My 2021 in books.

Finally found a use for this shot :). Location: Budapest

Welcome to volume 4. Reading is one of my ‘me-time’ must-dos. I started the year with the goal of reading 3 books a month. I was on a roll and then the second half of 2021 happened and there was just no time… I managed to enjoy and ‘tuck-in’ a few.. some not so much but I’m not one for not completing a book I start to read so I read them still.

Here’s my 2021 in books

1. Love is a damn good business[Steve Farber]: I enjoyed this book because it’s a great balance against the extreme argument that leaders and managers must be tough and not treat people as people and the other side that advocates coddling employees. I recommend this very practical management book for managers and people who lead others. Rating: 3.5/5
2. Daddy’s Little Girl[Orode Uduaghan]: a book that I should have finished in one sitting but didn’t as I tried hard to ignore the errors. I did look past it and as a book it’s rough around the edges but contains gems of the love of Jesus through the writer’s personal experiences of going through a bad marriage, a divorce, being a single parent, and getting weaned off wealthy parents. Rating: 2.5/5
3. The Power of thanksgiving[Ben Akabueze]: Read this book at a time I needed the prompt to be grateful. This book reminded me to always remember what God has done even when things don’t go my way. I was reminded that God is not capable of evil and the more I thank God, the greater peace I feel. On a lighter note, the book highlighted the difference in the types of prayers we pray living in Nigeria versus when we are abroad. Rating 3/5
4. Robot proof recruiter [ Katrina Collier]: I was gifted this book and read it to brush up on my recruitment skills. The book made a very strong case for companies to hire underrepresented groups to widen their talent pool and also emphasised why recruiters should be very human in their interaction with candidates(a skill greatly lacking today). Con for me was it was too tech-specific. If you are in HR and you need to be reminded why you should treat candidates right (even if you don’t :) pick this up. Rating 3/5
5. Nigerian Soldiers of Fortune- Abacha& Obasanjo years: [Max Siollun]: This book was ‘sweet’ and took me back to 1993- 1999. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and even did a series on my WhatsApp status. I loved the author’s tribute to his father. Reinforced my belief that one should write things down. Especially for leaders- what was your thought process when you decided to do X rather than Y? Some of the ‘gists’ I heard growing up turned out to be true. The book raised questions in my mind like why do Yorubas still regard Akintola as a traitor? Why do we ‘inherit’ the politics of our parents? Why does Nigerian history portray Muritala Mohammed as a hero? Why do we forget that history repeats itself?- the initial adoration of Abacha when he got into power, what he turned out to be and the same experience with Buhari. Obasanjo and his letter-writing.. he has always been a letter writer. Nigeria’s love for strong men. Where are Frank Omenka, Sgt Rogers, and will Al Mustapha be finally whitewashed? Will Zakari Biu ever account for his role in the Abacha regime in 1995- 98 and his BH sympathies? Will journalists ever stop ‘disappearing’?. Rating 4.5/5
6. Fighting corruption is dangerous [Ngozi Okonjo Iweala]: I am NOI stan and I admire her brilliance. A teeny-weeny regret I have is not taking a photo with her in 2014. Her memoir of her time as Minister of Finance under GEJ is another example of why leaders should write (sidebar- why is there no account by Gen. Gowon on the war?). The book showed that truly GEJ had a communication problem and propaganda is a powerful tool. Her disconnect with him was quite obvious. I wondered: what could she have done for better access? If the ex-govs with hindsight wish they’d saved more? Why politicians don’t just do the right thing? Is there any due diligence on the things the president approves? Several events narrated in the book and the ease at which leaders can be ‘scammed’ by foreigners and people with access reminds me of stories from this present Buhari administration and how things go to the highest bidder and the more recent event where 2 white men without any connections traveled all the way from the US through a couple of African countries and ended up meeting Ghana’s VP. Give it the discounting you want but it’s a great perspective on the GEJ years and can be read alongside Bolaji Abdulahi’s On a platter of Gold. Rating 4/5
