By Imelda Eze

 

A renown award winning author and poet, O’star Eze, has launched an attack on the poor reading culture of Nigerian youths with a new book he released on Amazon recently.

 

The book titled, ‘Dad, after you left: memoirs of a fatherless child’, is presently being distributed to students in various schools across the country, which students form book clubs where they discuss the themes of the book and engage in debates, reviews and other creative projects that promote reading.

 

Speaking to newsmen recently, while establishing a book club in Aguata High School, Aguata, the author appreciated the well meaning Nigerians who have donated towards the ordering of the paperback copy of the book, ‘Dad, after you left” memoirs of a fatherless child.’

 

Eze disclosed that the book was his second published book, the first being a collection of poems with discussion aid questions titled, ‘Circles: for the love of wisdom’.

 

Speaking on what inspired the book, Eze said that the book was inspired by the wide acceptance and exciting ripples it generated when it was serialised on Orient Daily newspaper 5 years ago.

 

“I was asked to provide content for the page “Literature and Poetic License” on Orient Daily newspaper. I decided to start sharing some flashbacks I was getting of my bizarre childhood as a first son in a family where my father mysteriously left the house and disappeared into thin air. Immediately the first two series got on the public domain, I started receiving several reactions through email, phone calls and physical contacts. There were not all positive reactions though, but they were indications that the story stuck a cord in the human consciousness. I was convinced that it was meant to be told and a cerebral friend of mine, Dr Henry Duru, categorically told me to make it a book and here we are,” O’star Eze said.

 

On why he chose to donate the book for free to students and form book clubs with it, O’star Eze said, “I have always wanted to address the poor reading culture among our youths in this part of the world. I am a beneficiary of how books can fill in the gap in knowledge the absence of a proper role model creates, namely, a father. I am also a living witness to how reading can change one’s social status for the better. The book clubs are one of the ways I intend to help others partake in this grace of life called reading.”

 

O’star Eze appreciated Nze Chijioke Ezenwanwe for donating the 10 copies of the book used to start the Chijioke Ezenwanwe Book Club and enjoined other well to do Nigerians at home and in diaspora to be part of this project by contacting his team who will help them order copies of the book at subsidised rate and establish a unique kind of book club in any school of their choice.

 

According to the author; “This is a book that discusses the themes of orphans; man’s inhumanity to his fellow man; family; poverty in Africa; religion; puberty, writing therapy, to mention but a few. It is worth every kobo it is sold and should be in the hands of every young man or woman.”

Source: https://onavoice.com/2019/04/30/author-attacks-reading-culture-with-book/