Rating: 
Summary: Underwhelming account littered with factual inaccuracies
Review: I was very disappointed with Scott Peterson's book on a number of levels. As a former humanitarian aid worker (not in Africa, but with friends in Somalia and Sudan and Rhwanda) I was hoping to read a report that portrays life on the frontline and the emotions and difficulties of that life. Scott Peterson manages to write about some of the worst atrocities that have occurred with little insight to what it was like to be there, more like a legal briefing than an insider's look. His narrative manages to lose touch with the horrors that overwhelmed these countries, which one would assume he witnessed. In addition, the book was littered with factual inaccuracies about the various events and individuals involved in these conflicts. As the world watched with horror as warlords in Somalia kept food from their dying countrymen, Peterson finds ways to justify Aidid's actions and portray him sometimes in a positive light while lamblasting U.S. and U.N. efforts to bring peace and humanity back to Somalia. While no one would argue that the U.S. and the U.N. did not accomplish their goals in Somalia, Peterson loses sight of the fact that the world unfortunately couldn't stomach the casualties that would have been necessary to truly bring peace and disarmament to places like Somalia. Peterson seems to have been more set on putting forth a personal agenda than showing what really happened. The most unfortunate thing about Peterson's book is that it will feed into the world's apathy to deal with problems such as Somalia, by showing that there is little to gain from even trying to help.
Rating: 
Summary: A 26-buck-journalism-lesson worth taking.
Review: I was wandering around the african section of a very known bookstore, and i got across a big, hard-covered book. I decided to check it up so maybe i could buy it. Minutes later i was apalled by the narrative and the facts he mentioned throughout the pages i read. Now that i have read the whole book, i find it amazing since it gives deep, factual and unbiased background over many wars that goes undercovered by the big media. In a way, it's the portrait of a culture, of a civilization being ravaged and terminated by war and its allies, the famine, the corruption, and the plagues. It's a brutal portrait, also, about how the western misconceptions over other cultures can cause such enourmous fiascos, like Somalia or Rwanda, or how the twisted faith and the intolerance can bring Sudan into a ever-destructive spin-round. This book is a must for any journalism student and/or someone who would like to know about Africa and its recent history.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully Written but with Disturbing Moral Equivalency
Review: I'm about one fourth of the way through this frightening and disturbing book. I commend the author for writing about his experiences and salute his writing skills. But... I'm a little disturbed at the constant application of moral equivalency between the United States and United Nations' actions in Somalia and those of the Somali gunmen. I accept that the US and UN made grave mistakes in Somalia, mistakes that cost at least several thousand lives. But these mistakes pale in comparison to the crimes committed by the Somalis, particularly by the likes of General Aidid. I find it particularly offensive when the author alleges that American soldiers, in the wake of a helicopter attack on a house occupied by Aidid's top advisors, shot survivors without mercy. That is a very grave allegation, and the author never tries to substantiate it. Another thing the author should have stressed about the Somalia debacle is the fact that the Somali gunmen were the ones who drew first blood. They were the ones who killed --and mutilated! -- twenty-five Pakistani peacekeepers in July 1993. Yet the author blames the UN's decision to go after Aidid and not the other clans for causing this hideous act. His thesis is that if the UN had gone after all the clans and tried to make them disarm, the Somalis would have accepted it. Maybe. And maybe there still would have been violence. And maybe in this book the author would have condemned that decision to go after all the clans as being too ambitious. Maybe. Bottom line: a very good read if you go in realizing it is the epitome of "Monday morning quarterbacking"
Rating:
Summary: Sobering and thought-provoking
Review: In "Me Against My Brother," Scott Peterson tells a terrifingly too-real tale of three ravaged African countries. On its surface, "Me Against My Brother" concerns the events in the war-torn countries of Somalia, Sudan, and Rwanda. Familiar concepts like war, genocide, and famine are prominently discussed, but they are really just a backdrop for the true story. For all the talk of battles, massacres, and starvation, "Me Against My Brother" really tells a very human story about the ethical failings of people. At its heart, the book examines the culpability for the horrific events it describes, and finds plenty of people to blame, Americans included. Ultimately, the issues discussed in this book are not just African issues, but universal ones.
