Review of A Dream For Peace

[Gabriela Contreras]

[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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Have you ever read about someone whose life seemed impossible because of how hard it was? Have you ever been surprised about that desire to stay alive despite all the chaos? Have you ever read about someone, whose life is just inspiring? If not, you might need to read this book. Maybe, we all have a greater purpose and mission in life.

A Dream for Peace by Dr. Ghoulem Berrah is a memoir that chronicles the author’s life from his birth in Algeria to becoming an exemplary diplomat and important historical character. During every stage of his life, Dr. Ghoulem had only one dream and passion: peace and tolerance. As he told President Houphouët-Boigny, during their first official meeting he was committed to serving with a purpose: to “help improve the conditions of life for all people and to achieve peace, justice, and harmony among all humans.” I hope history is kind to him, and that we all remember him for the amazing life he had and all the help he gave.

The book begins with a recollection of Algerian life as a colony, activism between many Muslim students trying to gain independence for their countries, the tension between Israel and Palestine, and the power struggle between nations during the Cold War. While reading this book, I was shocked at how someone could experience so much suffering, and danger and keep his faith, dreams, and hopes. But he did not only stand out as a diplomat or activist, but he was also the first scientist to give a hypothesis on what is known identified as the “Reverse Transcriptase Enzyme” (which is a factor in enabling RNA viruses to induce certain forms of cancer).

This book is filled with historical characters, most of whom I did not know about before reading the book, but Dr. Berrah is not expecting every reader to be a history or political expert, he helps the reader understand every event, every fast, and experience with footnotes. I also enjoyed that Dr. Berrah shared some photos throughout the book, as I felt it made it more personal and enriches the reader’s experience. While his life and professional experiences made it inevitable to include a lot of political and historical content, the author made this memoir a personal story, sharing feelings, lessons, and thoughts to complement that political and historical side.

Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. Dr. Berrah is not only a fantastic author and narrator, but he was also an exemplary ambassador and a compassionate man who spent his whole life advocating for peace. I cannot say a single negative thing about this book, it is perfectly edited, with no errors I could find.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in historical and cultural life during and after colonization. I also recommend it to those interested in diplomacy, and how to find common ground between religions. But I do have to warn that this is not a light reading, the book is over 600 pages long, and each page is filled with intense life experiences, so if you are looking for a quick, light, or skip reading, this book is not for you.

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A Dream For Peace
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[Chimereucheya Okoroafo]

Totally engaging, your review I mean. I've heard and read reviews of this book but none comes close to this magnificent write-up you've shared with interested readers like myself. Dr. Berrah is a man of honor not known by many and although I haven't read this book, I'm planning to do so and know more. Nice review.