A poor boy growing up in Nigeria in the late 1950s aspires to change his fate in this emotive memoir. In 2007, the author, on the verge of homelessness after losing his job during the economic downturn, prayed for guidance and gradually recalled his long-ago Nigerian childhood. He provides a rare glimpse into daily life in a West African country where as a boy he excelled on his exams each year, always striving for first place. When two electrical engineers from the US visited his class, making a simple demonstration of how electricity produces light, the boy was so enthralled that he yelled out twice, “I want to be an electrical engineer!” His family was so poor it seemed unlikely he would even go to high school, but with high grades and obvious determination, he attracted teachers and then employers who helped him move up. He achieved a college-level education and became an electrical engineer almost miraculously, overcoming numerous adversities such as a serious illness, resentful workmates, a country at war, and a family torn apart.

Ndukwe writes competently, at times poetically, of his African youth and of being affected by customs such as voodoo, appeasement of gods after bad weather, and a strict school system that eliminated children each year through a rigorous examination system. He candidly recalls the first time he saw a train (having no idea what it was), his first ride in a car, and the poignancy of assisting with Nigerian death rituals for a baby sister. The inclusion of a glossary of Igbo vocabulary as well as some of his country’s modern history serves to enrich his memorable tale. Ndukwe indicates that the memories so vividly transcribed in his book helped him see a divine hand at work in his life, leading him to write them in hopes of inspiring others.

RECOMMENDED by the US Review

Return to USR Home