Review of Endurance

Roy Nick · Post by **Roy Nick** » 18 May 2022, 09:47

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Endurance" by Roosevelt Overton.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Sometimes how life turns out is not up to you. Our bringing up was up to our parents/guardians; however, we define our destiny. Endurance by Roosevelt Overton is a memoir sharing the life the author went through. Living in the wrong streets of Chicago was not a walk in the park. Everyone was armed, and shootings and deaths were a common occurrence. His mummy and daddy had to move to Atlanta, but not for long.

The author’s father indulged in bloody money in partnership with the former’s aunt. Not long, the aunt gets murdered, and things take a wild turnabout. Mummy and daddy split, and the former took the kids and moved from place to place before getting a job and ultimately getting their home. Years passed, and the author indulged in drug dealings. With such involvements, killings and jail time become inevitable.

One thing I enjoyed was the message of hope. Despite all the illegal happenings, the narrator is still optimistic he will fulfill his goals. Some of the things the author exposed about his life demanded courage. He discusses his private life blatantly, intending to transform someone’s life or inspire them.

As the title suggests, the whole story is based on perseverance. The author’s family had to survive and overcome challenge after challenge. Sometimes it is hard to imagine what a mother can do to keep her kids safe. I encountered instances where the author’s mother and aunt had to use weaponry as a self-defense mechanism because of the rough neighborhood. In addition, moving from one place to the other had the author changing schools. I can imagine those transitions were not easy.

I did not enjoy how there were numerous initials I did not grasp. In addition, some colloquial words were new to me, so I had to surf for their meanings. The book’s language is informal; as such, numerous wrong tenses and vulgarity are to be expected. So, that was just it— its nature! Even so, the work requires professional editing. In this instance, the errors do not include the wrong tenses and informal words the author employed but rather missing punctuation marks, among other grammatical flaws. For these reasons, I award the volume 3 out of 4 stars.

With illegal dealings, especially by people of color, police brutality is to be expected. There were instances of legal injustices based on race. I recommend the book to anyone looking to read a memoir about hope and fortitude.

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Endurance
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Adaeze Joan · Post by **Adaeze Joan** » 20 May 2022, 12:42

The title of this book is what I find more compelling. Though I don't find memoirs entertaining, I feel this book has a lot to offer it's readers. Thanks for the review.

Blessing E · Post by **Blessing E** » 21 May 2022, 14:12

This is an engaging review. I understand the concepts explored in this book. Well done on a nice review

Ifesi · Post by **Ifesi** » 22 May 2022, 01:47

This review sounds interesting. Thanks for an honest review. Looking forward to reading this book.

Uwe Neufeld · Post by **Uwe Neufeld** » 22 May 2022, 01:59

This is not romantic, though it might be fascinating reading about it: the daily struggle to live, to survive. Danger lurks behind each corner.
Great review!

ellimctreph · Post by **ellimctreph** » 22 May 2022, 04:22

This sounds like a really heavy book, but extremely fascinating at the same time. I can't imagine the daily struggle.

nwankwo chibuchi · Post by **nwankwo chibuchi** » 23 May 2022, 07:05

The author really had it rough as a child. That's similar to the experience of a lot of people around the world, and I believe we can all pick lessons on how to continue to navigate through life from the pages of this book. brilliant review. Well done.