Review and Giveaway: A Worthy Legacy

Author: Tomi Akinyanmi

Publisher: Tommie Books, 2008

Genre: Non-fiction, Inspirational (?)

Trade paperback. 101 pages

From the author's website:

The Harmattan wind scorches across Nigeria, and an old man lies dying. His community gathers to pay its respects; their haunting songs echoing in the warm twilight. Around his bed his family is gathered and they listen as he speaks his last words. Yet in the face of death this old man doesn't talk of regrets, neither does he talk of petty grievances, instead he talks softly about life; how to survive, how to be happy and how to achieve self-respect.

My Thoughts:

This book is a beautiful tribute to Tomi's GrandPa, the inspiration and speaker of this book. In his last hours, he passed on the knowledge he gained of the world and how one should conduct oneself with respect to themselves as well as others. The topics GrandPa spoke about cover just about anything you could think of: secrets for happiness, using one's own initiative, tough times, and character just to name a few.

One of my favorites is On Using Our Initiative:

"Know this: that you needn't wait for others to try out something new in
which you believe. Be the very first at anything you can, and do not let
frustrations or defeats hinder you; only then will you have a sense of
accomplishment." pg. 36.

Truth be told, I could have quoted the whole book. I liked and believe everything I read. Seeing these simple thoughts of wisdom in print help to remind me what kind of person I should be: good, kind, friendly, and true to oneself, but not to the detriment of others. The fact that Tomi received this knowledge or lesson from her GrandPa only makes it that much more sentimental and inspirational.

This book was a delightful read and something I will definitely pull out and read whenever I'm feeling sad or discouraged. It was like a little pick me up and reminder on what life is all about. Again, this isn't my normal genre of book that I read, but this one was different. It was short, sweet, and to the point. GrandPa left Tomi a wonderful gift and I think she has utilized it well. I thank her for sharing her this gift.

My Rating: 95/10

Giveaway Scoop:

Does this sound like a book you would like to read? If so, Tomi has given me permission to giveaway one copy of her delightful book. The rules for this giveaway are as follows:

Deadline for entry is midnight, EST on Saturday, July 18th.

Leave a comment on this post with your email address.

Open to residents of U.S and Canada, but no P.O. Boxes please.

A big thank you to Tomi for sending me this book to review. I really enjoyed it and plan on reading it again.