Day 214 - A Worthy Legacy

A Worthy Legacy

Tomi Akinyanmi

Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone

Release Date: October 2008

Publisher: Tommie Books

Pages: 101 pages

My Rating: 3.75/5

Synopsis [from tommiebooks.com]:

Amid the hustle of the modern world, a young girl goes to the village of her family and finds herself learning a valuable lesson about the value of life and love in, A Worthy Legacy the first book from author Tomi Akinyanmi After making the departure from the hustle and technology of the modern world, Tomi finds herself making a journey into her past as she returns to her village, to join her family at her grandfather's deathbed. As she and the rest of her family say their goodbyes, Tomi's grandfather shares with them the secrets of his long life and passes on to them what he has learned about living life, rather than merely surviving it.

But as time passes, Tomi finds herself with the challenge of living up to her grandfather's words in her everyday life. Can Tomi find the connection between her grandfather's inspirational words spoken in his simple village context and apply these ideals in the hurried pace of her world?

‘A Worthy Legacy’ is a book far greater than its sum of parts; a moral guide that does not preach or command, but simply presents a code for life with a confidence and credibility that allows the reader to relate to and apply its philosophies. This author takes her readers on a journey of discovery and they both learn the secrets to happiness, love and fulfillment of dreams which is grandpa’s very worthy legacy.

Review:

This is a story based on real life events. Tomi (aka Ibitomilade) writes of a young girl returning to her village in Nigeria. It is here where she will join her family and friends to say goodbye to her beloved grandfather. On his deathbed, her grandfather has no possessions or gifts to pass on to his loved ones. But he does have some words of wisdom he wants to share. Simple but heartful messages that he hopes will leave a lasting impression on those he loves the most.

Tomi then goes on to remember a secret journal she had kept with her grandfather. I think this is where his true wisdom shines. His words are not really groundbreaking or thoughts of a genius. I've actually heard or read a lot of his advice before in many different places. But the simplicity of his words were still powerful. The beautiful and poetic writing had an honesty that was easily shining through.

I've heard that sometimes big things come in tiny packages and I think this is an excellent example. Coming in a little over 100 pages, I think the beauty of these words will surprise you. The chosen font along with some of Tomi's own artwork, provides a peaceful atmosphere that doesn't feel preachy in the least. I recommend everyone pick this up and savor the words from a character that lived life to the fullest.

I want to leave you all with a quote from the book that I thought was so simple that I had a 'duh' moment. But it still left a lasting impression from me. I think everyone should remember these words:

++++

"Never forget this, my girl, life is nothing but a gift, and it should be treated as such." (93)

++++

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Please stay tuned for an interview with Tomi that will be posted very shortly!

Head on over to the next few stops on her blog tour to see what others thought of A Worthy Legacy...

A Circle of Books
Peeking Between The Pages
Reading Frenzy