A Modern History of the Somali

by I.M. Lewis

The Fourth Edition of this history shows the amazing continuity of Somali forms of social organisation and the ingeniousness with which the Somali way of life has adapted to all forms of modernity.

Genres: Africa, History, Somalia, Nonfiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1980

About the author

writes also as Ioan M. Lewis

Reviews

[Nicole M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll grant this book 'three stars' for its completeness and presumed accuracy and authority on the history of Somalia. I can recognize that it is a the product of a great deal of work and scholarship, and I appreciate that. However--

To be frank, I found this book incredibly boring. The book follows the sort of old-fashioned history book dryness, written in an elevated style, so elevated that it has lost its soul. Now--there's really no reason that a history of a state as turbulent as that of Somalia should be boring, but the tone of this book makes it so. While disinterestedness is desirable in reporting, I feel that this author seems so disinterested that the essence of a person is lost. That's a bit sad, considering the fact that, at its core, a history of a nation is necessarily made from its people and their actions. It also feels ironic, as the title of the book is 'A Modern History of the Somali' rather than 'A Modern History of Somalia, the State', which would be more appropriate. In fact, I felt there was little to cover the Somali (as a people) side of things. The writing feels monotonous, where the height of a person is reported with the same weight as the achievement of independence (however, I noticed that it loosens up a bit toward the end, in the sections added in later editions).

What is more, the information is not organized in a very reader-friendly way. The book assumes a lot of prior knowledge of the Horn of Africa, its peoples, and its geography. Although there are several maps provided in the front of the book, (and indeed they helped), more maps are necessary to gain a better visual understanding of historical episodes (can't a decent girl get some maps illustrating imperial partitions? gosh). The index is just so-so, as many names of historical figures seemingly significant don't appear in it. This book is certainly not 'History of Somalia for Dummies'!

At any rate, I learned a lot about Somalia (as well as other Horn countries), and that is worth something. However, I will have to be consulting other books as well--and I wouldn't recommend this one to anyone other than a scholar of Horn of Africa history.

[Jeremy Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in SOMALIA. Was good

[Husien]

i think this book is nice book to read

[Murtaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a general academic history of Somalia from antiquity til the present this book, published twenty years ago, is probably the English-language gold standard. There are not many books about Somalia that take a broader look than the U.S.-focused security lens, and this one does a relatively good job of putting the story of the Somali people into perspective. It traces the life of famous figures like Ahmed Gran, the medieval Somali leader who conquered much of Ethiopia, as well as Sayyid Muhammad Abdille, the anti-colonial dervish leader whom the British named the "Mad Mullah" during his campaign against them. The book is often a storm of facts and minutiae of tribal disputes, but does crystallize the later into the story it gets. By the modern age, Somalia has well and truly come into focus. Southern Somalia today sadly remains in a form of anarchic chaos which the author provocatively suggests is a choice, while northern Somalia is one of the most peaceful countries in Africa and has become independent under the name of Somaliland. Once you know their whole history you can't help but feel a bit heartbroken for the gifted people of this country over the calamity that has recently befallen so many of them. I'd like to find a more recent book on their history since the early 2000s and their prospects for the future.

[Abdifitah Mohamud Ahmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is nice book and I enjoy when I read the history of my country.

[Mūslįm Ýærê]

I want I read this book

[AbrahamQ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

[ABUUKAR MAXAMED · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aadle distruct