7. Eureka [Peter Jones]: Read this one for its historical value on the Greek and Roman empires. Quite a good read on early empires, the development of writing, men and the gods, and several myths that have stayed with us. The writing correlated some Bible events and though it’s not a spiritual book, it helped put some context in the New Testament for me especially the traveling Paul and the disciples did. Was reminded again that there is nothing new under the sun and all these vices Conservatives are up in arms against are not new and was sort of the norm (well according to the writer). That Bible verse on reprobate minds became so clear. I’m big on documenting and the Greeks did us all a favour compiling and listing stuff. Interesting that Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Alexander the Great, Ptolemy Julius Caesar all preceded Jesus. My question at the end of the book was so did Jesus have to learn history? Rating 3/5
8. A long way home [Ishmael Beah]: My memory earliest memories of Sierra-Leone was the overthrow of Johnny Koroma in 1997 (or so)and then watching blood diamonds. Ishmael’s account of his experience was really sad. All I could think about was how needless i. e the war was and how fortunate he was to survive. The crimes committed against him and what he and other young boys did to others justice- justice for him, justice for The sadness and grief he must have felt at almost being reunited with his family but that never happened. It is a distressing read and if you have no appetite for sad news and events, don’t touch it. Rating 3.5/5.
9. The Dutch House [Ann Patchet]: This was my first fiction book this year and it was really gripping. Superb writing, the characters were real and alive! My Nigerian sense was surprised that inheritance wars is not just an African thing. How people reach for what they thought they lost. Cyril and Danny following the same paths — just like his mum didn’t like the Dutch house, Celeste didn’t like the house he got for them. May turning out almost like Maeve. Great to see their sibling bond wasn’t broken and for some reason, though Maeve gave him her all, I believe she had a fulfilled life- which is what matters. Rating 4/5.
10. Fervent [Priscilla Shirer]: I sat on this book for 1 year *facepalm*. The key takeaway is the importance of prayer and being very sensitive to identify who the real enemy is. Giving it a 2.5/5 as the language was over the top
11. Blood, Sweat, and Steel: Frontline Accounts from the Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq [Peter Darman]: reading the stories of officers- Iraqi, American and British (men and women) who participated in the gulf and 9/11 wars made for a sad reading with a touch of positive highlights. For different sets of officers both in the 90s (the gulf war) and 2000s (the Afghan wars), history repeated itself and it read like a never-ending circle. The actions from the gulf war link to 9/11 and the Afghan war. As I finished this book, the Taliban took over Afghanistan and I wondered was the last 30 years a waste? How are these officers who have lost mates, limbs, eyes, who suffer trauma, and who have had to be discharged from their roles feeling? Rating 3.8/5
12. A promised land[Barack Obama]: Think West Wing but book version. The accounts seemed unreal and I like how he recognised the impact of the opportunities he took. The book takes us through his family life and politics from state senate to presidency. I had a lot of omo*1000 moments. There’s the school of thought that Obama didn’t do enough and didn’t stand up enough. This book in my mind explains why. I could also see how Obama’s views on race would differ from a ‘full’ black American. I do wish he’d stood up for some of his friends that got canceled and the establishment showed him and cleared his rose coloured expectations. I expected volume 2 to come correct as this has. Rating 4.2/5
13. Beyond my dreams [Olajumoke Adenowo]: Started this book before D.O passed and was enjoying it but didn’t pick it up till a few weeks later. The romance is quite stirring and I will call it a good Christian romance novel that reminded me that God does and can be involved in intimate relationships with a background of Nigeria’s political context. Rating: 3.5/5
14. The Gambler How Penniless Dropout Kirk Kerkorian Became the Greatest Deal Maker in Capitalist History [William C. Rempel]: a Twitter recommendation that ended up being a good read. For someone, the author only met through other books written on the subject, court records, and accounts by close associates, the book is detailed and in-depth writing. The subject seemed unreal — like how does one reconcile nice Kirk with the ruthlessness of the corporate world and how did Lisa Bonder almost get away with murder? The book is full of high praises of the subject. He seemed one-dimensional for most of the book though it later notes some of his flaws. I’d have like to know how Kirk saved up to buy that first plane that changed everything. [side bar: the author has a gripe with Trump and though I agree with his sentiments, Trump didn’t even need to feature in the book]. The short chapters and the titling make for an interesting read it’s another 3.8/5 for me.
