I Didn't Do It for You
How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · June 13, 2006
Scarred by decades of conflict and occupation, the craggy African nation of Eritrea has weathered the world's longest-running guerrilla war.
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- Who it’s for
- A clear-eyed account with the patience of a long look, not a quick verdict.
- Genres
- East African History, Colonialism & Its Aftermath, African Politics
- Published
- HarperCollins, June 13, 2006
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Scarred by decades of conflict and occupation, the craggy African nation of Eritrea has weathered the world's longest-running guerrilla war. The dogged determination that secured victory against Ethiopia, its giant neighbor, is woven into the national psyche, the product of cynical foreign interventions.
Continue reading
Fascist Italy wanted Eritrea as the springboard for a new, racially pure Roman empire; Britain sold off its industry for scrap; the United States needed a base for its state-of-the-art spy station; and the Soviet Union used it as a pawn in a proxy war. In I Didn't Do It for You, Michela Wrong reveals the breathtaking abuses this tiny nation has suffered and, with a sharp eye for detail and a taste for the incongruous, tells the story of colonialism itself and how international power politics can play havoc with a country's destiny.
A Long View
A clear-eyed account with the patience of a long look, not a quick verdict.
Come here for
- Michela Wrong’s steady, unshowy historical voice
- A geopolitical story that stays legible without sanding off the edges
Expect
- Broad African history framing
- A sustained narrative read
Where it sits
| East African History | 80% |
|---|---|
| Colonialism & Its Aftermath | 63% |
| African Politics | 29% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Political Lives
- East African History
- Africa Travel
- Authors
- Michela Wrong
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- June 13, 2006
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Reading lane
- Political Lives