"Scotty had achieved the great American dream by every stretch of the imagination. His was a story of rags to riches, and he was quick to lift others up by his kind words and financial assistance."
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The Capstone Saga by Walter Efe Tete Trafford Publishing
book review by Karyn Saemann
The Biblical notion of the last becoming first is everything as Tete chronicles the tumultuous life of a Nigerian American. The story begins with Scotty Stone's birth into a powerful yet chaotic family in Nigeria. It follows his up and downs as he relocates to the United States and ultimately returns to his home country as a high-ranking political official. Tete's writing is clean and structured. He does a great job of sticking to his Biblical premise; over and over, Scotty's life trajectory sinks to the lowest of lows, only to soar again to the highest of heights. There are moral lessons aplenty. When he rises anew, Scotty remembers what it was like to be downtrodden and reaches out to help the less fortunate.
The Capstone Saga could have been improved with an infusion of dialogue; save for one brief outburst from a secondary character, the entire book is straight third person narrative with no quotes. Some dialogue might have added drama and humanity, or at least broken up the text. Also, while it's commendable that Tete stuck fast to his Biblical premise, the book might have felt more realistic if Scotty's highs and lows were not always so precipitous. Particularly in the final chapters, his personal, business, philanthropic, and political achievements are sometimes so astounding that they stretch the bounds of believability. Overall, however, a good writer and an enjoyable read. Anticipating the planned sequel.