Books of hope
It is that time of the year when the ember months are upon us when we look back and take stock of our achievements and challenges in the last half of the year, when we stand on an imagined mountain and look down at the world and ask ourselves whether we have done well. It is time to take stock before the end of 2015 and dream large for the next year. But it’s also that time in our national life when we ask how can we make Nigeria better? What part can I play? Where did we go wrong? How did I contribute? Unfortunately it is also a reality that some tragedies have befallen us as a nation; air crashes and boat mishaps. While we mourn, the world watches in horror as humanity drowns in oceans larger than life and a little boy, sneakers and all, is washed ashore face down in what has to be the most haunting image ever since the migrant crisis deepened across the world. Where are you on the world radar? Are you seeking for the fruit of the womb? Is your boss a bully who indignifies you at all turns because of his own inadequacies or because he is just a meanie?is your wife a difficult woman? Is your husband a wife beater? Did you fail an exam? All these things pale to nothing compared to a man who paid 5,000 Euros to human traffickers and lost his wife and two children in the Mediterranean Sea. The man is the father of the little boy washed ashore. The picture of his son has become the symbol of inhumanity in what will become the world’s greatest modern day tragedy yet. Race is also a big issue in the US today. If you don’t live it, you don’t know it. Tough stories across the world. Hope is an uncommon feeling but it’s the only thing we have to hold unto, to make sense of the world today. In the midst of pain, hope can be elusive but has to be found; for survival, for overcoming, for staying strong. No matter where you are or what your pain is, hope is more important than ever before. Hold on. Here are books to help you hold firm.
(1) Hope on a Tight Rope: by Cornel West. This book is making its second entry on this page because well, the killing of black young men in the US almost randomly has again thrown up the age-old racial question. The mantra and slogan “Black lives matter’’ is so profound that we must all mouth it and believe it. To be black like most people in Nigeria still brings its own challenges, ethnicity, religion and all other forms of division. How tough can it be if you are black in a country where whites feel self-entitled and discrimination based on race is an everyday affair? The beautiful poetic words of philosopher, teacher and race expert give new dimensions and perspectives to the race question and give a no-nonsense education on race. A worthy and delightful book, full of courage.
(4) Women of Courage by Katherine Martin. This is the umpteenth time this book is making it on this page because it is just the kind of book that rises to the occasion each time. It’s difficult to ignore a book in times of depression which shows you a man who came to symbolize heroes for everyone, the much loved George Reeves, who played the leading role for the movie SUPERMAN and became paralyzed after a tragic accident. We felt the pain for him and his family. His wife looked after him, and looked after him to our great admiration. After he died we mourned with her, and then wished her a really good life for her sacrifice. Then she dies of cancer. You think you are going through a lot, read women of courage and get your groove back. Suffering looked at from a different window can be strengthening. Hold on.
(3) Success Magazine: This magazine gives tips to all those who feel that success has eluded them and need just the right words or the right ways to move ahead. It is here you read about significant others who have made their mark from starting small and going global. You learn that there may be a better way than the way you have been managing yourself or your business.
(5) Chicken Soup for Grieving Souls: by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. This is my go-to book when there is inexplicable loss and too much grieving. The book that understands your tears and brings you to laughter when your heart is heavy. Stories of grief to uplift you. A book for all those who have lost loved ones and are in that place where they believe they will never recover. Stories to inspire you, hold your hand and give you hope. An excellent book. Bonus books (1) Biographies (2) Book of World Editors by Mike Awoyinfa, who concluded a book that his late friend Dimgba Igwe and he started before he died.