BOOK OF THE WEEK: PEARL IN THE SAND by TESSA AFSHAR

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BOOK OF THE WEEK: SEASON OF CRIMSON BLOSSOMS by ABUBAKAR ADAM IBRAHIM

Hello people.

Months ago, I stumbled upon an online article highlighting Nigerian authors and publishers making a mark on the international scene.

I must confess that I was a bit surprised when I read the article. Hitherto, I assumed Chimamanda Adiche the only contemporary Nigerian author who was well known internationally, in addition to authors like Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Buchi Emecheta, and a few others. Now here was this foreign article educating me on other award winning authors and their publishers. I became eager to read the books by these authors after that.

Imagine my surprise months after when, on browsing through author tabs on the Okadabooks app, I saw one of the award winning books, Season of Crimson Blossoms, by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim. 

After reading Season of Crimson Blossoms, it was easy to see why it won the 2016 Nigerian Prize for Literature. There are just two words to describe it: Authentically African. 

Set in the Northern part of Nigeria, the book’s plot centres around Hajiiya Binta Zubairu, a 55-year old widowed grandmother who carries on a secret affair with 25-year old Hassan ‘Reza’ Babale.

Whatever is hidden will eventually come to light, however, and when Hajiya's suitor, Mallam Haruna, and her first son, Alhaji Munkaila, discover the affair, what results is a cataclysmic ending the reader will not see coming.

I love the fact that Abubakar remained true to his roots in this book. Not much is known about the North apart from its ethnic conflicts, tribal wars and Boko Haram menace. Movies which would have educated people about that part of Nigeria are usually done in the Hausa language, and how many Nigerians are interested in seeing a movie they can understand only by reading the subtitles? Fortunately, with this book, Abubakar has given his readers a peek into the life of the average Northerner; a peek I certainly enjoyed taking.

I also find his use of metaphors to be quite brilliant; I mean, who can read this opening sentence and not be captivated by it?

“Hajiya Binta Zubairu was finally born at fifty-five when a dark-lipped rogue with short, spiky, hair....scaled her fence and landed, boots and all, into the puddle that was her heart.”

Brilliant, isn't it?

There is a lot of reminiscing in the book, however, which slows down its pace quite a bit. Also, I must confess that at a point, I found the character Reza's habit of saying ‘You understand,’ a bit of a distraction especially in the opening chapters. 

Overall, the various scenes in the book came together quite nicely, and I daresay anyone who enjoys Chimamanda's novels will like reading this book.

Recommended for ages fifteen and above.

BOOK OF THE WEEK: THE BADASS GIRL'S GUIDE BY C.J SCARLET

Hello people.

In the past, it was not uncommon to hear statements like, “If you don’t want to be sexually assaulted, make sure you dress well. Don’t wear short skirts or dresses with plunging necklines and don’t flirt with men,” etcetera.  

Two things happened, however, to put paid to that line of reasoning. First, research based on available data revealed that sexual assault was not limited to women who dressed provocatively or engaged in flirtatious behaviour. Conservative women also reported cases of sexual assault.

Second,  women’s rights groups insisted on the right of women to dress as they pleased without fear of molestation, and the onus fell on men to keep their hands,[if not their eyes] to themselves.

This point has been a bone of contention in many sexual assault cases. Does a woman’s choice of outfit or social behaviour determine if she gets assaulted or not? Assuming it does, why are there cases of sexual assault even in places where women wear burqas?

 These are tough questions indeed, but whatever the case may be, this week's book by C.J Scarlet titled The Badass Girl’s Guide; Uncommon Strategies to Outwit Predators, contains practical tips for outwitting sexual predators.

In this guidebook, C.J discusses myths and facts about sexual assault and describes the types of predators. She also highlights five possible responses to sexual assault; Freeze, Fawn, Comply, Flee or Fight and is careful to point out how each can be used to advantage.

Reading this book for me was like inhaling fresh air; in fact at a point I found myself exhaling. At last! Here’s someone who is real and not idealistic. No locker room advice is given here [‘carry pepper spray in your bag at all times’], rather, readers are treated to sound advice such as the role of intuition and situational awareness in preventing sexual assault, as well as tips for outsmarting a would-be predator.

I recommend this book to all women; it is worth having and worth keeping. 

BOOK OF THE WEEK: ROYALTY BY BOLATITO IDAKULA

Hello people.

At some point in my life I had two acquaintances with pronunciation issues. One had a habit of exchanging 'ch' sounds with 'sh', e.g pronouncing ‘China’ as ‘Shina.’ The other had the problem of lambdacism; thus it was common to hear words like lamp and lamb being pronounced as ramp and ramb.

 I must admit that sometimes I did find these pronunciations hilarious, and more than once I was tempted to utter some witty remark concerning their tongues. However, after reading this week’s book, Royalty, by Bolatito Idakula [daughter of politician Rashid Ladoja and wife of musician Bez Idakula],  I must say I'm glad I kept my mouth shut on those occasions.

