Book Reviews: ‘We Can’t Breathe’ by Olusola Sophia Anyanwu

Today I’m pleased to bring you my review of ‘We Can’t Breathe‘ by Olusola Sophia Anyanwu. I’ve read a few of Sophia’s books now and she gives us a vivid insight into many aspects of life and experience from within an African point of view. She is herself, besides being an incredibly prolific author, an enthusiastic encourager of other authors, and a faithful and consistent commenter on blogs. A blessing from Sophia on Facebook at the beginning of the month can really uplift me!

This latest book of Sophia’s is very thought-provoking. If any of us have thought that during our childhood and early adolescence we missed out on opportunities which would have taken us much further, or we were held back by negative self-limiting beliefs, or we were denied respect and encouragement by those who failed to see our true potential… we can read Sophia’s book, and consider how it must have felt to be a highly intelligent black child in a school in 1960s USA, a school defined by low expectations – simply because of the colour of your skin.

AUTHOR BIO

Olusola Sophia Anyanwu is British Nigerian. She started her early and middle education at Ibadan and completed her higher education at University of Ife, (now Obafemi Awolowo University) where she studied Education in English. She served her National Youth Service at Markurdi in Benue State. She taught English and Literature for 20 years in a federal grammar school for girls in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. She relocated to the UK in 2003 and continued as an Educationist in primary and secondary schools. She has been blessed with a great and wonderful family – she’s an active grandmother to seven grandchildren when not writing – and she lives in South East London.

Sophia is a multi-genre writer and poet. She is, amongst many other writing groups and organisations, a member of the Association of Christian Writers, Society of Authors, Black Authors Network, Alliance of Independent Authors, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She is also a member of Emmanuel Baptist Church Thamesmead. She can be found on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and has her own website.

Sophia is a reviewer, encourager and believes in inspiring people through her writing to love God and derive encouragement. As a multi genre writer and poet, Sophia is able to find something for everyone: children’s stories, romance, historical fiction, adventure, women fiction, Christian fiction, assorted poetry, biblical fiction, fantasy and a host more.

She enjoys playing board games, admiring the beauty of nature, writing stories, poetry and baby – sitting her grandchildren. She has published seventeen books so far, and currently plans to add to her collection of over 100 poems.

In her own words, “writing is an art that demands patience, practice, prayers and perfection. It is great for the mind. The ability to create words that come to life in various forms, or getting into the minds of different characters is amazing. It is like playing God in your own world!”

MY REVIEW

This is a book which opens up for the reader one aspect of how it felt to be a Black American in the 1960s – near the end of which decade the tragic murder of Martin Luther King took place. When you read this you understand just a little more of the huge injustice black people suffered in the USA at that time – and of course continue to suffer in various places around the world today.

The death of King on 4 April 1968 must have been a devastating blow to their hopes for freedom and new life in the days and weeks following his assassination, and indeed unleashed a wave of outrage and violence. Nevertheless few could have predicted how his “I have a dream” speech would reverberate around the world, gain power, and become iconic in our psyche, and in our consciences. You cannot kill an idea by killing the person who holds it. And life is much better now for African Americans.

Set in Detroit, Michigan, USA, in 1967 when overt segregation was practised, this book tells us of highly intelligent 13 year old Ngozi. She has Nigerian roots through her father, but she identifies as a Black American from Georgia. She is in a school which has the reputation of being for “under-achievers” and has a majority of black pupils: Ngozi is brilliant and bored. The College she should really be at is mainly for white pupils and has very high fees. It seems totally out of her grasp.

As Ngozi relates her school life, awareness of racism creeps in, as seen in the behaviour of certain teachers. She’s in trouble for inattention and daydreaming in class: but this is the least of her problems, as her work is unfairly criticised and given low marks. Meanwhile, on a wider political level, the author notes that in Detroit violent riots broke out on 2 February 1967, ignited by the inferior education of the ‘black underclass’ as in South Africa. Black Americans also experienced the mentality of apartheid on public buses. The only redeeming factor of this school life for Ngozi is her two close friends Bella and Pam, whom she would hate to be parted from.

Ngozi’s aunt, Ruth, is the young girl’s confidante – she calls Ngozi by her “full name”, Marsha Lynne, which is what her mother calls her when she has something serious to discuss. Ngozi’s innocence is broken when she learns of the full horror of the history of racism in the USA.  Her mother and grandmother are both a force to be reckoned with, have high hopes for her future; and have determined that they will challenge the system on her behalf. So they rally the family in this cause and together they all confront the school head and call him out for racial prejudice.

The outcome of this, and whether Ngozi ever gets the opportunity to fulfil all her mother’s and grandmother’s hopes for her, form the essence of this story, holding out hope for the future when black people will breathe freely with no fear of oppression and discrimination.

You can find Sophia through her website and by subscribing to her YouTube channel. You can also follow her on all social media here.

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