Araba Let's Separate: The Story of the Nigerian Civil War

The title, a word meaning "Araba" Let's Separate "or" Let's Dissolve, "refers to the Nigerian Civil War which began in 1966 and continued for nearly four years. The word was first used by rioters at a demonstration in the early stages of the civil war, in an attempt to signal their dissatisfaction with attempts to unify Nigeria under what was known as the "Decree Number 34."

Professor Mshelia has fashioned the events of that period into a something of a historical novel, mixing fictional characters in, and in some cases battles and confrontations, with the historical characters and actions that were a part of that war. In the book, Professor Preface.doc One to Mshelia states that they took this approach as "an attempt to present history in a fictional form for an easy and interesting reading for the general public."

However, it is frequently difficult to determine what is not historical fact and what is fiction. Given his statement that the book contains fictional elements, this would normally not appear to be a problem, however, in this instance, it sometimes results in confusing the reader. This is not helped by the fact that Professor Mshelia frequently addresses the reader with sentences beginning with "readers" or "my dear readers," leading one to feel they are being lectured on the subject, rather than reading a somewhat fictional recounting of the events of the Nigerian Civil War.

That's not to say that Araba doesn't make for an interesting read. Prior to reading this book, I was completely unaware of the events recounted in the book. And as someone who enjoys history, I'm somewhat ashamed to say that, although I'm certainly not alone among Westerners in that regard.

So Professor Mshelia is due praise for attempting to bring these events to light, although I wish they had decided to avoid adding any fictional elements in an attempt to make the book more accessible and readable.

The book might have been further helped with tighter editing and the elimination of the occasional typo. Among such problems is this statement in Preface.doc One: "[T] his book Araba limits its scope to one single but important event in the life of the nation (that occurred in the 1960s)."

The problem with that line? The event he is referring to occurred in 1966, not in the 1960s, when the January 22nd of that year, an attempted coup d ' ?tat led to the situation of a number of prominent northern political leaders, including the then-Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa of Nigeria,.

Those assignations were the catalyst for the civil war, and the thousands of deaths that resulted, as the civil war turned into an attempt at secession and to carve out a separate "Republic of Biafra" from the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Araba is packed with detail, as well as informative commentary, again confusing the issue of whether this is a work of fiction or fact. Regardless, it is a worthwhile read, particularly for the history buffs, who, like me, you probably need to know more about these important events in the history of Nigeria.

Reviewed by: Gary r. Sorkin

Gary r. Sorkin is the Senior Editor for Pacific Book Review. Please visit the Pacific Book Review at: http://www.pacificbookreview.com/

Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne, by David Starkey, a True Story of Royalty, Intrigue, Romance

AppId is over the quota

Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne, by David Starkey... Whether history class was your most or least favorite in school, you should find this book a fascinating read. David Starkey is not simply a renowned English historian, an expert on Tudor England, he's also a fine writer indeed. In this book, what could be dry-as-dust facts are instead lively stories of real people living real lives in the midst of turbulent times.

Regarding turbulent times, almost anyone who got through school knows about Henry VIII and his six wives, his elder daughter, Mary (also known as Bloody Mary), and his younger daughter, who became the first Queen Elizabeth. But my guess is that few of us, unless we're real history buffs, know much about the extraordinary times in which they lived.

Most books that I have read about Queen Elizabeth I deal with her years as a monarch. Starkey, however, takes us from her birth in 1533 to her accession to the throne in 1558. During those years she led a life that could well be the stuff of fiction. But it was real. In his introduction to Elizabeth, Starkey says that during that period "... she had experienced every vicissitude of fortune and every extreme of condition." As I read the book, I marveled that she survived those years and went on to be the most successful queen England has known.

Her mother was executed by her father, which must have been a terrible blow to the child, but she never spoke of it. She was both princess and intended successor to the throne, then disinherited, then reinstated. She was accused of treason and imprisoned in the Tower by her own sister, facing possible execution. She survived plots and counterplots, threats to her well-being by family as well as foe, during these years of religious persecution. Yet in the midst of all this turmoil, she kept her head-literally and figuratively-and lived to age 70.

And all this happened before she was 25 years old. Starkey has this to say, "But, above all, I never forget that the years of Elizabeth's apprenticeship are a wonderful adventure story. We know they had a happy ending and that she survived and became queen. Elizabeth herself, her friends and enemies, had no such foresight." An exceptional life, with its highs and lows, and little in between.

In reading this book, besides my admiration for her sheer grit and ability to adjust to both wonderful and dreadful circumstances, I learned a great deal more about her as a person than ever before. Most of my earlier reading about her life was about her as Queen Elizabeth. As a child, she was precocious, brilliant even, and throughout all these dangerous and difficult times, she showed a natural instinct for dealing with the type of political chicanery with which she was surrounded. Even her education, conducted of course by private tutors, is astonishing in its depth and breadth; among other subjects, she studied Latin and Greek and was fluent in French.

Starkey writes with humanity and a wry and engaging tone, even when discussing religious persecution or political skullduggery. In one place, he refers to "extravagant characters and madcap schemes."

This is a book to be read, then read again, and for me more times than that. Starkey brings those days to life. And the young queen-to-be is a person you will enjoy getting to know. I recommend it.