A true story of sacrificing everything for family, living with nothing but hope, then sharing generously all they received to discover the greatest riches of all. Tani Adewumi didn’t know what Boko Haram was or why they had threatened his family. All he knew was that when his parents told the family was going to America, Tani thought it was the start of a great adventure rather than an escape. … start of a great adventure rather than an escape. In truth, his family’s journey to the United States was nothing short of miraculous–and the miracles were just beginning.
Tani’s father, Kayode, became a dishwasher and Uber driver while Tani’s mother, Oluwatoyin, cleaned buildings, while the family lived in a homeless shelter. Eight-year-old Tani jumped into his new life with courage and perseverance–and an unusual mind for chess. After joining the chess club in his public school, Tani practiced his game for hours in the evenings at the shelter. And less than a year after he learned to play, Tani won the New York State chess championship.
A young boy with an aptitude for chess? Absolutely. But if you ask Tani Adewumi, he will tell you he believes in miracles and one happened to him and his family. This story will inspire, delight, and challenge you to believe, too.
more
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It has been published in September 2020.
“My Name is Tani” by Tanitoluwa Adewumi is the heart-warming true story of a refugee boy from Nigeria who joins the chess program in his school and less than a year later ends up winning the chess championship. In doing so, he also earns a scholarship for himself and a brand new start in life for his whole family.
It’s just like one of those feel-good movies that are out in the cinemas every Christmas, only Tani’s story is real and it had started off as distant as possible from a feel-good Christmas movie: Tani and his family had to flee their country to escape the persecution by Boko Haram, leaving a whole life behind in order to survive. Both Tani and his mother and father share their memories and emotions about this painful choice-without-a-choice, and this part of the book is truly heart-breaking, especially the chapters narrated from Tani’s POV, with all innocent obliviousness of a 6-year-old boy.
The only thing I felt was missing, was the point of view of the fourth member of the family, Tani’s older brother, who is the only one who for some reason doesn’t get his own chapters in the book. I would have loved to learn his particular take on the events related.
However, this story is not a tragedy or a tear-jerker (or not so much of it): it’s really a story about new beginnings, second chances and good people helping each other. It’s about the American dream, and for once, it’s all true. A true story with a happy ending, how often do we get one of those?
I recommend reading this book to every right-wing extremist who is in favour of raising walls, strengthening borders and banning human beings based on their nationality. They should all read this book and learn something new. I also recommend this book to anyone who enjoys happy endings. Basically, I recommend this book to everyone at all, because we all need some uplifting story every once in a while.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was expecting to really like this book since it was based on a true story, but it got very confusing being told by 3 different points of view (Tani’s and both his parents).
I think that along with a huge GoFundMe windfall, someone decided to get a book deal to go along with this story. It was more about the parents and less about Tami himself.
I understand that it was an ARC and there might be issues with the book, but the formatting to read it on my kindle was such a mess that page headers and footers were in the middle of the pages and page breaks were off.
My Name is Tani is the story of the Adewumi family who fled Nigeria to escape the Boko Haram, a group of Islamic terrorists, and came to America. The American dream is brought to life through the eyes of this immigrant family.
The family (related to royalty, very accomplished, well-respected, hard working, yet very humble) is willing to do whatever they can to make a fresh-start in their new land. This is a heartwarming read, and young Tani (8 years old) who goes from learning chess to winning New York’s state championship in only one year is quite an impressive boy. I found myself impressed by the whole family.
This book reaffirms the goodness and kindness that still exists in our country, and how much immigrants add to our country.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review.