 |
This volume explores the mind and body questions addressed by French philosopher René Descartes in the seventeenth century: “How are mental states related to the physical states? The immaterial to the material? The invisible to the visible?” The narrative contains a “story within a story” as it follows Ben—a first-generation immigrant from West Africa and a great admirer of French philosophers—as he ultimately embraces the American Dream.
It is unclear how much of Ben’s tale is biographically influenced by Zanou’s life and how much is fiction, but it is a detailed journey with many twists and turns. Articulately written, it has the drawback of an abundance of “telling” and not nearly enough “showing” from a storytelling perspective. However, Ben’s life is highly entertaining and thought-provoking, not only because he’s mentally astute but because he’s also materially gifted with many opportunities in his homeland of Togo and abroad. Though he withdraws from both his early university education in France and a military career, his mind and spirit remain fertile and active while he continues his quest to understand the meaning of life. He finally takes a job as a dockyard master at the Port of Lomé. He is simultaneously inspired to begin a ministry, soon rejecting that path because of his propensity to balance spiritual philosophy with scientific reason. He once again avoids a career commitment and embraces life as a new immigrant to America instead.
The author's book is a fascinating read, even though the whirling smorgasbord of ideas may be too much to take in at one sitting. The strength of Zanou’s narrative lies in the fascinating mixture of his West African cultural roots and his embrace of Western philosophical ideals, tempered by American capitalistic individualism and braced with a dash of New Age spirituality.