Somalia: A Crisis of Famine and War (Headliners)

Grade 6-10-A book about Operation Restore Hope that reflects American media treatment of the crisis rather than offering young people a basis for understanding how the Somalis themselves have experienced it and why it happened. An introductory chapter attempts to provide cultural as well as historical and geographic background. The brief material on Somali origins has been disproved by recent scholarship. More important, the description of the clan system and "warrior" traditions does not make real the centrality of clan/lineage/family identity over the centuries, or the way in which negotiation and competition among these segments was, prior to colonial rule, a viable "international" political system among Somali-speaking peoples. Thus the subsequent chapters, which seem overburdened with details of clans and political parties, as well as inadequately explained rebels, warlords, and gangs, are often confusing. Two thirds of the text is about the period since the decline of Siad Barre, and more than half of the full-color photographs feature non-Somalis. The role of U.S. and Soviet supplied arms is barely hinted at. Surely the situation in this war-torn nation seems meaninglessly chaotic to most Americans, but Ricciuti does not explain it well.
Loretta Kreider Andrews, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Clearly outlining a complex situation, this ``Headliner'' will serve well as background for current events. Ricciuti's flowing narrative presents Somalia's war-torn history, pointing out its strategic location as an important factor. Unlike Africa's other colonial creations, Somalia is free of ethnic conflict, but the stresses of an arid climate, border warfare, and clan divisions have starved the country and made it ungovernable, says Ricciuti, thus leading to foreign occupation. Wisely, he hedges the optimistic ``mainstream'' view that the new Transitional National Council will lead to peace: ``Its success would depend on the cooperation and commitment of Somalia's people.'' Personalities like ``warlord'' clan leaders and celebrities appearing for charitable relief are mentioned but not profiled. Illustrations are well chosen and captioned, though some maps are in more detail than the text demands (e.g., ``Areas receiving aid''). Chronology; short bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 10-13) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.