Review of A Dream For Peace

[Carlos Mata Saenz]

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

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4 out of 5 stars

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A Dream For Peace, by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah, gives the reader the opportunity of witnessing some of the main moments of the African continent’s story during the twentieth century. This autobiography analyses key facts of this period, such as the independence of the African countries from colonial influence, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the attempts of the Third Word Countries to reach equality and development. Always from the point of view of someone who was directly involved in the recovery of democracy for these countries, and especially for Côte d’Ivoire and Algeria, A Dream For Peace is a cry for justice and equality, a love letter to Dr. Berrah’s ideas, and a deep analysis of the local and global politics.

Alongside the chapters, the author includes many documents to support its narrative, with many photos, telegraphs and personal letters that will create a unique experience for all those who love reading about history. Science, religion, politics, Dr. Berrah’s personal life and much more, everything is honestly detailed throughout more than six hundred pages.

As a history fan, I have enjoyed the amount of first-hand material that the author has meticulously accumulated over the years. As well, as someone who works in health sciences, I found very interesting all the references and explanations about the author’s work at the university and his discoveries.

On a less positive aspect, I felt that some of the chapters were too slow for what I would have preferred. The amount of detail, sometimes exceeding what would be necessary, and the reiteration of ideas that had already been exposed just a few pages or paragraphs before, left me with the sensation that a shorter work would still transmit the same powerful message with a more engaging rhythm.

Despite the length of the book, I have only found a few mistakes during the reading. Those errors didn’t have any consequence for the experience, being mostly simple typos. Considering all the above, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Although I consider contradictory the defence that Dr. Berrah makes in some points of the fight as the path for independence while he’s advocating for dialogue as the only way to resolve conflicts, I understand this book is a biography, and it must transmit the ideas of the author. In consequence, I won’t reduce my rating because of this.

I recommend this book to all those readers who like history, especially to those interested in African history or political business. Although the author is openly professing a specific religion, he shows universal respect for every existing religion and pleads for freedom of faith, and it should not limit any reader from enjoying the experience.

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A Dream For Peace
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