Inside the Battle of Algiers

"Filled with rich detail of the socioeconomic, religious and political context of the period, Drif's account can serve as an engaging and accessible introduction to Algeria, settler colonialism, and national liberation wars for students, just as its amazing first-hand account of the role of one of the FLN's most important female fighters provides new insights and historical material for specialists." Laurie Brand, Wright Professor, International Relations, University of Southern California
"The English translation of Zohra Drif's memoirs is a publishing event. It makes available to a wider audience the life and times of an Algerian woman who was both actor in, and witness to, one of the 20th century's most dramatic independence struggles." Julia Clancy-Smith, Department of History, University of Arizona
"A narrative that is engrossing and provides a new, fresh look at a critical moment in Algerian history . . . [Drif] will now be known to the world through her own eloquent words. Essential reading." Miriam Cooke, author, Dancing in Damascus: Creativity, Resilience and the Syrian Revolution
"A precious contribution to the knowledge of the Algerian War of Independence . . . . it shows the decisive role of women in the war . . . . this book sheds light on the miracle of culture in the resistance . . . . her testimony [is] for her young compatriots, thirsty for truth, and eager to find the trail of the struggle to liberate themselves from the scourges of today." Amin Khan, author, Nous autres, Elements pour un manifeste de l'Algerie heureuse
"A fascinating detailed memoir that grants her readers an awareness of the oppression that weighed upon the colonized during the French colonial era and an understanding of the difficult struggle that led to Algerian independence." Mildred Mortimer, University of Colorado
"Zohra Drif has given us a powerful, first- hand account of the amazingly courageous role played by women in Algeria's eight-year-long struggle for independence from France . . . . From start to finish, it reads like a thriller." David Ottaway, formerly of the Washington Post
"Zohra Drif [is] a living legend of the Algerian freedom movement . . . This is one of the most engaging memoirs to come out of the period of decolonization." Vijay Prashad, author, The Darker Nations: A People's History of the Third World
"A remarkable memoir, filled with fascinating detail about her personal story . . . and the tight-knit group of militants, including herself, who organized the armed wing of the nationalist movement in the Casbah of Algiers in 1956-57." William B. Quandt, Professor Emeritus, Political Science, University of Virginia