Crossing the Hurdles

The man who achieves great victory in the battle of life is usually the man whose hope is always alive. In the life of such a man, what stops others does not stop him; we do not need physical weapons to survive and to overcome various challenges life poses at us. What we need is to develop a large heart; a heart that has closed its doors against every form of doubts, a heart that knows nothing but victory. This is the type of heart Madueke displays in this novel, crossing the Hurdles. Madueke, as we see in this novel, has crossed many rivers and climbed many mountains but his doggedness got him to his promised land.
Right from the womb, his battle started. His protracted stay in the womb is believed to be an attack on his destiny. He has been initiated into the village masquerade cult right from his early age. Life keeps tossing him about even as he sees himself as a servant in Lagos. Luck runs against him as his master drives him away after few years of service to him; coupled with several accusations and terminal sicknesses he has been battling with. Nobody believes he could survive in life but Divinity saves him from his impending death.
Though all forces seem to have fought against him, the several new steps he has taken has made him conquer what he could not conquer yesterday. The novel is an inspiring work written from a pseudo-autobiographical perspective whose simple stirring story is a celebration of perseverance, doggedness and focus. It is built on actual episodes and experiences of the author especially during his youthful formation. Presented in fine prose, this piece of writing provides a whole lot of insights and moral lessons in navigating through the world full of mishaps and uncertainties. It is, indeed, a stimulating story told in simple but arresting language to hold the reader in suspense from the beginning to the end.