Chin.EDU

Grit by Angela Duckworth
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A well-written book about passion and perseverance. Everyone always thinks that it takes talent to accomplish most things, but Angela Duckworth proved in this book that it takes effort and grit to succeed. That talent plays a little role in our success

The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control by Walter Mischel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of the few books that I have read that let the reader come to their own conclusion. Walter presented two sides of the bone of contention in the discussion of whether it’s nature or nurture.

There Was a Country: A Personal History of Biafra by Chinua Achebe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very narrative story about the Nigeria-Biafra civil war. A war that started because of a pogrom to the people from South-East Nigeria and because of the egos of two leaders. It showed how the world was watching while a lot of children died from starvation and kwashiorkor. The worst thing was that the British and Russian government picked a side to supply ammunition because of their selfish reasons. Being Nigerian and growing up there, nobody talked about the war not outside and not even in schools as part of history class. What happened is a shame

Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I would have given this book a 5 star if the book is only made of just his biography (where am coming from) and Life principles. Although the work principles section is not a bad read, it’s mainly a guideline to people who own/run a company and maybe managers which is about 10-20% of the population(You will learn to use probabilities in life principles). It is one of the books I have read in a long time that emphasizes being radically open-minded and understanding that people are wired differently. Ray did a great job approaching his principles from different perspectives; from the five-step process to second and third-order consequences and more

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you don’t believe in miracles, the last chapter of this book will make you think again. I re-lived my childhood in the pages of this book. It’s interesting the similarities of the culture in Nigeria and South Africa. The book got confusing at times since the stories and narrations weren’t in chronological order.

Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges by Amy Cuddy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A clear expansion of her TED talk. The first chapter started out a little slow and not engaging enough, making the book seem like a meditation book or something close to it of which it is not. I have practiced the poses on and off since I heard her TED talk in college and can notice my confidence level when I do. Overall, its a pretty good read and a lot of takeaways

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I totally agree with Bill Gates sentiments about the book… “One of the most important books I’ve read —an indispensable guide to thinking clearly about the world.” With so much negativity in the media and how each one is vying for our attention by feeding our fears. This book is a must read. The only downside is that I do not agree with his view that Cuba is a level 3 country. The country is progressing but to me, they are stuck in time because of the lack of assistance from the United States government.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It’s a fantastic read. The author showed everything about Steve Job, both the genius and madness. A chronological story of a man who is at the intersection of liberal arts and technology in the modern era. It helped set most of the stories about Jobs life straight, especially the one about him getting fired at Apple. He left. I used to not be a big fan of Apple products, but after reading about the passion and determination of Steve Jobs in the pages of this book. I have come to love the company and what it stands for. One of my favorite parts in the book is Bill Gates’ analogy when Steve Jobs was furious that Microsoft stole their GUI design.

Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Aziz caught my attention right on the get-go and also a lot of witty banter throughout the book. Although some of the findings presented in this book to me are common sense, it is good to see them in statistical form. I also enjoyed how He talked about dating life in America compared to places such as Argentina, France, and Japan. Many authors these days write books with what’s going on in America and forget that there is another world outside the United States. Overall, its a nice research on what romance looks like in the digital age.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s an interesting novel with a lot of wisdom nuggets from Mr. Finch to Scout and Jem. However, the first few pages and chapters were hard to follow. This book shows that nobody is born a racist. And most of our prejudices as children came from learning to people in our environment. I wish this novel had ended quite differently though. For instance, I want to know what happened to Mayella, did she finally tell the truth of what happened to her?

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Being an immigrant myself, I could relate with most things with regards to Ifemelu’s character. How she felt when she came to the United States and also when she moved back home. I think Chimamanda wrote about herself and journey to some extent in the character and mixed it up with fiction. The book also zooms in and out of the characters and the reader gets to know more about them and can connect with them. I definitely will recommend it.

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book showed how Biafra emerged and what happened to Biafrans during the Nigerian Civil war between 1967-1970. It is really an interesting and enlightening read. The author portrayed history using fictional characters. Some parts of the books were overly detailed and making it boring to read at times. However, the history behind the novel is very captivating, especially since I was born in the part of Nigeria formerly known as Biafra and I didn’t know the story of the war.

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very detailed, captivating, informing, emotional and inspirational book. One of the best autobiographies that I have read. Nelson sacrificed everything for the freedom of the blacks in South Africa. Many people want to send the white man into the sea or back home, he called for a united nation. He is one man I wish I could have dinner with at my house

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Hi, my name is Chinedu Okonkwo, my friends call me Chin or Chinny. I am one hundred percent made in Africa, but I currently reside in North Carolina, chasing the American dream and all the other good stuff. I am an avid traveler and reader. I current work as an IT Consultant. I spend more time on American airline planes and the Hilton hotels than I spend at home, so you can catch me in your city or a city near you.

My goal is to add as much value as I can to your world than you ever dreamed possible. I am trying to get focus on my craft in world that never stops talking. I hope you are inspired and encouraged in this blog. If you would like to connect with me you can find me on my social media by clicking the whichever social media icon on top of this page or shoot me an email.