The first segment of the book, covering events in Somalia, mainly addresses the failures of US and UN peacekeeping missions (tellingly, Peterson frequently puts the words "Peacekeeping" and "Peacekeepers" in quotation marks). Peterson describes how what was supposed to be a simple mission to keep the peace and alleviate a famine turned into an all-out mission on the part of the US and UN to catch warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid, whatever the price. Quickly, and without a clear-cut reason, the US and UN forces conducted a bungling military campaign that resulted in the deaths of countless innocent Somalis, foreign press, and 18 American servicemen in the firefight immortalized in "Black Hawk Down." Through the examination of the ridiculously excessive and unncessary measures taken by forces who were allegedly to keep peace, Peterson provides a glimpse into the reasons for anti-American sentiment that seems chillingly relevant in these times.
The section on Sudan focuses mainly on the endless cycle of violence between the Muslim north and Christian south. Peterson tells of how certain hardline factions in the north hijacked the political process and used religion to justify a never-ending war (this should sound familiar to anyone who reads headlines). The relentless cycle of violence and the tales of unthinkable suffering that come from it only serve to underline the utter pointlessness of the conflict. As the book says, the war has now become an end unto itself; people live solely for the war and know no other way of life.
The concluding section on Rwanda concerns itself mainly with the 1994 genocide in which as many as 1 million Tutsis were massacred by the Hutu majority, often with nothing more than clubs and machetes. Perhaps even more depressing than the genocide, however, are the stories of the American politicians who skirted the obligation to act by playing word games in order to avoid using the word "genocide." Ultimately, though, the story of Rwanda turns into a rumination on the very nature of evil. So many Hutus were involved in the killing, often butchering women and children by hand, that one can only conclude that there are a great deal of people capable of perpretating such atrocities under similar circumstances. The tales of the Rwandan genocide force us to confront the fact that a similar dark side lies in most, and perhaps all, people. As British doctor Ian Palmer says in the book's final chapter, the genocide exposed the dark side that we are all afraid to see, and Rwanda is within every one of us.
All in all, "Me Against My Brother" is a terrific and illuminating book. Peterson deserves to be commended for providing an unflinching potrait of events in Africa during the 1990's. The issues discussed here can be applied to pretty much any conflict, though, because they're part of what it means to be human. If more people would think seriously about the events described here, then perhaps such tragedies could be prevented in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Sobering and thought-provoking
Review: In "Me Against My Brother," Scott Peterson tells a terrifingly too-real tale of three ravaged African countries. On its surface, "Me Against My Brother" concerns the events in the war-torn countries of Somalia, Sudan, and Rwanda. Familiar concepts like war, genocide, and famine are prominently discussed, but they are really just a backdrop for the true story. For all the talk of battles, massacres, and starvation, "Me Against My Brother" really tells a very human story about the ethical failings of people. At its heart, the book examines the culpability for the horrific events it describes, and finds plenty of people to blame, Americans included. Ultimately, the issues discussed in this book are not just African issues, but universal ones.
The first segment of the book, covering events in Somalia, mainly addresses the failures of US and UN peacekeeping missions (tellingly, Peterson frequently puts the words "Peacekeeping" and "Peacekeepers" in quotation marks). Peterson describes how what was supposed to be a simple mission to keep the peace and alleviate a famine turned into an all-out mission on the part of the US and UN to catch warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid, whatever the price. Quickly, and without a clear-cut reason, the US and UN forces conducted a bungling military campaign that resulted in the deaths of countless innocent Somalis, foreign press, and 18 American servicemen in the firefight immortalized in "Black Hawk Down." Through the examination of the ridiculously excessive and unncessary measures taken by forces who were allegedly to keep peace, Peterson provides a glimpse into the reasons for anti-American sentiment that seems chillingly relevant in these times.
The section on Sudan focuses mainly on the endless cycle of violence between the Muslim north and Christian south. Peterson tells of how certain hardline factions in the north hijacked the political process and used religion to justify a never-ending war (this should sound familiar to anyone who reads headlines). The relentless cycle of violence and the tales of unthinkable suffering that come from it only serve to underline the utter pointlessness of the conflict. As the book says, the war has now become an end unto itself; people live solely for the war and know no other way of life.
The concluding section on Rwanda concerns itself mainly with the 1994 genocide in which as many as 1 million Tutsis were massacred by the Hutu majority, often with nothing more than clubs and machetes. Perhaps even more depressing than the genocide, however, are the stories of the American politicians who skirted the obligation to act by playing word games in order to avoid using the word "genocide." Ultimately, though, the story of Rwanda turns into a rumination on the very nature of evil. So many Hutus were involved in the killing, often butchering women and children by hand, that one can only conclude that there are a great deal of people capable of perpretating such atrocities under similar circumstances. The tales of the Rwandan genocide force us to confront the fact that a similar dark side lies in most, and perhaps all, people. As British doctor Ian Palmer says in the book's final chapter, the genocide exposed the dark side that we are all afraid to see, and Rwanda is within every one of us.
