I Didn't Do It for You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation (P.S.)

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. 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. “Contemporary history on a grand scale... Wrong has given us another essential contribution to understanding the postcolonial scramble for Africa.” —John le Carré, #1 New York Times–bestselling authorScarred 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. 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.“Vivid, penetrating, wonderfully detailed. Michela Wrong has written the biography of a nation and more—she has excavated the very heart and soul of the Eritrean people and their country.” —Aminatta Forna, author of The Devil That Danced on Water“Engrossing, vividly written in the style of the best thrillers... I've read nothing that's told me as much about either Eritrea or Ethiopia. It should become that standard work on the region.” —Anthony Sampson, author of Mandela: The Authorized Biography“Wrong excels as a storyteller, providing evocative descriptions of Eritrea's dramatic topography and gripping dollops of military history.” —The Washington Post

"It's hard to imagine another African country that was interfered with by foreign powers quite so thoroughly, and so disastrously, as Eritrea," the small African nation that recently fought a successful guerilla war of liberation against the much larger Ethiopia, according to journalist Wrong. In this work she intersperses descriptions of her own travels in Eritrea with a history of its experiences with Italian colonial exploitation in the Martini and Mussolini eras, British post-war looting of the country's assets, American and Soviet manipulation in the context of the Cold War, UN exacerbation of the Ethiopian-Eritrean conflict, and the national liberation war. Annotation ©2005 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The New York Times - William Grimes

Although Ms. Wrong, as a reporter, stepped into Eritrean history during the heady days of independence, her most gripping pages deal with the colonial period and the battle of Keren, which she recounts in pulse-pounding prose. Badly outnumbered, British forces managed to take the citadel-like Keren, suffering appalling losses. This was a turning point. For the first time, Ms. Wrong argues, the Allies showed that the Axis war machine could be beaten; yet, typically, Keren ranks as one of the least-celebrated engagements of the Second World War.

"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 a series of cynical foreign interventions. 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." "Michela Wrong reveals the breathtaking abuses this tiny nation has suffered and ... tells the story of colonialism itself and how international power politics can play havoc with a country's destiny."--Page 4 of cover A critical expos�� of the impact of colonialism and power politics on the African nation of Eritrea contends that the small country endured decades of conflict and occupation only to be exploited by powerful outside nations. By the author of In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz. Reader's Guide available. Reprint. 20,000 first printing. Whenever I land in Asmara, a novel read in adolescence comes to mind.