Review of A Dream For Peace
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Mahwish Asgher
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Review of A Dream For Peace
[Following is a volunteer review of "A Dream For Peace" by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah.]
A Dream For Peace by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah is a political memoir written by the author himself in French and later translated and edited by Nana Yalley after the death of the author. Dr. Ghoulem Berrah was born and raised in Algeria – a French colony at that time. From his childhood, the author faced racism and was motivated to work towards the liberation of Algeria and other African countries from French rule. Later, as a medical student at the university in Bordeaux, he gathered with other African men and formed an organization to work for the independence of African countries from French colonization. Here the period of his struggles started as he had to flee to Spain and was taken to prison.
After he was released from prison in a swap for prisoners, he worked in Morocco as a Doctor in a couple of war-torn areas. Then he got the opportunity to study at the University of Indiana, USA where he made a remarkable discovery of inhibition of DNA synthesis and made the hypothesis of the release of RNA transcriptase enzyme which led another scientist to extract the enzyme helping towards finding cancer treatments. Later on, he was appointed as an advisor to the Foreign Ministry of Côte d’Ivoire in 1965 and became the closest consultant of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny. During his diplomatic career, he met many important US leaders and he got to work towards resolving the issues of many war-torn African and other Muslim countries like Palestine.
The book is full of imperative historical information regarding the independence of African countries from the French empire. I am impressed by all the details the author has included about the culture and history of Algeria, France, Morocco, the USA, and wherever he went and spent his life. He was a keen observer and he had a great memory. He has been immensely successful in writing this memoir which keeps the reader hooked. The language of the book is very rich and easy to comprehend with some French and Arabic words whose English translation has been provided for the ease of the reader. Many illustrations have been included to support the author’s words and also make the book an interesting and delightful read.
I enjoyed reading about the author’s childhood and time at the university. His connection with his mother was awe-inspiring, and I could feel his emotional turmoil at the death of his mother. I liked the parts where he served as a Doctor in war-torn areas with few facilities and I admired his bravery and wisdom in dealing with challenges.
The only thing that bothered me a little was the names of many places and people in different languages. However, it does not take away from the excellence of such an informative and enlightening read. The book is also professionally edited as I could not find any mistakes. I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars.
I recommend the book to lovers of history and politics as the book is full of information about important historical events. Many people from developing countries could relate to the author’s experience of racism and would understand the author’s passion for peace.
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A Dream For Peace
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A Dream For Peace by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah is a political memoir written by the author himself in French and later translated and edited by Nana Yalley after the death of the author. Dr. Ghoulem Berrah was born and raised in Algeria – a French colony at that time. From his childhood, the author faced racism and was motivated to work towards the liberation of Algeria and other African countries from French rule. Later, as a medical student at the university in Bordeaux, he gathered with other African men and formed an organization to work for the independence of African countries from French colonization. Here the period of his struggles started as he had to flee to Spain and was taken to prison.
After he was released from prison in a swap for prisoners, he worked in Morocco as a Doctor in a couple of war-torn areas. Then he got the opportunity to study at the University of Indiana, USA where he made a remarkable discovery of inhibition of DNA synthesis and made the hypothesis of the release of RNA transcriptase enzyme which led another scientist to extract the enzyme helping towards finding cancer treatments. Later on, he was appointed as an advisor to the Foreign Ministry of Côte d’Ivoire in 1965 and became the closest consultant of President Félix Houphouët-Boigny. During his diplomatic career, he met many important US leaders and he got to work towards resolving the issues of many war-torn African and other Muslim countries like Palestine.
The book is full of imperative historical information regarding the independence of African countries from the French empire. I am impressed by all the details the author has included about the culture and history of Algeria, France, Morocco, the USA, and wherever he went and spent his life. He was a keen observer and he had a great memory. He has been immensely successful in writing this memoir which keeps the reader hooked. The language of the book is very rich and easy to comprehend with some French and Arabic words whose English translation has been provided for the ease of the reader. Many illustrations have been included to support the author’s words and also make the book an interesting and delightful read.
I enjoyed reading about the author’s childhood and time at the university. His connection with his mother was awe-inspiring, and I could feel his emotional turmoil at the death of his mother. I liked the parts where he served as a Doctor in war-torn areas with few facilities and I admired his bravery and wisdom in dealing with challenges.
The only thing that bothered me a little was the names of many places and people in different languages. However, it does not take away from the excellence of such an informative and enlightening read. The book is also professionally edited as I could not find any mistakes. I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars.
I recommend the book to lovers of history and politics as the book is full of information about important historical events. Many people from developing countries could relate to the author’s experience of racism and would understand the author’s passion for peace.
******
A Dream For Peace
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Orcas Forever by Marie-Paule Mahoney
