THOUGHT-PROVOKING NEW AUTOBIOGRAPHY TRACES AUTHOR’S LIFE AND WORK AROUND THE GLOBE
TO BE ONESELF: THE TRAGICOMEDY OF AN UNFINISHED LIFE HISTORY
From the remote mountains of Algeria where he was born to Switzerland, where he lives today, Abdallah Nacereddine has spent his lifetime traveling and lived in many European countries, Asia and the U.S. His autobiography, To Be Oneself: The Tragicomedy of an Unfinished Life History (published by AuthorHouse), is sometimes sad, often funny, but always thought-provoking.
Written in two volumes, To Be Oneself begins
with the fascinating story of Nacereddine’s
childhood in a primitive society. Readers learn
what it was like to grow up in his well-to-do
religious family, the customs of the area and
Nacereddine’s schooling experiences. Although
he only spoke a regional dialect of
Berber until he was 13 years old, he learned
the Koran by heart in Arabic. He left home to
attend French primary school in a nearby village
and subsequently studied Arabic and Islamic
jurisprudence in the city of Constantine.
During his childhood, the Algerian War of Independence
broke out. Nacereddine recounts
how his family was involved in and affected
by the Franco-Algerian conflict.
Although Nacereddine planned to continue
his studies in Tunis, he was drafted into the Algerian
National Liberation Army and found
himself in a camp on the Tunisian-Algerian
border. He describes the brutality of life in the
camp, the end of the war and the situation in
Algeria in its aftermath. Later, Nacereddine details
his moves to Europe, Egypt and back to
Europe, where he began to explore philosophy
and publish his reflections on life.
Nacereddine then takes readers to the U.S.,
where he headed “seeking new horizons.”
There he taught himself English by reading
the Bible and experienced life in New York,
Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Monterey,
Calif. To Be Oneself provides an interesting
portrayal of life in the U.S. Muslim
community, as well as the author’s relations
with Christian communities and his adoption
into an American family.
But Nacereddine’s travels did not end there.
He next embarked on travels throughout
Asia, especially Japan, before finally settling
in Switzerland, where he taught Arabic and
even directed his own Institute for Arabic
Language Teaching in Geneva, Lausanne,
Bern and Zurich, while teaching at the United
Nations Office in Geneva for more than 20
years. In retirement, Nacereddine extended
his travels to Syria and Saudi Arabia and tells
of his experience participating in the pilgrimage
to Mecca.
Honest and eye-opening, To Be Oneself: The
Tragicomedy of an Unfinished Life History offers penetrating insight into human nature
throughout the world from both philosophical
and psychological points of view.
In addition to To Be Oneself, Abdallah
Nacereddine is the author of many textbooks
for the teaching of Arabic and several other
books, including Reflections and The East/the
West/the Arabs: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (in Arabic) (both published by AuthorHouse).
AuthorHouse is the premier book publisher for
emerging, self-published authors. For more
information, please visit
www.authorhouse.com.
