The French Intifada

On June 14, 1830 France invaded Algiers. It was the first invasion of an Arab country since the Crusades. While the initial invasion was surprisingly simple, the years since have been full of violence and confusion between France and the neighboring Arab world in North Africa. Hussey's (Paris: The Secret History) book is a starkly written account of the increasingly disturbing resulting relationship between the French and its Arab population that will serve as a startling and perplexing account of the state of conflict in a contemporary world. Elements of the author's own of travels during the height of Arab Spring add structure to the convoluted history as Hussey examines the many riots and revolts of the region from the Battle of Algiers in 1956 to the 2012 bombings in Toulouse, France, detailing the decades of government fallacy and colonial abuse. Hussey admits that "there is no neat or tidy conclusion" to the problems on North Africa or the post-colonial destruction. The reader alongside the author are left wondering what is to become of these "ghosts in daylight." (Apr.)