Against All Odds: A Chronicle of the Eritrean Revolution with a New Afterword on the Postwar Transition [Paperback]

Dan Connell (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 325 pages
• Publisher: Red Sea Press (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569020469
• ISBN-13: 978-1569020463
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #636,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #13 in Books > History > Africa > Eritrea
  • #71 in Books > History > Africa > Ethiopia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Comrade's Diary, July 14, 2003

By 

Jay Boynton - See all my reviews

This review is from: Against All Odds: A Chronicle of the Eritrean Revolution with a New Afterword on the Postwar Transition (Paperback)

There's not much material out there on Africa's longest running civil war, which is depressing for newcomers to the history of this conflict. Of what does exist, Connell's narrative is a valuable look into life with the Eritrean rebels seeking to split from a brutish Ethiopian state. In this book we find him getting strafed by Ethiopian jets, suffering through long desert hikes behind the lines, and reporting on the refugee situation. It is a fascinating look at the politics of rebel Eritrea and the collateral damage of warfare in the Horn of Africa.

As he states at the beginning, Connell is sympathetic to the EPLF (Eritrean Popular Liberation Front). So other than high-level news reports, you don't get much consideration of what's going on outside rebel(EPLF)-occupied Eritrea. The account is quite one-sided, even against the other rebel groups operating in Eritrea. The EPLF was a Marxist-oriented revolutionary movement from the beginning. Much of the book is devoted to educating the reader on the EPLF's great progress in pulling off land reforms, sharing Maoist "political education" with the rural population, and teaching the worker exploitation inherent in capitalism. All of which can be skimmed and discarded, but it takes away from the main strength of the book: that he was one of only a few reporters on the ground to witness much of Africa's most bizarre conflict. I wanted to learn more about the offensives, why the Soviets got involved, and what was going on from a big picture level. Reading endless detail about EPLF comrades setting up farm cooperatives in rural villages was not terribly exciting.

The definitive book on the Ethiopian/Eritrean war has not yet been written. But Connell's "Against All Odds" will give you insight into the struggles of the main leftist guerrilla group and their experience between 1977-1991.

PS- For war buffs, this book is a little light on its treatment of the battles and the maps included reveal few details.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you read on book one eritrea, read this one., August 31, 2001

By 

Josh "Yes i read" (Seattle, WA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Against All Odds: A Chronicle of the Eritrean Revolution with a New Afterword on the Postwar Transition (Paperback)

This was the first book that i bought one a recent trip to Eritrea and although it may be bias in favor of Eritrea, and the EPLF it is rightly so to counter act all of the Eithiopian propraganda that the west gets. this is a first hand acount of what the author saw for himself during the 30 year conflict with Ethiopia. it is a great read with a lot of the authors own feeligs and stories. this is a great way to get away from the dry military history of, this tank went there, the army moved there, this division had this big gun here style. I bet if you read this book you will not be able to explain african politics in short little articals like one would find in newspapers and weeklys. the reader will find that the world and africa are more compicated then we like to belive, and that africans, and in this case Eritreans can make a nation with out the heavy hand of western help.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great read on the Eritrean liberation movement, December 5, 2011

By 

Ruthie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Against All Odds: A Chronicle of the Eritrean Revolution with a New Afterword on the Postwar Transition (Paperback)

Being an Eritrean who was born and brought up in Europe, I got this book in an attempt to educate myself about the 30 year old guerilla movement that led to the independence of Eritrea. Dan Connell unravels the Eritrean liberation movement in a very personal and heartfelt way that goes beyond the hard facts of the military story that has been portrayed by so many before. In this book you encounter the average Eritrean and their story during the tough times of the war. Their commitment, dedication, tenacity and strong will power shines through and highlights the superhuman effort of the Eritrean people's David & Goliat struggle against its oppressor Ethiopia and the superpowers of the world (Soviet, US, Israel etc..)....Dan Connell has written a truly impressive book on the Eritrean struggle for freedom, based on years and years spent in the area during the war, this is an essential read about Black Africa's most ingenious society.