This memoir is the first English publication by an academic who fought in the Algerian war of independence, adapted from a bestselling French work. Targeting a broad audience, it holds particular value for academics, students of history, and those interested in guerrilla warfare and political sociology. The author’s political awakening began at age seven when he witnessed his father, a nationalist activist, brutally beaten by French troops, igniting a deep-seated animosity toward colonialism. The narrative intertwines personal experiences with historical and political analysis, recounting the tumultuous prewar nationalist activism and the exhilarating yet tragic events of the war from the perspective of a guerrilla fighter. Sent to the US by the Revolutionary Provisional Government shortly before the war's end, he reflects on Algeria's bittersweet independence, marred by violence and power struggles. His time at Georgetown, Wesleyan, and Colorado Universities reveals the challenges of cultural adjustment and underscores the importance of leadership quality over natural wealth in a nation's success. In the epilogue, he mourns Algeria's lost opportunities since 1962 and examines how the revolution was co-opted by non-revolutionaries, raising critical questions about the continuity of violence in Algeria.
