3 out of 4 stars
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Did you ever experience being so down and in need but the people like your nearest kin whom you were expecting to lift you up were the same people who made your situation worse? Did a stranger come to your aid instead? This book proves that there are angels within our midst in the guise of other human beings.
FRIENDSHIP: A True Story of Adventure, Goodwill, and Endurance by Francis Mandewah is a non-fiction story. As the title connotes, this is the life adventure of Francis Mandewah who is a native of Sierra Leone. The Republic of Sierra Leone is an African Country located in its Western part. It is a country which was rich in natural resources and minerals including diamond. It was one of Africa’s leading countries in diamond production. I felt obliged to give the readers a background about this country because it has something to do with the bittersweet memories of Francis.
After reading the first 30 pages of this book, I was having a second thought if I will finish it because the detailed narration and descriptions are dragging. Nonetheless, I decided to continue and finish the book.
Francis came from a very poor family. His mother was the only bread winner. Despite poverty, his mother inculcated the significance of education. Back in first-year high school, he stayed with his uncle Alfred who maltreated him. He had to do all the house chores and sell oranges. Because of poverty, he experienced discrimination from his classmates. He met Thomas Frederick Johnson who was also called Tom. This American pilot became his friend and benefactor.
What I like most about this story is the liberating information about Africa especially Sierra Leone. The author presented a background on the history of the country. He also narrated the events systematically. The grammatical error is minimal which do not hinder the reader from understanding the author's premise.
Francis’ zeal reminds me of Plato’s philosophy that at the end of the tunnel, there is light. This book is not just the story of Francis but the events he presented could also happen to any one of us. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars because it has some grammatical errors like redundancy. Example, when he said, “Tom gave me $300 in US currency”. He could have ended his sentence with $300. I recommend this book to everybody especially to those who are about to lose hope because of frustrations.
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FRIENDSHIP: A True Story of Adventure, Goodwill, and Endurance
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