Five essential books for 2018

I am always thrilled at the beginning of every year when new books begin to rear their heads and grab our attention. First I know it is the result of hard work for at least a year and secondly it is often the result of much thought, much planning and good research. I am a sucker for books berthing in the new year, they are fresh, driven and exciting books and they really are content worthy of interest. This is not to say that books not announced at the beginning of the year are not eyeball worthy. It is just that the beginning of the year often has a buzz that accompanies the books launched, announced or presented to us, publics. I have got my teeth into five of them and some, only in anticipation. Let us share five of the books that I am looking forward to reading quickly as the year unfolds. I can’t help myself. #excited to bits.

SPONSOR AD 1) My first recommendation is Dr Newton Jibunoh’s latest book, Hunger for Power, which was presented at his 80th birthday on January 3rd 2018. I first met Dr Jibunoh at the meeting of Abuja Green Society, a top level support group put together by a former Minister of the FCT who added me to that honorable group as member and Treasurer. To say it was a formidable group is an understatement. I truly do not know how I qualified. Chaired by the unflappable General TY Danjuma, Dr Jibunoh was Vice Chair and H.E. Mrs Ajoke Murtala Mohammed was member. Need I say more? Long after the committee ended its assignment, Dr Jibunoh has continued to treat me like a long lost younger sister. It is therefore such an incredible honor to have in my hands a lovely book, the latest work of such an important man in my hands. Autographed by the man himself, I have flipped through it and it is a mesmerizing read of a man who is described as adventurer, environmentalist and humanist. Having crossed the Sahara Desert by car twice, first in 1965 and a second time thirty-five years later. This book is not only about crossing the desert but about his life from when he was born. This is a heartwarming autobiography that everyone should read. The forward has been written by award winning novelist, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Here is a take home quote “Power is like fire, it can keep you warm and it can burn you. It can cook you a meal or raze your house. It can purify Gold or calcify a human being. Ensconced deep within its core are elements of good and evil. It all depends on the choices you make when you handle it.” This is a book as much about leadership, power, the people that defines Jibunoh’s journey as it is a book about Jibunoh’s life and family. A great book for helping you to define your life from a senior citizen who still has so much to give.

2) I am intrigued by the announcement of a most formidable book by two Nigerian girls to be presented in July 2018. I truly cannot wait to lay my hands on this book that honestly I may have written. Slay in your lane, the black girl bible by Yomi Adegoke and Elizabeth Ubviebinene, is a must have this year. The fact that it is to be released mid-year did not stop several publishers from fighting to win the bid. This is a book everyone must line up to get a copy of. Great book by two sisters.

3) This third recommendation, I have put out in this column before but this is a book that is for all seasons. The Pleasure of Reading, Edited by Antonia Fraser. Now out in a new cover design, hurry up and place one beside your bed. Great idea. 43 writers on the discovery of reading and the books that inspired them. This is a truly delicious book.

4) Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House is the latest book on Trump’s presidency and the most talked about. Michael Wolff has written a most controversial book about what goes on inside The Trump presidency with claims that he had spoken to several white house staffers who question the President’s mental state. This has upset the American President who has taken again to twitter to denounce both author and book, describing Bannon his former aide quoted in the book as out of his mind. This book is trending so much; bookshops are struggling to keep up sales. It has even led Melania Trump otherwise quiet in this presidency to have her office issue statements denouncing the content of the book. In the meantime, Steve Bannon has apologized and has had to resign from his current position of Executive Chairman of Breirbart News. Phew! What a book. Worthy of having, believe me! 

5) Black lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors has written a seminal book co-authored by Asha Bandele titled When they call you a Terrorist. This is a book about her journey in the movement, government surveillance and the struggle to stay afloat in the darkest hours and the sacrifice for standing up for one’s right. In an interview, Cullors says this is her gift for “… young black girls around the world “According to her …” those of us who have lived through state violence and over policing …it’s my offering to this generation to tell another story about black activists and the experience we had as children.” She adds it’s particularly for black girls who have witnessed family members die because of the war on drugs and incarceration. More disturbing is the story of government surveillance which she says is similar to the surveillance targeted at Martin Luther King and the fact that the FBI has tagged black lives matter members “black identity extremists” This is definitely a book to pick up for 2018.