Read The World - Eritrea - I Didn't Do It For You

Book: I Didn't Do It For You

Author: Michela Wrong

Pages: 480

Book takes place in the country: YES

Author is from the country: NO (but she spent time there)

I have visited: NO

This is my 126th read for the year.

I am still making my way through the vast number of countries on the African continent.  I could not place Eritrea on a map before I read this book.  And honestly - I would have had no idea it was in Africa.  Kudos to this challenge for its continued Geography lesson.

This non-fiction book delves into the small African country of Eritrea which is right on the outside of Ethiopia.  It has been part of the world's longest guerrilla war.  So many countries have been a part of it's history - Italy, Britain, Ethopia, United States, and the Soviet Union - all wanting a piece of what Eritrea has to offer.  This book is written from an insider account of the long Eritrea war.  The author interviews several key players - an African emperor, a guerrilla fighter, and an English suffragette.  She winds through the history of this AFrican nation to develop of full picture of its history over the last century.

This was a pretty good book.  It was a tad dry in spots, but the stories from the Eritrea people really helped pull the story along.  I was able to develop a good picture of this nation and what it has exhaustively had to deal with in the 20th century. 

I am glad I read it.  It was a good find for a county I knew nothing about.

Stars: 3 1/2