Official Review: The Audacity Of Destiny by Chuks I. Ndukwe

[mmm17]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Audacity Of Destiny" by Chuks I. Ndukwe.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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The Audacity of Destiny, a non-fiction book written by Chuks Ikebie Ndukwe, tells the author’s life story. He claims that “…when viewed through the narrow lenses of the written work or categories of literary genre, it is a personal memoir. But as the title suggests, it’s more than that.” In fact, in addition to narrating his journey as an underprivileged Nigerian boy who came to be an accomplished engineer in America, the author provides a list of motivational takeaways at the end of each chapter.

Ndukwe begins with a detailed account of his difficult childhood years in Nigeria. He tells readers how his interest in school, coupled with incentives from his family and teachers, led him to be a distinguished student. Ultimately, with the help of the Nigerian government, he goes to the United States to attend college. After receiving an engineering degree from an American university, he gets good jobs and builds a successful life. He then begins to suffer a few setbacks, but no spoilers are allowed!

In my opinion, the narrative resembled a report, for it focused on the chronological recounting of facts. I would say it is more similar to an autobiography than a memoir. The author recounts in minor detail his life's experiences as he goes through childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Ndukwe enumerates every single job he had, and he also describes what he did in each one, including technical characteristics and jargon. Many dialogues felt repetitive and tedious to me.

To sum things up, I found the book overly detailed and slow-paced. I had a bit of a hard time getting through its more than 400 pages. Additionally, even though it is an endearing and noteworthy story, the writing style seemed rather trivial and bland. I don’t mean to downplay the value of the author’s journey – quite the contrary. What I disliked about this book was not the story, but its rendition. It feels more like a journal – a straightforward description of facts – than a cohesive, nuanced narrative.

Lastly, I found numerous editing errors in the book, which appeared to be far from its most polished form. For this reason, and also for the previously mentioned shortcomings, I am taking two stars away from the rating. Therefore, I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. I believe it could appeal to readers interested in comprehensive, extensive life accounts. Readers who prefer less detailed memoirs might not like it.

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The Audacity Of Destiny
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[Ngozi Onyibor]

I appreciate your honest review. I find overly descriptive books tortuous to read, so I will stay away from this one.

[kandscreeley]

Well, I appreciate that the author worked his way into a good job. It's nice, even, that he provides takeaways for others. The slow nature of the book, though, would definitely make it harder for me to get through. Thanks for the review, though.

[LeeleeByoma]

Slow-paced books are a form of torture for me. The title doesn't sound like it has much correlation with the content you described. Or is that just me? Thanks for the review though. I believe I'll pass.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

It sounds like it could be quite interesting had the author changed the way of recounting events. Thanks for the honest review!

[kdstrack]

This certainly sounds like someone living the American dream. While the story of his childhood in Nigeria sounds interesting, like you say, it doesn't balance out with the remaining pages in this overly long tome. Your review is very interesting and informative. Thanks.

[Magnify3]

I find it encouraging that the author made a success of his life. I wish that I could read the motivational takeaways. Thanks for the review.

[mmm17]

I appreciate your honest review. I find overly descriptive books tortuous to read, so I will stay away from this one.

I agree! Thank you for your comments!

[Wambui-nj]

I would love to read his life story. Great review.