Royalty is a memoir detailing Bolatito's life as a politician’s daughter in a polygamous home, her struggle with low self esteem and the loss of a child, as well as her journey to wholeness.

In the book, she describes the less-than-cordial relationship between her parents and its effect on her when she eventually moved in with her father and stepmothers. She also shares her struggle with low self esteem and describes the grief she felt on losing her child. 

One thing is for sure: a person cannot read this poignant book and remain unaffected by it. The book captures the effect of polygamous home on children and makes one aware of just how much insensitivity can hurt.  It also emphasizes the need for care when dealing with children and teenagers, as one careless word or action could mar them for life. 

Fortunately, the book is not all sorrow . There are points where readers catch a glimpse of sunlight; a ray of hope even in the midst of the storm. Bolatito does not neglect to mention the love story between herself and her husband; musician Bez Idakula, which I believe some readers may be dying to know. She also explains how she eventually found peace in her reconnection to God.

Many, especially women, will find Bolatito's testimony inspiring. It can be downloaded for free via the Okadabooks app.

Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: THE STRAWBERRY STARTUP by MOSES LIM

Book of the week: The Strawberry Startup by Moses Lim. Click on the link below to read details:


Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: THE STRAWBERRY STARTUP by MOSES LIM: Hello people. Sometime around 2007, there was a major shakeup in the Nigerian banking industry, which saw some founders like Ernest Aki...

BOOK OF THE WEEK: DE-ESCALATE: HOW TO CALM AN ANGRY PERSON IN NINETY SECONDS OR LESS BY DOUGLAS NOLL

Hello people.

Have you ever found yourself trying to calm an angry person only to get angry in the process; further escalating the tension? I certainly have.

This week’s book, De-escalate, deals with the subject of anger. Written by Douglas Noll, the book teaches techniques for dealing with angry people without losing control of oneself.

In the introductory chapter, Douglas Noll asserts that the ideas in the book, if practised, will help readers deal effectively with angry individuals. He also identifies some ‘deadly sins’ which affect our ability to successfully calm an angry individual; for example, the ‘sin’ of emotional invalidation.

Douglas then educates readers on anger-defusing skills such as Affect Labelling, Peace Circle Model, etc. He describes Affect Labelling as the process of listening to another person's emotional experience and reflecting back those emotions in short, simple "You" statements. 

One major point Doug makes, however, is that for de-escalation skills to work, individuals must learn to keep their emotions in check. Without this ability, it will be difficult to handle conflict successfully. Using various scenarios, he describes how the skills can be used with young children, teenagers, spouses, friends, co-workers and bosses. 

Here's an example from the book on anger defusion using Affect Labelling:

Husband: “Would you stop that…texting and pay attention to me for once?”

Wife:[Affect Labelling] “You’re frustrated.”

Husband: “Yeah. Everytime we go out to dinner, you pull out your phone and start texting your friends. It pisses me off.”

Wife: “You’re angry and frustrated and feel disrespected.”

Husband: “Damn right I do.”

Wife: “You don’t feel loved or appreciated. You feel invisible and unworthy.”

Husband: “Yeah.”

Hmmm. I felt a bit skeptical when I read this scenario, as well as some other scenarios described in the book. I don't know, but this just seems to be too good to be true. How many people out there can successfully manage to keep their emotions in check? A more probable scenario might be something like this:

Husband: “Would you stop that…texting and pay attention to me for once?”

Wife:  [still fiddling with phone] “Okay.”

Five minutes later…

Wife: “So what were you saying again?”

Husband remains silent for the rest of the day.

OR…

Husband: “Would you stop that…texting and pay attention to me for once?”

Wife: “What do you mean? Don’t I have the right to send messages to whoever I want to send messages to?”

Husband: “Everytime we go out to dinner, you pull out your phone and start texting your friends. It pisses me off.”

Wife: “Well, I’m sorry that you feel that way, but you’ll just have to learn to live with it.”

  I must admit that I found Affect Labelling, a bit too formulaic, bearing in mind the fact that humans are complex and very unpredictable. I certainly intend to try it out though; if some mortals have used the technique and found it helpful, then there's no harm in trying it out. Hopefully, all I need is practice???

Overall, despite the fact that a few ideas might seem a bit lofty, there are many useful ideas for anger de-escalation contained in the book. Teachers, counsellors and workers in prison systems will definitely find this book useful in the practice of their profession.  

Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: BOOK OF THE WEEK: GET SMARTER MARKETING by JILL BR...

Book of the week:
Welcome to Lauretta Ani's Blog: BOOK OF THE WEEK: GET SMARTER MARKETING by JILL BR...: Hello people. Years ago, I was at an event where a speaker was scheduled to give a motivational speech to young, budding entrepreneur...