By Coming to you with 2 new book reviews. With everything going on in life and the holiday season coming up, it only makes sense to consolidate these two reviews into one. If you aren’t privy to my book reviews yet, I give a brief summary about the book without providing any spoilers for anyone interested in reading it. My goal is to make everyone more aware of the great literature out there; sometimes you are more inclined to listen to a friend’s recommendation over an advertisement.
The Other Wes Moore: This is a quick read, and you can fit this book in your back pocket if need be. The author is Wes Moore, and I’m not sure if I can call this an autobiography. While it is true that Wes is writing about himself, he is also writing about his namesake who also was from Baltimore. Yep, two back boys raised in Baltimore City, holding the same first and last name but with different lives. This book tackles a subject many boys deal with: absentee fathers. It was therapeutic to hear what both characters had to go through being raised by a single mom. I was raised by an amazing woman, but if not for God, I don’t think I would have made a positive impact on my society.
Wes Moore hears about his namesake through the news; the other Wes Moore was wanted for murder. Upon realizing the name, he sought after the other Wes Moore in the prison system and became friends, while interviewing him for content of the book. This is a good read that teaches about responsibility/consequences, comradery, and inspiration. I thought it was cool of Wes to include a directory of organizations that impact children at the end of the book. This gives readers who were moved by the content an easy way to try and help their communities.
The Whisper of Fire: I got this book at an Igbo convention. I met Dr. Okoh and after telling him a little about myself, he recommended this book. I am someone detached from his home country; I haven’t gone back home to Nigeria since coming back in the early 2000’s. I am planning a trip back next year and love to read about life in Nigeria to reminisce on my childhood. This book delivered!
The book itself let me down as it seemed like it was written on printer paper. The type of paper I had in my dorm room printer lol. The book is about 2 male best friends who grew up in the village. 1 of them was the smartest in the village and the other walked in his shadow. “Jim and Ted” as they called them wanted to be successful and reach the top together, but the smart and comely Jim got the opportunity to go abroad to the U.K, separating the two. The book sheds light on the expectations placed on sons/daughters going abroad as well as the assimilation of foreign culture over tradition.
Long Live Tobe 