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There Was A Country: A Personal History Of Biafra (2012)

by Chinua Achebe(Favorite Author)

3.84 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1594204829 (ISBN13: 9781594204821)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Penguin Press HC, The

review 1: A good overview of the events leading up to the Biafran War and the context in which it occurred. 'A Personal History' is a good subtitle for the book as it mainly revolves around Achebe's experiences during the war and doesn't necessarily give an overall view of how others in Biafra or Nigeria where impacted by the war, beyond more sweeping generalizations and specific stories sprinkled in. Ojukwu's (the leader of Biafra) intentions are explored to a degree and his relation to then Nigerian leader Gowon is explored to a degree. Would have liked to get a more detailed analysis of how the Biafran War affected Nigeria immediately afterwards and any consequences of the war that are still felt today (this is explored to a degree, but tends to delve into Achebe deriding Nigeria... more's current culture). Also, a more detailed background outlining the relationship between the Ibo, Yoruba, and Hausa people's leading up to the conflict would have been nice.
review 2: The pains of a lost country can still be felt through this personal account by a former patriotic Biafran. This was, at least for me, an emotional journey of the will to survive and stand firm in a belief that only a few people shared at a time when everything could have - and eventually was lost. It is indeed true that Africa's post-colonial disposition is as a result of a people that have lost the habit of ruling themselves - evident in he fate of several countries on the continent. less

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