention of the author's dedication to those in the introductory material, but read on because the tone became more lively when the author began to describe his background about ten pages in. I valued the information about the powerful influence of tribes in Algeria and enjoyed the descriptions of markets and horseriding stunts. The photos were also fascinating. The editing of the introductory material may need a little polishing as I found the following countable errors: "as well as displaying certain openness", which should read "a certain openness"; and "sewed the seeds", which should read "sowed the seeds". Some words that should be hyphenated are combined (like "singlevolume") but I assume this is a formatting issue. Perhaps the error count in the OBC review is accurate, though I was surprised to see the term "biography" where this is clearly an autobiography. Nevertheless, the details in the review increased my motivation to read this book. I have no real suggestions for improvement beyond the editing and formatting issues.

First Ten review added on February 2, 2021, at 5:55 am by Alice Heritage.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Sanju Lali

It was quite clear from the cover and the title that this book is an inspirational biography. With that idea, I read the official review of this book to know about its takeaways. After reading the official review, I realized that this book is an inspirational account of the life events of an elegant and classy diplomat, Dr. Gloulem. This idea piqued my interest to sample the book. When I read the first ten pages, I realized that this book is not professionally edited because I found some grammatical errors in the sample. For example, the sentence, "Barely a teenager, my mom, Lalla Zebida, was married off to my father in a colorful ceremony marking his fourth nuptial...". The sentence could have been, "Barely as a teenager, my mom, Lalla Zebida, was married off to my father in a colorful ceremony marking his fourth nuptial... ". The thing l liked the most is the information about Algerian culture when it was a French colony. Sadly, I could not get any hint about the takeaways from this book after reading the sample, so I was not interested in reading it further. My suggestion to the author would be to go for a round of professional editing and look at the shortcomings pointed out by me in the above sentence. Looking at all these facts, I decided not to purchase and read this book today but wait until the author could help by addressing my suggestion so that I could effortlessly have a rewarding reading experience.

First Ten review added on February 2, 2021, at 5:53 am by Sanju Lali.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Hazel Arnaiz

It is easy to tell from the cover that the book is a memoir, which I seldom read. The blurb is long. I prefer a shorter version and read the rest of the details inside the book. Likewise, customer reviews are positive. I will skip sampling if not for the program. Reading the initial chapters did not change my interest in memoirs, but there are good points that I like about this book. Proceeds of this book go to charity. I like that it advocates peace and respect despite differences in nationality, race, and religion. The photos make the account relatable. I noticed some punctuation and spelling errors. Here a few examples.

Page 14. Spelling. Consider adding a hyphen.

“Certainly, this [singlevolume] autobiography will do its part to manage the task and deliver to the reader a competent portrait of a great man.”

Page 24. Spelling. Consider changing "everabsent" with "ever absent."
Punctuation. Missing comma.

“With an [everabsent] boss at the pharmacy where he worked, Fodil[] therefore[] became the accidental beneficiary of all the accolades and gained a very high profile around town.”

The official OnlineBookClub review encouraged me to keep this book in mind. But I will pass for now.

First Ten review added on February 2, 2021, at 5:04 am by Hazel Arnaiz.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

J_odoyo

Dream For Peace is a book that recounts the life story of Dr. Ghoulem Berrah. The book seems to have been well written, and I liked the prologue and "homage of the author" sections. The first chapter was well written and riveting. The most outstanding thing I’ve liked in this book is the superior writing style and how engrossing the story is. Interestingly, the book had an official OnlineBookClub review, which gave an insight into what the book entails. I didn’t have any problem with the cover page: I think it was satisfactorily done. The title was attractive and professional. I liked the book’s description on the Amazon website; it was precise and informative enough to allow for an accurate guess of what to expect in the book. I didn’t find any error (in the pages I’ve read), and it would be easier to wager that the book was professionally edited. Sincerely, there is nothing I would recommend for the improvement of this book. Having read the first ten pages and the OnlineBookClub review, I’m going to finish reading this book because I’m a fan of memoirs.

