The Colonel and I: My Life with Gaddafi by Daad Sharab
Published by Pen And Sword on the 18th October 2021.
How I got this book:
Received a review copy from the publisher via
NetGalley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Colonel and I: My Life with Gaddafi is the inside story of the extraordinary world of Libya’s fallen dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.
For almost half his 42-year reign Daad Sharab was his trusted trouble shooter and confidante – the only outsider to be admitted to his inner circle. Down the years many have written about Gaddafi, but none has been so close.
Now, a decade after the violent death of ‘The Colonel’, she gives a unique insight into the character of a man of many contradictions: tyrant, hero, terrorist, freedom fighter, womaniser, father figure. Her account is packed with fascinating anecdotes and revelations which show Gaddafi in a surprising new light.
Daad witnessed the ruthlessness of a flawed leader who is blamed for ordering the Lockerbie bombing, and she became the go-between for the only man convicted of the atrocity. She does not seek to sugar-coat Gaddafi’s legacy, preferring readers to judge for themselves, but also observed a hidden, more humane side. The leader was a troubled father and compassionate statesman who kept sight of his humble Bedouin roots, and was capable of great acts of generosity.
The author also pulls no punches about how Western politicians, such as Tony Blair, George Bush and Hillary Clinton, shamelessly wooed his oil-rich regime.
Despite her warnings the dictator was ultimately consumed by megalomania and Daad was caught up in his dramatic fall. Falsely accused by Gaddafi’s notorious secret service of being both The Colonel’s mistress and a spy, her story ends in betrayal and imprisonment. Caught up in the Arab Spring uprising, she faced a fight for life as bombs rained down on Libya.
I was not familiar with Daad Sharab name prior to spotting her memoir, The Colonel And I, for review on NetGalley. I chose to read this book both to find out more about Libya and Colonel Gaddafi himself, and to learn about Daad Sharab's mould-breaking career as a highly successful businesswoman in the Arab world. I was delighted to find that it delivers on all counts allowing readers an insiders' view into a super-rich way of life that often left almost me openmouthed at its decadence - and at Sharab's blithe acceptance of such luxury as 'normal'. Sharab comes across as a strong, dedicated woman whose ability to see and grasp opportunity set her in good stead to have a high-flying career and to succeed within it. She is such an interesting person to spend time with and I fully appreciated her perceptive anecdotes.
While the media fed Western audiences an oversimplified view of Libya and Gaddafi for years, Sharab's experiences go some way towards refuting that two-dimensional 'Gaddafi = bad' narrative. Sharab focuses on his work for women's rights within Libya. I didn't know that he championed education for girls and women, for example. She also, however, discusses his increasing meglomania, especially as his attempts to position Libya on a pan-African and global stage are thwarted. I wouldn't say that Gaddafi comes out of this book well, but Sharab's rounded portrait of the man as she saw him felt a lot more real than the impression of him I had previously held. The Colonel And I makes no pretences to excuse or justify the negative aspects of Gaddafi's reign, but it does make him human and demonstrates that, in lots of ways, he was remarkably similar to other leaders who villainised him.
