“Where the Children Take Us” by Zain E. Asher
Where the Children Take Us: How One Family Achieved the Unimaginable by CNN anchor Zain Asher tells the story of her mother Obiajulu, a Nigerian immigrant and widow who worked tirelessly to educate her four children while living in a poor and dangerous London neighborhood.
By the time Ms. Asher became a teenager, Obiajulu was determined to see her attend Oxford University, an ultimately successful endeavor. Her siblings excelled, too: one brother won best actor for his role in “12 Years a Slave.” Another brother is a business entrepreneur and her sister a physician.
Obiajulu obtained her secondary education during the Biafran conflict, attending makeshift schools during the harrowing years of Nigerian civil war. To call her approach to parenting and education “tough love” would be a massive understatement.
It’s a thoroughly encouraging story of a strong and determined woman who resolutely refused to let her family be defined by tragedy, mistreatment, and violence. Where the Children Take Us is the most inspiring book I have read in a long time.
Posted in Book Reviews
