"A Man of the People" by Chinua Achebe

While driving back from Texas, I was reading Chinua Achebe's novel, "A Man of the People." This spark of interest in Achebe's writing came from remembering "Things Fall Apart" for which I read earlier as a teenager.  The main character, Odili Samalu, a teacher began to believe that his former teacher Chief Nanga (corrupt member of the cabinet) no longer cared for him or his people  for which he was governing over. 

Odili decided to do something about it, and revenge is what he took over Chief Nanga. Odili enters politics and campaigns against Nanga. Odili believed that Nanga was a leader that took whatever he wanted and cherished the moment of being a leader, and not necessarily leadership itself, and Odili proves how much sacrifice and hard work it takes to be a real leader.

          At the gym, I am reminded time, and time again, of this idea of taking responsibility for one's own actions and it comes to me in the weirdest types of ways. It reminds me of the preserverance I had to take in pursuing the Lazy Man's Triathlon at the YMCA gym.  And it reminds me of how many times I didn't want to go to an event, but showed up anyway for the experience and for the Hope that by showing up, I am taking an opportunity that will give me leadership skills. 

"Links" by Nuruddin Farah

My newest novel "The Links" by Nuruddin Farah, is the story of a girl who is kidnapped in worn-torn Somalia.  The kidnapped girl has a special talent, in that she can get people to stop fighting and the fact that this character is kidnapped is all the more reason one will try and rescue her....

I enjoyed the car rides and the imagery of Somalia that the writer, Farah, describes.  This country has an underlying theme and that is "to live with fear is an absolute disgrace"

The book, has some horrors that makes you think of Somalia in the extreme.  It has vultures, that feed on the decease, it has dilapidated cars, and buildings, little boy soldiers who kill for the game of killing. But overall, the novel is one to think of as amazing. The main character Jeebleh, a middle-aged Somalian leaves his family in New York to return to  20 years to return to civil war–torn Mogadishu to help save a young girl, and his feats are tremendous.