Book Review: Excursions In My Mind

Title: Excursions in My Mind
Author: Nana Awere Damoah
Publishers: Athena Press
Pages: 134
Year of First Publication: 2008
Country: Ghana
Reviewer: Nana Fredua Agyeman (ImageNations, http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/)


Nana Awere Damoah's book Excursions in my Mind began that which was continued in
Through the Gates of Thought. As in the latter, this book of inspiration used
examples from the author's own life and from varied sources; prominent figures and
books like the bible were not spared. The book was written in simple language and
unlike many other books on motivation and inspiration, here the reader - perhaps the
Ghanaian or African reader - could be able to relate quite well with most of the
examples cited.

Each series - as a chapter is referred to in this 134-page book - begins with a
short story or an exposition of the theme or subject matter. The author then goes on
to give 'Action Exercise' in an attempt to encouraging the reader implement that
which he had read. Most at times this is followed by quotes and on few occasions by
a poem that gives further expatiation on the said theme.

In all there are thirty-six series with a bonus one, ranging from Books and
Knowledge to The Mountain Story covering themes like, goal-setting, financial
prudence, dreams, friendship, responsibility, learning, faithfulness, shyness, fear,
forgiveness, learning from a loss, waiting and or working for what we want and more.
These are themes that are applicable to our lives. Most of my favourite series are
those taken directly from the author's life. Nana discusses his family openly,
showing us what goes on within - the dynamics, the challenges, the sacrifices that
his parents had to make to send him through school, making him the person he is now.
Appreciation comes when one realises that the cost of education requires a willing
and able parents to see their children through to the end. Thus, unlike, perhaps, in
other places, education is a privilege when it comes one way; that achieved through
the sacrifice of parents, especially those in the middle and
lower economic class. The author does not back away from the negatives but more
importantly he shows us that there are positives even within a negative life, which
is what we should concentrate on. Though the author does not shy away from his
Christian affiliation, which is seen by his outright declaration, his use of
language and quotes from the bible, he also does not dissociate himself from his
traditions. And like all themes, he looks at the positive side of this too. He
agrees to the proverb 'if your parents look after you for your teeth to grow, you
must look after them for their teeth to fall out'. He demonstrates this using
personal examples from his life. Even when Nana Damoah lost his two brothers and a
father in a year, he was able to learn from this, realising how ephemeral our life
in this world is and how fast we reduce to zero when death comes knocking.

With short chapters and precise language, Nana Damoah has crafted a book that would
resonate with a lot of readers, both on this side of the globe with his personal
examples, and with everyone through his expositions and quotes. Could this book be
the beginning of a memoir? Could this be the beginning of something bigger? Reading
every series and the references to his family giving precise years - sometimes to
the exact date and day - one is bound to believe that these series would coalesce
into a memoir sometime to come. For don't we all have something to say from our
lives? And here Nana's eidetic memory that seems to make the words come alive on the
page would serve him excellently. And when it does, I would be here to read and
review it.

This book is recommended and even those for whom any mention of the biblical texts
is toxic to their health, there is something to learn from this book if such
individuals choose to take the content but not its associated source.

Brief Bio: Nana Awere Damoah was born in Accra, Ghana. He holds a Masters in
Chemical Engineering from the University of Nottingham, UK, a first degree in
Chemical Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology,
Kumasi, Ghana. A British Council Chevening alumnus, Nana works with Unilever Ghana
Limited. Nana started serious writing in 1993 when he was in sixth form and has had
a number of his short stories published in the Mirror and the Spectator. In 1997, he
won first prize in the Step magazine National Story Writing Competition. His short
story Truth Floats was published in the first edition of African Roar Anthology. He
is the creator and editor of Story Loom.


Source:
http://freduagyeman.blogspot.com/2011/09/45-excursions-in-my-mind-by-nana-awere.html