First Ten review added on February 2, 2021, at 12:34 am by J_odoyo.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

MsH2k

Given that this book is the BOTM, and I read non-fiction books often, I would have sampled this book even if I were not part of this program.

The prologue was a work of art. The contributors shared their relationship with Berrah thoughtfully and eloquently. The sample pages gave a clear and vivid description of the town where Berrah grew up and his family history. I enjoy the writing style of this book. It is educative and easy to follow. I will finish this well-written memoir of an incredible life. Already, I have learned much about Algeria.

The featured OnlineBookClub review was excellent. Not only did it reinforce my decision to finish this book, but it inspired me as well. The book was professionally edited. I did not notice any grammatical errors in the sample pages, and I have no suggestions for improvement. The Amazon ratings had no bearing on my decision.

First Ten review added on February 2, 2021, at 12:07 am by MsH2k.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Verna Coy

Dream For Peace by Dr.Ghoulem Berrah seems like an entertaining memoir. It appealed to me from the start. For that reason, I plan to finish reading the book. It is professionally edited. I haven’t noticed any errors so far. This book will be perfect for fans of memoirs and people who value world peace and the struggle it takes to try for it. I enjoyed the Official Online Book Club review, a 4-star review! Great job. What I liked the most about what I read is how the author showcases respecting religion of all kinds. I see no room for improvements in this work.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 11:17 pm by Verna Coy.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Lucille27

I think I would have not chosen this book if I had not read the sample. The cover page seems professional, yet I still did not like it. I think it is because of the photo edit. However, it seems very professional. It is just not my taste. I read the Online Book Club review and it helped me to understand that the topic is very interesting but not in my normal reading lines. The book seems professionally edited and carefully written. I could not find any mistake or typo during the first pages. However, I do not think I will be reading this. The topic does not interest me and the style is too formal for me. It took me a long time to read the first pages. I sincerely believe it is not the author's fault, it is just that I am not the target audience/reader. What I liked the most about this sample was that it shows the book was carefully written and made. I think it would be great for people interested on this. I just do not think it is my taste.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 11:15 pm by Lucille27.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Ari Martinez

If I hadn't sampled the book for this program, I would have sampled it based mainly on its OnlineBookClub review because the life of Dr. Berrah seemed very interesting and inspiring. However, if I had not read the review, I would not have sampled it based solely on its cover since memoirs are usually a hit or miss with me. After reading the first ten pages, I will read the rest of the book because I was impressed with the words Monsignor Mullor and Nana Yalley had to say about the author. My favorite part from what I read was learning about Algeria - a country I knew absolutely nothing about. I've always enjoyed learning about different cultures, and I am also glad the author has included pictures. I do not think this book needs improvement, and it seems professionally edited.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 10:57 pm by Ari Martinez.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Kelyn

If I had not been a member of this program, it is unlikely that the genre, title, cover, or author of this book would have attracted my attention. Memoirs are not a genre that I enjoy, so it is unlikely that the book would even have come to my attention. If it had, I would not have recognized the author either by name or by his picture on the cover, so that would not have affected my decision. The name of the book is very generic, so that would not have particularly helped either. The blurb, sad to say, did not stir my interest. Yes, it shows that Dr. Berrah is a very accomplished and well-traveled individual who is highly respected. Unfortunately, none of the areas in which he worked are of particular interest to me. There are three ratings on the Amazon site, two of which are customer reviews. All of the ratings were positive. Although I did not see a review explicitly identified as being from this program on the Amazon site, if I had, I would have been interested in what the reviewer had to say. The review on this site was quite complimentary. This gave a good impression going into the sample. I had a very difficult time getting through these ten pages. Unfortunately, it proved to be a memoir with which I had no success engaging. My favorite part of the sample wasn't even about Dr. Berrah, but about his interactions with the people he surrounded himself with during university. I was pleasantly surprised by his friends' selflessness that they would give, so to speak, the shirt off their back for a comrade. Or in the situation in the book, their last food coupon. I found myself wishing that it was that way in every country. Unfortunately, in the end, the book remains a memoir, and part of a genre I have found does not hold interest for me. Given this, I have decided not to continue reading it. The book seems well-edited. I found no 'countable' errors in the sample.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 10:50 pm by Kelyn.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kaitlyn Canedy

