Some of the most poignant stories ever told emanated from the Mother Country -- Africa! Tales abound of tribal intrigue, struggles for independence, Lost Boys finding their way, various stories of girls coming of age, from slavery to freedom...you name it, stories proliferate that has to be told. Such is the case with the three books I’m introducing in this latest installment of VERBATIM! They all have something in common -- journeys and pathways to empowerment. Look no further than here for three courageous people baring their souls from one continent to another.
Long Walk Up: Childhood Journey from Tragedy to Triumph by Denise Turney
First up is author, Denise Turney. Her story, LONG WALK UP is a young girl’s childhood journey from tragedy to triumph...albeit, about an orphan girl on her journey toward legitimacy from meager beginnings to that of the first Black president of an African nation! Though simplistic and short, it’s long on linguistic latitude with a remarkable sense of place, as well as profound knowledge of the ways and customs of the people that are adjuncts to the setting of the story. Reading the story it was hard to put down, and after embracing Mulukan and her ordeals traversing the countryside searching for identity you knew that destiny would draw her to her calling -- due diligence is like this when you’re persistant and your election and calling is made surest by being in the right place at the right time!
The book starts out moderately slow with emphasis on life among the village(s) throughout her nomadic life. Ironically, the travels only served to strengthen her resolve in allowing survival tactics to give insight to what it means to take advantage of time and place. She does this remarkedly at every turn, especially during her young adult years as a writer honing skills to become a distaff leader, which in my opinion was the turning point of the story. I loved this book, but like others I’m siure, they will want more of Mulukan.
This book is a winner, though! Read it, but get to know the author and her previous works. Denise is a mother and a founding member of Bucks County Pennsylvania's first African American owned and operated drug and alcohol intervention program - No Longer Bound. She is a former volunteer in Big Brothers/Big Sisters. She is an entrepreneur, a businesswoman and a civic and community volunteer. Her memberships include: The National Women's Executive Association, Black Women Entrepreneurs, The Philadelphia Writer's Organization, The International Black Writer's Organization, and The International Women's Writing Guild.
The Only Way Is Up by Folake Taylor, MD
Now comes Folake Taylor, MD in her true story about the journey of an immigrant, and she surmises by naming it THE ONLY WAY IS UP. I guess the best way to gauge her unique situation is from her viewpoint after being down if you can look up, you can get up! With only $300.00 dollars to embark on an ardous journey she parlayed it into a provocative success story. But what makes this story so prominent is the fact that there’s a message therein that the author adamantly conveyed throughout the book. The overriding theme in my opinion lent more to perseverance than any thing else. The author’s voice reverberated vociferously with it. To wit: “I would not have had much of a story to tell if I did not go through the hard times. Hard times makes us stronger and they make us the person we ultimately become. It also help in preparing us to be sensitive to other people who are going through similar situations, and to know exactly how to comfort and encourage them through it.” This, the author feels is the purpose of her book. As I read the book I was able to see intrinsically more profound homilies that all cn benefit from. There’s many other issues broached, self-esteem (and lack thereof), family values, inspirational fortitude where maintaining a relationship with God is all-important, and last but not least of all is the fact that principles are the only things that determine self-worth to garner success. Ms Taylor’s take on what it takes to succeed shouldn’t fall on deaf ears -- especially for women who may be beset with similar problematic issues she struggled with coming to America looking for a brighter sunrise and a more fullfilling sunset. The message to be gotten is -- it matters not whether you are from hither to yon there are directionals to your journey, with footsteps even, for you to follow!
Powder Neckace by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond gets to the hub of an enduring coming of age tale relative to the unusual title, POWDER NECKLACE and of her gripping narrative about a young girl’s survival amid the backdrop of crafting vivid portraits of dislocation and discovery. This is the story of 15 year-old Lila and her quest for identity and belonging. There have been quite a few poignant stories from the heartland written by people who felt a need to escape the dismal life stemming from years of colonial angst, abjack poverty, discrimination and various aspects of genocidal ill-will, health or otherwise. Albeit, this story is written with a different twist but with no less poigancy to illustrate an identity conveying alternatives and the austere diversity of a multicultural heritage on three geographical fronts. To wit: Lilia is shuttled amid trials and testimonies where vivid portrayals of a child’s untimely familial dislocations breeds ‘discovery’ at every interval -- from London, to Ghana, then on to New York and back to Ghana again! Her ordeal is one where she gives us graphic detail of how a young girl triumphs despite the odds against success written in the first person voice in an omniscient way. It’s a moderately moving pieces that gains momentum at each stage of the journey. The book explores the theory that “it takes time to live life.” In the beginning life in London is fast-paced with all the ills that an urban setting would give colors to paint with. Lila falls victim to bad influences and her mother sends her to Ghana at a boarding school. No less ideal with being a foreigner in the land of her mother’s birth, Lila is forced to adapt to the reality of a third world existence. If we don’t nothing else about this book we get the sense early that Lila is searching for ‘home’ and her mother with her quirky attitude seems to need help most. But where is home for Lila? Does she want to be the upstanding English girl or the exotic native girl from Ghana? The author clearly draws on her own American Ghanaian identity to dramatize the adverse conditions of the stereotypical African landscape and the rich diversity of a multicultural legacy.
I read this book with mixed emotions, and felt that it’s brilliant in parts, though not consistently outstanding in having a lasting impression of the heroine finally finding what is being sought. It gave the notion of being an unsettling drama clamoring for an encore in a subsequent book to come. With no clear ‘coming home’ the snapshopt get’s lost inthe bigger picture. To the author’s credit though, this open and honest first-person narrative had more memorable moments despite the less than superlative opinion given in the latter stages of this review.
The beauty of the prose and the resilience of the heroine make this a winning debut. I will close by saying that this is a compelling read that should garner quite a bit of attention for the author.
