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

The only weakness of this book is its title. It refers to a scene during WW II, when British soldiers were busy liberating Eritrea from the Italians. A local woman ululated for passing British soldiers, whereupon one of them shouted what has become the title of this highly illuminating book. In other words, the British did not liberate Eritrea to become independent and rule itself. Nor did any other nation, before or after.
Every chapter in this book is a gem and an eye opener. Shamefully, what the Brits did after their victory over Italy was to dismantle and haul away every industrial investment made by Italy during the 1930s, and move it away to its other colonies, such as India and Kenya. Except for things that could not be moved like buildings: Italy turned Asmara into what is (still) the most beautiful capital city of Africa, subject of documentaries, coffee table books and a trickle of tourism. Reconstruction by elderly Eritreans of the destroyed rail link between Asmara and Massawa, covering a tortuous track and 2.200 m in altitude, is included in such tours an has been recorded in documentaries broadcast worldwide.
Marcela Wrong (MW) argues convincingly that the Eritrean national character has been shaped by a succession of betrayals by the Ethiopians, the Italians, the British, the UN, and again, the Ethiopians. Anyone curious to learn why the Eritrean government (which took decades of fighting to emerge without outside help) is not amenable to Western advice, should read this book.
MW has interviewed lots of key actors and observers, ranging from former Soviet generals and advisors, a US 95-year old top legal advisor to Emperor Haile Selassie, to local insiders, eccentrics and notables. This book is required reading for anyone about to serve in Eritrea and/or Ethiopia and for the people supervising them. MW has been cautious to include some measure of doubt about the future of Eritrea's hard-won independence, given the increasingly authoritarian behaviour of its rather ruthless leader. Highly recommended.

I have never thought of some one who is not from Eritrea can tell our story in the most accurate and elegant way. Wrong, You did a marvelous job. Thanks on behalf of all Eritrean and those who love and wish best for Eritrea. It is definitely an hand book on eritrea.

Very well written book that covers in great detail the Eritrean History from Italian colony through their independence. Michela presents the information in a way that makes you feel the disregard, betrayal and abuse inflicted by the various powers that used Eritrea as a means to an end. I started with no knowledge of Eritrea, and ended with an understanding and passion for the people who have endured so much and persevered for so long.

Even in a continent full of doomed revolutions and post-colonial misery, the story of the plucky Eritreans is a fascinating and tragic one. As an experienced world news correspondent on Africa, Michela Wrong has the chops to give us an informative history of this tough and self-sufficient people who endured centuries of colonial exploitation and a 30-year struggle against their Ethiopian overlords, before finally becoming independent in 1993. The author does just that throughout most of the book, starting with a strong examination of the national character and unique cultural traits of the Eritreans, then later ending the book on a melancholy but instructive note as their inspiring struggle for self-determination went sour.

The problem here though is with the middle sections of the book, which devolve into disconnected snippets and vignettes that highlight persons and events of interest but detract from the historical and political narrative. (This is the same problem that afflicts Wrong's other major book, the nearly-masterful Congo study "In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz.") The worst example is a useless tangent in Chapter 10 into stories of debauchery by American servicemen in Eritrea in the 1960s. Also, Wrong has a hard time effectively separating the histories of Eritrea and Ethiopia, and while that's surely difficult with so much historical interaction between the peoples, the Eritreans are missing from large parts of this book that is supposed to be about them.

Fortunately, Michela Wrong finishes strongly with useful examinations of the historical lessons to be learned from the long and still-ongoing struggle of the Eritreans. Based on the book's title, I'm not convinced that the world betrayed Eritrea, but the world certainly ignored that small nation's unique struggle through centuries of historical ignorance and political myopia. The hard-working Eritreans deserve the tribute delivered by Wrong in this book. [~doomsdayer520~]

What a book! Shall I call it a novel? For me it read like a suspensful novel rather than an ordinary narrative about an obscure Afrcan nation.I commend the young writer for her lucid style and insightful observation The narrative for the story takes place mainly in the Sahle Mountains and the main characters are the Eritrean fighters and the other charcters- the villains are the Ethiopian Army, the Italains, the British, the Russians, The Americans, last but not least the UN.Like in a good novel, at the end the protagonists- the heroes or the winners are the Eritreans