I likely would have read the sample of Dream For Peace even if it hadn't been the OnlineBookClub's book of the day. I try to promote peace and positivity wherever I go, which is what attracted me to the cover of the book. I like the honesty that the author gives in the sample; I had no idea that he would go so far back in his life. The pictures are older, but this is to be expected as some of these figures are decades old. I did not see any grammatical errors in the sample, and I cannot think of any improvements that can be done to the book. I did need to read the official OnlineBookClub review for this title, as I was confused about what the book was about after reading the sample. I ended up deciding to read the book based on this review. Readers that like memoirs and want behind-the-scenes information should not pass this one up.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 10:24 pm by Kaitlyn Canedy.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Jsovermyer

I like that the author put his picture on the cover. The title is also good. However, I rarely read autobiographies and would not buy this book from the cover alone. The official reviewer liked this book and gave it a high rating. I found no spelling or grammatical errors and believe it has been professionally edited. This is the autobiography of Dr. Ghoulem Berrah, a man who worked for peace in many different countries. I had a hard time keeping interested in this book. The people who wrote the introductions and the author himself are highly educated and their styles of writing are complex and verbose. This is not the type of book that can be leisurely read. I am not interested in finishing this book.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 10:22 pm by Jsovermyer.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Justine Ocsebio

I wouldn’t have sampled this book based on the genre, as biographies don’t usually pique my interest. Dr. Berrah’s support and respect for the Catholic faith is heartwarming. I like his vision for peace and tolerance for all religions. I also liked the profound friendship he shared with the author. I’m going to finish the whole book, as I’m looking forward to learning more about this person. I disliked nothing, and I also didn’t see anything that needed improvement. The text is well edited. The official review did not affect my decision.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 9:14 pm by Justine Ocsebio.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Mary WhiteFace

I don't usually enjoy reading memoirs, so without the first ten program I would have passed on this one. Reading the first ten pages did not change my mind. The OnlineBookClub review did not influence my decision.

The book seemed to be professionally edited. I have no suggestions for improvements. The inclusion of photographs was a nice touch. It gave a more personal feel to the narrative. I thought it was very interesting that the author's mother was sought out by the family elders for her advice, even though she was a young teenage wife. I also thought it was interesting that wedding celebrations would sometimes last for several days and occasionally up to a week. That is so different from an American wedding and reception which typically only lasts for a few hours.

The book was well-written and would interest readers who enjoy learning about life in other cultures. The short bit I read showed that the author had an exciting and adventurous upbringing, but I am not interested in reading the whole book.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 5:45 pm by Mary WhiteFace.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kirsi Cultrera

This book had a very typical cover for a memoir. As I had never heard of this man before, the book would probably have gone unnoticed if it wasn’t for this program. Nevertheless, I enjoyed getting to know a little bit of him through the sample pages. In my opinion, the writing style in this book was somewhat dryish. Even if the events described in the book were fascinating, I found it challenging to keep myself focused on the story. The editorial work of this book seems professional. I read the Official OnlineBookClub review of this book to get a second opinion. This review was very positive, but I still ended up deciding against reading the book. I love memoirs in general, and this one undoubtedly has a great story to tell. However, I doubt I would’ve managed to read through the whole book. I truly respect the author’s life experience, but maybe he could’ve considered giving his memoir to someone else for writing.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 4:04 pm by Kirsi Cultrera.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Kajori Sheryl Paul

