Review of A Dream For Peace

[Maruo Moitheyi]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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A Dream for Peace by Ghoulem Berrah chronicles one of the most incredible lives I have ever read about. Born in Aïn Beïda, Algeria, the author, like many Africans, faced racism and colonialism, and these influenced the path he would take in life. Armed with a scientific background and Muslim teachings of peace and tolerance, the man would be blessed to work with some of the most luminous leaders of the time. France, Morocco, America, and Côte d'Ivoire are some of the places the good man has called home in one way or the other, but Côte d'Ivoire seems to have had quite a special place in his heart.

I must admit to have never heard of Ghoulem Berrah before, but after reading this book, I feel blessed to have uncovered such an amazing human being. His influence and role in some of history's most memorable moments is quite incredible. I loved every bit of this book, especially the relationship between the author and former President resident Houphoët-Boigny of Côte d'Ivoire.

Although the book paints the author in great light most of the time, it is also cautious to show that he is human and has struggles and faults like everyone else. We see this mostly with the man's first two marriages, which eventually failed. Even in his third marriage to a Catholic Christian woman, we see how his partner played a role in grounding the man in times of great personal turmoil. And perhaps that's the reason the third marriage endured. It saw two people who not only had deep love for each other connect, but it showed how their shared common values helped keep their house in order.

The length of the book is the only thing that I thought of as a negative. The book is definitely too long. There are certain stories that could have been omitted because they didn't really reveal anything new about the man. I think the book should have focused mainly on the very big events that the author has been a part of and left the smaller ones, but this is nothing really big because all stories portrayed the man as a complete human being.

I have to rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It is just a great memoir. It is also exceptionally edited. I have no doubt that almost everyone who reads this will agree that the author led a very grand and purposeful life.

I definitely recommend this book to everyone who loves memoirs and doesn't mind politics and some religious themes. It's not a religious book by any chance, but it is certainly steeped in faith.

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A Dream For Peace
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