All in all, "Me Against My Brother" is a terrific and illuminating book. Peterson deserves to be commended for providing an unflinching potrait of events in Africa during the 1990's. The issues discussed here can be applied to pretty much any conflict, though, because they're part of what it means to be human. If more people would think seriously about the events described here, then perhaps such tragedies could be prevented in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Great insight, Great read, Great Book
Review: Me against my brother provides the reader with not only an understanding of the conflicts in Somalia, Sudan, and Rwanda, but it is also a personal tale of the author's experiences in Africa. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Africa or international relations. The descriptions are often depressing and heartwrenching, but it instills in the reader that the developed world must do more to help ease the suffering in Africa.
Rating:
Summary: Great insight, Great read, Great Book
Review: Me against my brother provides the reader with not only an understanding of the conflicts in Somalia, Sudan, and Rwanda, but it is also a personal tale of the author's experiences in Africa. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Africa or international relations. The descriptions are often depressing and heartwrenching, but it instills in the reader that the developed world must do more to help ease the suffering in Africa.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth reading irrespective of policy beliefs
Review: Mr Peterson does an amazing job of bringing the reader to an understandng of the tragedy that occurred in the three countries that he focuses upon Somalia, Rwanada and Sudan)but he does so without pushing the reader over the edge into compassion fatigue. His book is also extremely useful for understanding some of what actually happened at the time; for the first time I actually have an understanding of the dynamic that existed between the Tutsi and Hutus. His inclusion of Sudan is remarkable and notable given that it is one of the most overlooked conflicts in American eyes, yet well worth understanding. Mr Peterson also makes clear the paradox that relief agencies face in alleviating suffering when their efforts can actually prolong conflict. The excellent writing was the only thing that kept me going through the more emotionally disturbing sections. Finally,the photo insert, while unsettling, was an extremely important addition to the whole experience of reading the book.
Rating:
Summary: This book is not just about Rwanda, it is about extremes.
Review: My humanitarian medical trip this year to Rwanda mandated that I attempt to understand the insanity of the genocide that killed, in 100 days, over one million children, women and men only eight years ago. My first read was the excellent, and highly recommended book: 'We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families' by Philip Gourvitch (1998). My second read was this book, also stellar. This book is not just about Rwanda, it is about extremes; it is about Africa. This is about unbelievable agony, suffering and human catastrophe. 'This is not a pretty' book. Scott Peterson has done a outstanding job in duct-taping a handle on a tragedy that is uncircumscribible. The degree of evil to be encountered in this book is extraordinary. This is a book about degenerate crimes against humanity and how people come to commit such atrocities. Peterson divides the book into three parts: Somalia, Sudan and Rwanda; with Somalia get the lion's share. Sudan comes next and finally, Rwanda (about 70 pages of the 320 paged book). Peterson seeks "to illuminate human tragedy in a way that show how such tragedies may be easier to avoided in Africa, and beyond, in the future." Whether he accomplisha this is your judgement call. As a cynic, I believe that what has been, will be again, and 'history will repeat itself' sooner that we think or want. He breaks down Rwanda's genocide into three primary axioms: 1) Hutu's hatred and fear of the Tutsi's, 2) Catholic Church's' silent support and active disengagement, and finally, 3) the French government's active support before and during the genocide. However clean and persuasive these arguments are they fail to explain the social insanity and the demonic deprivation that took possession of the Hutu population and drove them into a such an unholy orgy of defilement and slaughter. I cannot fault Peterson for failing short of a succinct, logical, sane explanation of such insanity. No one has, nor do I believe ever will, sufficiently explain the "Why" something this insane happens. Notwithstanding, this is a solid, informative work worthy of any library concerned with such matters. Highly recommended..
Rating:
Summary: An appaling account of modern genocide
Review: Peterson does a great job of documenting the trajedies of Africa that simply doesn't seem to interest most Americans. With Sierra Leonne in the news recently, this book takes on even more urgency. Peterson deserves credit for sticking it out in the destitute war zones, even after nearly losing his life in Somalia (and seeing close friends butchered by the mobs) He is (justifiably) highly critical of the U.S. and UN efforts there, but he also assigns the blame for the famine where it belongs, with the warlords. This is an excellent and informative book that will unfortunately never find as big an audience as it deserves.
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