'Dream For Peace' is written by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah. It is the memoir of Dr. Berrah. He was born in Algeria. He had an eventful life. He met Mao Zedong. He was the diplomatic advisor to the President of Côte d’Ivoire. I like the photographs included. The book seems to be well-edited as there were no errors. There is nothing in need of an improvement. The title and cover are eye-catching. The OBC review and the Amazon reviews are great. I will give this book a skip as I am not in the mind-frame to read non-fiction books.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 2:55 pm by Kajori Sheryl Paul.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Laura Ungureanu

The book's appearance leads me to think that this is a memoir, which is actually true. However, as a personal taste, I don't really like memoirs, especially not if they have any connections to politics, so I would've stayed away from this book. The OBC review only confirmed my beliefs. Upon checking the sample, I had a hard time following the story of Dr. Ghoulem Berrah because of the heavy writing style. It was filled with information I am not familiar with, so trying to wrap my head around it gave me a migraine. It seems like the book might be addressed to people who are already familiar with his historical and political background, but I'm not, so I don't see any reason to continue reading it. I didn't notice any grammar errors.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 2:26 pm by Laura Ungureanu.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Maria Esposito

I knew I would not be interested in this book before I sampled it. The main reason is that I do not like reading biographical books about diplomats. While the title is inspiring, I don't particularly like the cover design. Furthermore, I found the blurb overwhelming, as it's long and provides a lot of information about the book. It has two customer reviews on Amazon, but this had no impact on my decision. Reading the first ten pages did not make me change my mind. The book begins with a description of the author's childhood during the French colonization of Algeria. The author then describes the circumstances that led to his parents' marriage. The writing style is conversational and pleasant. There's nothing about the first ten pages I particularly dislike: I just don't like reading memoirs about diplomatic figures. The book seems professionally edited as I did not come across errors. It has an official review on Online Book Club, but this had no impact on my decision.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 1:55 pm by Maria Esposito.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Scerakor

After reviewing the title, genre, cover, blurb, and review of this book, I would not have read this book. Although it sounds like Dr. Berrah led a fascinating life, I'm not really interested in reading about all the things that he has done. The general area of his work doesn't interest me. After reading the first ten pages I didn't change my mind and therefore will not be buying and reading the rest of this book. I liked and was intrigued by the mundane, yet traditional way, that Nana Yalley describes meeting Dr. Berrah. A simple, "Hello, my friend, how are you today?" sounds banal, but evidently created a longstanding impression. That being said, I'm just not interested enough, personally, in the types of things that Dr. Berrah did with his life. Although the book looked well written and edited generally, there was one thing I would have changed from the sample I read. I'm not sure if it was a typo or a literary choice, but at Kindle Loc 160, the term "singlevolume autobiography" was used. I believe this is an error. There was an official OBC review, and although it was very praising of the book, it did not affect my decision at all.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 12:34 pm by Scerakor.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Emy Katherine

As I do not read memoirs, I would not have read the book without this program. The book focuses on the life journey of Ambassador Ghoulem Berrah as he dedicated his life to bringing peace and freedom to Africa and the Middle East. Unsurprisingly, neither the OBC review nor the first ten pages convinced me to read the rest of the book. I must admit, though, that I enjoyed the author's clear and compelling writing style. I also appreciated the author's choice to include personal photos throughout his memoir, bringing characters and places to life. I would only suggest another round of editing; I found some distracting errors that disrupted the flow of the story. For example, the interrupter "therefore" should be surrounded by commas in the following sentence: "Fodil therefore became the accidental beneficiary of all the accolades and gained a very high profile around town." (page 24 • 4%) It should be written "complemented" instead of "complimented" in the following sentence: "The riders galloped along on the dirt fields in their traditional garb, with either a brown or blue burnoose, complimented by a prominent golden threaded turban..." (page 21 • 3%) Also, there should not be a comma after "grace" in the following sentence: "I marveled at his display of elegance and grace, and dreamed of becoming Aïn Beïda’s most famous acrobatic rider someday." (page 21 • 3%)

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 10:56 am by Emy Katherine.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Timothy Rucinski

