Hi, its been a while, trust you are holding on, working and believing that this second part of the year will be greater than the first. For the benefit of those who are yet to buy my book but will buy eventually, this is a review of the book, just for you.
Author: Favour Erebosi
Reviewer: Emmanuel Effiong-Bright
The 156 page book - The man with a different spirit, defying the status quo written by Favour Erebosi, copyright 2011 and published by Fempact, is an instructional and inspirational body of work that aptly fits into the genre of self development. The subject matter rests on the need for change as a necessary cure for self-inflicted backwardness. The therapeutic possibilities inherent in this must read is evident in the beautiful cover, page texture, illustrative graphics and qualitatively researched content. The book bears the ISBN tag 978 978 912 8310.
The book, basically, introduces the reader to the latent and change ordering potential resident in him or her. It establishes in many contexts the paths and rewards of those who dare to make a difference in our world. The author’s audience would therefore include everyone; lower-class, middle-class, upper-class, students, employees, entrepreneurs etc. The author’s style though understandably formal has for the sake of its wide audience base, great fusions of buoyancy and breeziness. The writing style is highly coherent, fluid and concise. Though one would expect a great dose of lingo from the author’s industry, again her careful choice of words betray her effort and commitment to be understood by all. Her style therefore suits her audience.
A quick look at the table of content would show a sequence leading the reader to the ultimate goal of the book. Set in 11 chapters, its listing in proper order is:
- The making of a man
- Meet an overcomer
- Insanity redefined
- Anatomy of a man with a different spirit
- Speaking your way to the peak
- Choices and consequences: The Siamese twins
- Tomorrow is now
- The man with a different spirit
- You have no excuse
- The world waits to celebrate the man
- Take charge!
The making of a man 1
Seeks to establish the uniqueness of individuals and the creator’s expectations. This is well captured in Eleanor Powell’s quote, “What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to God”. In chapter one, the author strives and successfully establishes the transition from child to man and the power interactions that makes this possibility. In the chapter, the author amongst other ways shows how common adjectives and perceptions shape our personality.
Meet an over comer 2
Overcoming challenges is at the core of this chapter. Here the author enrolls in the school of thought that views challenges as an inevitable and fast-track dimension to growth. She extracts examples from the Holy Book to make her case. The reader would find interesting, The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary definition of the word ‘challenge’. OALD defines challenge as “a new or difficult task that tests somebody’s ability and skill.” She sums up the chapter with the ‘rise to fame story’ of Ibukun Awosika, Nigerias indefatigable business amazon.
Insanity redefined 3
“Have dominion and multiply the earth” Gods instruction to man takes a revelatory dimension in chapter 3 when the writer asserts it is the Creator’s way of encouraging his creation to defy status quo. It’s brilliant. The chapter attemps to link a thread in the characteristics of mad people and the sane who would rather stick to tradition than break out of the box. It encourages employees to help their organizations achieve against odds rather than complain about the things that don’t work. Obama’s intruiging life story finds a home in this chapter.
Anatomy of a man with a different spirit 4
Chapter four introduces the man with a different spirit as a dreamer. A catalogue of names both historical and present pegs this thought to the ground. Henry Ford and Joseph, the Bible character lead the list of dreamers. The author also declaratively makes a case for self definition and its impact on performance. She makes the reader to observe the fact that even the people we look up to as heroes, are only heroes because they overcame challenges. The chapter goes ahead to list attributes of the dreamer, among them, the fact that dreamers are not afraid of the unknown.
Speaking your way to the peak 5
If this chapter were to be summed up in one sentence, “a closed mouth is a closed destiny”, a quote attributed to Bishop David Oyedopo would be fitting. In this chapter we are encouraged to keep speaking until we see the reality of our words. These speeches or words, if you rather, should not be restricted to our persons but deliberately extended to our country of birth. Here, we are re-introduced to the second stanza of our national anthem –which is actually a prayer for the wellbeing of our nation, leaders and citizens. The power of thinking is given a good mention in this chapter.
Choices and consequences: The Siamese twins 6
It’s instructive to know or be reminded that the former president of the United States of America, Bill Clinton, would have been a jazz musician but for his chance meeting with John F. Kennedy. While not demeaning the importance of musicians in our society, this count introduces the reader to the importance of choices in life. “Choice is an everyday occurrence”, says the author, “from the time we wake up to the time we go back to the spot from which we awoke.” Not to be left in a pure state of motivation, the author goes ahead to list steps to maximizing our choices in life.
Tomorrow is now 7
The message of urgency rings aloud for all to hear in this chapter. Visualization is not enough we must follow through to implementation and on time, too.
The man with a different spirit 8
This is the heart of the subject. It is the nucleus from which the book derives its guts. Governor Babatunde Fashola and his achievements in Lagos State get a standing or do we say a reading ovation in this section. By doing the impossible, Fashola is honored with the tag, a man with a different spirit. Same goes for Stevie ‘the blind’ Wonder who still serenades our lives with hit tunes, the likes that have won him 30 U.S. top hits, 22 Grammy awards (a record for a solo artist) just to mention a few. Cosmos Maduka’s hilarious but serious life story, not less important, gives us a ‘local’ dimension to the man with a different spirit.
You have no excuse 9
The world waits to celebrate the man 10
Take charge 11
I crave your indulgence as I have taken the liberty to summarize and weave the titles of these three chapter into one sentence, one sentence I hope will remain in the hearts of all those who’ll read this book i.e.
“You have no excuse because the world earnestly waits to celebrate those that take charge”
Conclusion
In conclusion, I’ll like to say, even though I am privileged to be exposed to this kind of books by virtue of my profession, I am impressed by the author’s attention to researching the subject matter. I however must say that no book is ever in its perfect state, hence the need for further review by the author. When this is given its proper place, authors will attest to the fact that it births the second, third, fourth editions and so on. My advice to the brilliant author is same as I have offered over the years, a quote attributed to a great man, “the greatest room in the world is the room for improvement. It’s a great book, in my opinion, one worth reading. Thank you!
