"Straker succeeds brilliantly in adding nuance and detail to our knowledge of the history of Guinea’s revolution.... 'Youth, Nationalism, and the Guinean Revolution' offer[s] historians and cultural critics alike provocative points of entry into a fascinating range of stories and meanings." —Mairi MacDonald, Universityof Toronto, African Studies Review, Vol. 52.3 Dec. 2009
"Jay Straker's book is part of a long overdue historical reconsideration of the first decade of African independence....Straker has written a vivid and powerfully optimistic work of compelling cultural history that is a welcome antidote to the pessimistic cynicism that pervades journalistic and scholarly accounts of African politics and nation building." —Timothy Parsons, Washington University, St. Louis, American Historical Review, April 2010
"Skillfully weaves together different accounts, perspectives, and voices to reveal a complex and nuanced story of a postcolonial African socialist state.... well conceived, analytically compelling, and elegantly written." —Mary Jo Arnoldi, Smithsonian Institution
"Jay Straker... presensts this compelling description of the Guinean revolution....Straker shows the intricacies of the young nation's politics. The book considers both the short- and long-term effects of the revolution and examines how visions of ideal youth were the true driving force behind Guinea's social and political revolution." —Mines Magazine, July 1, 2009
"[T]his book is an important one. It sheds light on the voices and perspectives of 'common' Guineans, and it brings the study of Guinea's history to a new and more nuanced level. It will be of general interest to those concerned with questions of nationalism, socialism, and youth in Africa and elsewhere, and it will also be of interest to those focusing on African cultural politics and postcolonial African states." —Emily Lynn Osborn, Universityof Chicago, African History, Vol. 50 2009