Even with the good Official Review and a nice cover, I won't be reading this book as I don't enjoy memoirs. Nevertheless, the author has a very pleasant writing style and this is what I enjoyed most. I also discovered the word "pernickety," one which sent me to the Internet to research the etymology. Even though I don't care for memoirs, I particularly dislike books that begin with various introductory comments from associates of the author, thereby delaying the actual start to the book. This is the one aspect to the book that I disliked. As a method of improvement, I would suggest moving all of these items to the back of the book where they can be read by those who are interested. I found no errors so I assume, as did the Official Reviewer, that the book was professionally edited.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 10:36 am by Timothy Rucinski.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

AntonelaMaria

f I haven't read the sample of this book through this program, I wouldn't have read this book otherwise. I appreciate what this book does and all the great activism of the author. However, I'm not curious enough to continue reading. It is most certainly an inspiring book by an accomplished individual. I like that the author included photographs. Even though I will not read this book right now, I would be interested in the audio version of this book in the future. I didn't notice any grammatical errors. There is nothing to improve about the book.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 10:07 am by AntonelaMaria.

Do you plan to read the whole book? No

Bertha Jackson

Although I like the memoir genre, based on the title and the cover of the book, I would not have selected this book to read because it is a political memoir. I do not enjoy political memoirs. Since the book is the February BOTM, I have downloaded the book and will read it. The customer reviews, the editorial reviews, and the OnlineBookClub reveal that I may enjoy this book. I did enjoy the cultural and historical aspects of the first ten pages, and I liked the pictures that the author included in the book. I did not see anything I would change in the first ten pages. I did not see any errors in the first ten pages, and the book appears to have been edited by a professional.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 9:14 am by Bertha Jackson.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Brenda Creech

Although I enjoy the occasional memoir, based on the cover and title of this book, I would not have checked it out without a review because I did not think it would appeal to me. After reading the official review, I was still convinced I would not be interested in reading this book. After reading the first ten pages, I definitely changed my mind. I found the accomplishments of Dr. Berrah, even in his college years, very impressive. To study to be a doctor while still getting involved as an activist would not be easy for the average person. Dr. Berrah, however, was above average to be able to handle all he did. I did not find any errors in the first ten pages, so I am confident the book was professionally edited. I did not find anything that needs improvement. I will be reading the rest of this book since it is OBC's BOTM, but I would continue reading it even if it was not the BOTM because I found it interesting.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 9:13 am by Brenda Creech.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda

The cover of the book is not especially attractive if one doesn't know who the author is. The blurb is too long and, despite the good ratings, I wouldn't have bought the book based on first impressions because it's too straight-up political for my taste.
What I liked the most is how amicable and respectful the author is towards people of different faiths than him, especially his Muslim friend. This is not only lip service, but he actually demonstrates it when the reporter asks him his opinion on the new basilica and: "My response was instantaneous: “I’m here with a dear Muslim friend; please do ask for his opinion.” I'm also curious because my high school was next to the Mexican nunciature and I always wondered what happened in there.
I didn't find editing mistakes. There are some formatting issues on the Kindle app, but they disappear on Kindle for PC, so it's probably not important. I would suggest shortening the blurb and making it more straight to the point. The official review increased my enthusiasm for the book.

First Ten review added on February 1, 2021, at 8:51 am by María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda.

Do you plan to read the whole book? Yes!

Total ~ 30%

A Dream for Peace earned a score of 30%.

In other words, out of the top-level reviewers who read at least the first 10 pages of this book, 30% plan to read the whole book.

IMPORTANT: Any score over 10% is considered very good. And any score above 0% is acceptable.

Over a million books are published each year. Any given person could not even read .0001% of the books out there. This means readers have to be very selective. Even taking the time to look over reviews and blurbs, let alone read samples, is more time than most readers can afford for most books. The First Ten is a powerful focus group that addresses those issues. It creates a helpful tool for authors, publishers, and other readers.

Go to main Bookshelves page for A Dream for Peace