Akshata Jaiswal

Chioma Okereke, a Nigerian writer, and poetess have made quite a debut with her book ‘Bitter leaf’ in the year 2010. The book takes you into a fictional world of Mannobe village that is rich in its African culture and natural resources. The village is beautifully portrayed with its equally colorful people who enjoy Monnobe life to their fullest. The book revolves around the lives of its characters such as Babylon who is a gifted musician and crush of every young woman except the city return Jericho, who has Babylon under her beauty spell. The twin sisters, Mabel and Melle Codon, whose lives have taken very different turns, Magdalena, daughter of Mabel, who tries to get over her love for Babylon and Allegory, the old wise man who sticks to what tradition demands. The web of these relationships gets intertwined, Mannobe people have a new fight awaiting their village gates – the modern development. Chioma Okereke uses a poetic tone to draft her first novel ‘Bitter Leaf’ which talks about love, loss, friendship, parental bonds and relationships, and the bittersweet life.

If you have that one person in your life who always nags you down from achieving something, no matter in family or friends, or friends of your parents. Then you have ‘Anu Aunty’ in your life, just like the author Varun Agarwal had. Besides being the author of a national bestseller, Varun is a filmmaker and a proud Indian entrepreneur who co-founded three companies. Published in 2012, ‘How I braved Anu aunty and co-founded a million-dollar company’ is an inspiring narration of his struggle and how he braved all the odds to realize his dream of being an entrepreneur. The story starts with the introduction of Anu aunty and how easily she manages to get on the nerves of his mother. She is that kind of acid aunt who always advocates her views in your family matters, applauds only her children, and disapproves of anything that is beyond the social norm. In short, she is of no help! Despite all the hammering, Varun decides to follow his heart and believes in his dreams. He works hard to turn his venture from just a business idea into a million-dollar company. The book is just not filled with advice for all the young entrepreneurs but is disarmingly funny and entertaining. Written in simple English, the story can easily be comprehended by everyone, especially youngsters who are determined to make it on their own.

I had read ‘The Pilgrimage’ by Paulo Coelho before, so I quite knew what reading ‘The Alchemist’ would be. It would include a journey and talk about spirituality. But Paulo Coelho made sure to make this particular book not just a journey of his but of every individual who dares to dream. It is an engaging fable about finding the purpose in life and following your destiny. The book was initially written and published in the Portuguese language. Soon it became an international hit and was translated into more than 70 languages. The story starts in Spain with a shepherd boy named Santiago, who always wanted to travel the world. He keeps getting a recurring dream about a treasure lying in the pyramids of Eygpt and decides to embark on the journey. Though Paulo meant a literal treasure in the book, it’s a metaphor for finding the true happiness of life. The novel continues with a beautiful narration about how the boy manages to cross the Mediterranean and Sahara desert to follow his destiny. The book speaks about his encounters with other characters and what he experiences throughout the journey. The book is a bundle of optimism, motivating readers to follow what their heart desires. It gives a message that no matter how challenging the path to follow your dream can be, the result is a great sense of euphoria. The question is, will you dare to start?