Overview

In this book, Elephants, the Grass, and a Teacher, Dr. Egbe presents a masterful rendition of his experiences during the Nigeria / Biafra War. Though the book is a captivating rendition of Dr. Egbe's personal and family experiences, it is equally a masterpiece of integrative analysis of personal experiences within a complex conundrum of national events, the history and experiences of the Igbos within domestic and global politics. The book begins with Dr. Egbe's rueful soliloquy one day after the war ended where he lamented that after all the bloodshed, the suffering of the masses, the war ended uneventfully as if it was all about a masquerade spectacle. For, in the end, the people who died during the war were the poor farmers in the villages, the common laborers, and the market traders in the urban areas. Those who died of starvation were the poor malnourished children of low-income villagers. Dr. Egbe presents several harrowing experiences and close calls with the annihilation of his family. The Elephants represent the privileged, the Grass the Masses, and the Teacher represented his father (a celebrated teacher) who, both by his presence and even in his absence, saved and shielded the family from annihilation. For example, after Dr. Egbe's siblings and their mother were tied up to be executed by Nigerian soldiers in early May 1969, one of the soldiers discovered a photograph in which their dad was pictured with the very battalion commander who had sent them to go and arrest the entire family. Moreover, one of the division commanders in the war was also in that same picture. Another hallmark of Dr. Egbe's book is the objectivity of his analysis. Dr. Egbe challenges each side in the conflict to appreciate the other side's legitimate grievances. The author calls on the Igbos to be more realistic about how much diplomatic support they should have expected from outsiders, and questions the grudge that the Igbos held against Awolowo.

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9781970109764

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A must-read for those intending to understand the intrigues, actions, especially from the Nigerian side as well as the personal interest of the key players. I recommend the book for school libraries, individuals, and those intending to further research works. Commander Ochiabuto Igbokwe, Nigerian Navy rtd I believe that this book will serve the need of future generations who would wish to know the truth about the civil war, the Professor who wishes to educate his students from the perspective of historical facts, and a reader seeking knowledge about the great Igbo race.- Lawrence Nwagbara, Houston, Texas the USA Egbe's Elephants, The Grass, and a Teacher could be classified as historical war writing infused with informed analysis. His analysis positions him as a teacher reminding the citizens of the evils and fruitlessness of war. - Augustine Okereke, Ph.D., Professor of English at Medgar Evers College & Formerly Provost & Sr. Vice President, Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York (CUNY)

Author Information

Dr. Chinyere Emmanuel Egbe is a native of Ovim in Abia State of Nigeria. He is the son of Mazi Pliny Abel Igwe Egbe and Anna Nnenna Egbe of Amaeke Ovim. Dr. Egbe began his education in Umuahia where he attended primary school at the Methodist Central School in Amawom Oboro and later at the Government Secondary School in Owerre (The OGSSIAN) where he completed his secondary school after a two-year disruption due to the Nigerian civil war (1967 - 1970). After secondary school in December 1971, Dr. Egbe attended the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu (1972 - 1974) and briefly the University of Nigeria from 1974 - 1975. In January 1976, Dr. Egbe departed to the United States and was educated at the University of Tulsa, in Oklahoma where he graduated BS in Business in 1977 and MBA in 1979 specializing in business quantitative methods. Later Dr. Egbe attended Washington State University in Pullman, Washington and graduated with a MA (1983) and a PhD in Economics, specializing in econometrics (1984).Dr. Chinyere Emmanuel Egbe is an economist and currently a tenured full professor of Business at Medgar Evers College (CUNY) where he has taught business statistics and finance since 1989. Dr. Egbe is also a consortial faculty of the City University of New York School of Professional Studies (SPS). At the SPS, Dr. Egbe teaches Business Mathematics and provides services that contribute to curriculum development, curriculum review and governance.

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