"...and if all the cab drivers have your spirit in dealing with people; the world would be a better place."
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Tear Drops by Gideon Mekwunye Trafford Publishing
book review by RJM Terrado
This is the life story of Chiwenke, a Nigerian immigrant to the United States. The book details his difficult childhood in Lagos due to poverty and his struggles to live the American Dream. It touches Chiwenke's failed marriages, his religious practices, and his pursuits to earn a decent living and higher education that culminates with his citizenship. The story is very engaging. It uses unadorned language to convey the intricacies of immigration and poverty and religious and non-religious passages. It's characterization of Chiwenke, and his brutally honest approach to life is fascinating and informative.
WIthin this story, Mekwunye suffuses a significant aspect of immigration: labor. He affirms that immigrants are hard workers and are dedicated to their jobs. While some immigrants are subject to low-wage employments due to low level of education, he is optimistic that it will be temporary as they pursue higher education and improve their economic situations and understanding of the United States system. All of these expressions of optimism are blended seamlessly within each chapter of the book.
Tear Drops provides an ample supply of laughter, as well as certain cultural values about Nigerian-Americans. Featured are the tensions between reality and aspiration, memory and loss, and religious and secular rituals. Chiwenke's characterization and travails represent all of them. In a work that is so imbued with spiritual and practical wisdom, the story can be a source of encouragement time and again. After reading the book, readers will have a much better appreciation of a uniquely American mantra hard-working immigrants work for—the American Dream.