15. The Existential Questions the uncomfortable facts confronting Nigeria after a 60-year journey[Oluseun Onigbinde]: Reading this book and realising that projects, policies, changes that were associated with the magical year 2000, vision 2020, or the numerous national plans that have not seen the light of day is SOBERING. That most Nigerian states are not viable bothers me and I liked how this is discussed in the book. I remembered the announcement of the additional 6 states in 1996 and to my mind can’t point to what these states have achieved yet the National Assembly is considering 20 additional states. The book had me nodding along with the issues raised. My best questions were 17- Employee and employer rights. 26- prolonged firm leadership? Singapore that was cited has an underbelly of mistreatment of the lower classes, Rwanda’s peace and progress seem (I may be wrong) so fragile and may be shattered post-Kagame. 32- ease of political participation and the giveaway culture to win seats! All on point. A recommended read for those interested in Nigerian affairs. Rating 3.8/5
16. Range Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World [David Epstein]: Another recommendation. At first, it read like a Gladwell book but it’s quite different. The author’s case for transferable skills and knowing everything as opposed to specialising without knocking specialists came across clearly. Call it confirmation bias but I agreed with most of the book. I liked how at the end of every chapter, he wrapped up with a personal story of how that chapter/theme of the chapter related to him. Gems in the book for me were: ‘ knowledge is a double-edged sword. It allows you to do some things, but it also makes you blind to other things that you could do’. Also the quote from Smithies- ‘I try to teach people, don’t end up a clone of your thesis adviser Take your skills to a place that’s not doing the same sort of thing. Take your skills and apply them to a new problem, or take your problem and try completely new skills’. I may be reaching but I think I have an explanation for why kids these days are so smart. Rating 3.8/5
17. Why we get the wrong politicians [Isabel Hardman]. I ploughed through this book🙃. I enjoy reading politics but there was something about the writing. The book is a critique of the UK’s parliamentary system. It showed how this current system can’t deliver greater good for the public. The events in the past months- the sewage bill that was just passed, Owen Paterson, and IPSA buttressed the author’s points. I also know why I may not sign any future change petitions. Good reading to understand the current system and politics. It’s a 2.8/5 for me
18. Formation: The Making of Nigeria from Jihad to Amalgamation [Feyi Fawehinmi and Fola Fagbule]: the beginning of the book was very interesting and I quickly got into it but this phrase- ‘a story/ person we will come to later’ or later in the story- confused me a lot and I found myself bookmarking and scrolling back and forth. This distracted me from the reading experience for me. It was all over the place. That said, It is a VERY WELL researched book and holds in one place Nigeria’s pre-colonial history. The authors did a great job of piecing everything together and if you are light on Nigeria’s history and early relations with Britain, it’s a good place to start. It’s a 3.7/5 for me
19. Far from the madding crowd [Thomas Hardy]: ended the year with a classic. Found it a quite refreshing read- in the sense that his previous books I have read were mandatory reading(Literature-in-English). I loved the agency and status Bathseba was given as a character and how she was equal to men in the book. The themes (my literature is showing hehe) in the book, love, and betrayal, fate (and lack of communication!) similar to his other books but in this case, all’s well that ends well. Rating 4/5

That’s it folks. Number of carryovers- 3. Will I do better in 2022? Let’s see. See you Dec 31, 2022 par la grace de Dieu.

Side bar: Rating/ 5 : based on depth, lessons learned, how long it took me to read, did I keep reading or I dropped it to be picked up later?, the number of my “oh my goodness’’ “omo” [oh-no, Aha] moments.