Furnace of Life: from Nigeria to America is a very good read and will keep you curious, laughing at times, and wondering what will happen next. It is a tool that will get the conversation going, bringing to light childhood and adulthood struggles that we (parents and children) too often keep quiet about due to fear or shame. It provides workable solutions and will influence lives. Furnace of Life: from Nigeria to America:
1. Details my life experiences in Lagos Island (Lagos, Nigeria) and in United States of America, from primary and secondary school to high school, college life, and professional life
2. Asks honest questions regarding faith, God, government, career, relationship, intimacy, and exposes a clever system of inequality
3. Details my failures, common to both males and females, triumphs, how to handle rejections and failures, and why they are a foundation for any level of success
4. Shows my love for both Nigeria (country of birth) and its culture, my love for United States of America, the good-bad-ugly conditions in both countries, and ideas on how to engender a community to help make people's lives a little bit better.
There was a point I really did not want to continue writing this book, but my heart could not rest. Days, weeks, months, even years went by with the book on pause due to challenges at my job, life, and faith. However, I constantly get reminded by an inner voice that I need to finish this book. It is meant to be written. When I resumed writing, peace resumed within me. There were times when I questioned why am I putting my life and experiences out in the public's eye? Even a friend asked if I am concerned about what people will think of me and how the world will view my family and relatives. Even prior to the question, I thought about those things and they kept me from wanting to finish the book. However, the unrest I experienced while the book was on hold was stronger. The Furnace of Life: from Nigeria to America is not an experience to be ashamed of. It is actually the opposite. It is how young men and young women can overcome the odds and do successful things in life, despite the circumstances of where you came from, where you currently are, many challenges you may face or have faced, or what happened in your life. The book is God inspired. It is a story that required me to be very transparent, honest, and candid about my life. It matters not if some people look down on me or think negative of me. What matters is that I obeyed God (Yahweh, Allah). Usually, the ones who do great things in life and positively impact other lives, whether in areas of engineering, technology, medicine, sport, research study, music, movie, art, business, love, are not limited by what people will think. They dare to shatter the box of fear that keeps too many from fulfilling their purpose in life and being truly joyful and happy. To truly make an impact on this earth, it requires honesty, hard work ethic, and an authentic spirit. No one is perfect and I believe real changes and good solutions to most of the problems on this earth will only occur when we start being honest with each other in words and actions. A real person is more relatable in the eyes of the majority. It pays to be real (honest) in a world full of deception and deceivers who claim to be good, but are nothing but pretenders. You will love reading this book, no matter your background.
