Official Review: The Mission to End Slavery

[Sam Ibeh]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Mission to End Slavery" by Denis Olasehinde Akinmolasire.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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If you had the opportunity to go back in time and change something, what would that be? For Femi Adebayo, it was to end slavery, or better put, stop it before it even started. The Mission to End Slavery by Denis Olasehinde Akinmolasire is the story of Femi's travels back in time to nip slavery in the bud.

Femi was a young man who grew up in a London community that treated blacks as second-class citizens. He usually hung out in Akinjade's barbershop where heated discussions on the rights of black people took a greater part of the discourse. One day, he got an offer from Mr. Diggity to go back in time and stop the problem. He refused initially, dismissing it as insane. But an attack that left her sister fighting for her life was enough to make him take Mr. Diggity up on his offer. The details of his time travel, missions, and the outcome are recorded in the pages of The Mission to End Slavery.

I’ve never read a book of over 300 pages in one sitting. I either read it in chunks of 100 pages, or I took breaks after a couple of chapters. This was the first time a book this long kept me at my table from the beginning to the end. Thanks to the exquisite and excellent storytelling ability of the author, I achieved this feat. He served it hot from the first page. His attention to detail was impeccable. He did a great job developing this story to become more engaging as you read down. He arranged the story and his thoughts to flow seamlessly. I didn’t need to go back to previous pages to understand what I was reading at any point. The story was progressive, engaging, and exciting. I could read this book a thousand times and would never get enough of it.

What I liked most about the book was the way the author allowed himself to explore various themes while keeping me focused on the original plot. The different themes he touched were culture, science (time travel), slavery, and a little bit of romance. It was glaring that the author did thorough research on the different cultures that were mentioned in this book. A good example is the culture of the Yoruba tribe in Western Africa. The author did well to make the characters blend perfectly into these cultures in lifestyle, accent, and interaction. I also liked the way the author subtly infused a brief romantic stint somewhere in the book. Though it took a very small part of the plot, it was a good way to add a little spice to the story.

Beyond the awesome story, there was an important lesson this book brought to my remembrance: “Things don’t always pan out the way we imagined them. For every choice we make, there’s either a reward or a consequence that follows.” Though the author didn’t make it obvious, I saw this lesson pop up in Femi’s adventures.

There was nothing I disliked about this book. This is one of the most interesting books I’ve read. Though I saw a few errors in grammar, they didn’t disrupt my reading flow. To that end, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys books on slavery and time travel.

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The Mission to End Slavery
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[Amberlily]

Wow, sounds like this one really impressed you! I love the idea behind it. It feels like a big deal, and a challenge that would drastically alter the future. I might give this one a try based on your review!

[Shri27]

Great Review.Sounds like an interesting book to read.

[Theresa Ammons Pinkston]

"The Mission to End Slavery" sounds like a terrific book. I want to read how someone might have stopped slavery before it even started.

[praise+anyi]

It takes a good research with knowledgeable facts to put up a story as loaded as this. I must really applaud the author for a work well done. Your review was thorough and I enjoyed it.

[Josephe-Anne]

Thank you for an excellent review!

Even though the topic of slavery (and its effects in modern society) is popular, I feel as though this book presents the struggle from an unusual perspective. I am definitely interested in learning about the Yoruba culture.