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A review by amatranfer
My Name Is Tani . . . and I Believe in Miracles: The Amazing True Story of One Boy's Journey from Refugee to Chess Champion by Tani Adewumi, Kayode Adewumi, Oluwatoyin Adewumi, Craig Borlase, Tanitoluwa Adewumi
3.0
"Talent is universal, but opportunity is not"
I think that sentence summarises the book very nicely. In "My name is Tani", we meet Tani and his family, initally living in Nigeria, but who have to move to the US hiding from Boko Haram. As assylum seekers, they live in a refuge in New York, where Tani's father works hard to advance himself and his family. In school, Tani starts playing chess and discovers he's really good at it.
There are three main voices in the story. Tani's parents dominate the narrative, and I liked that, because their voices give a broader view of the events that made them leave Nigeria and their lives as refugees. It is kind of nice to see that Tani and his brother weren't fully aware of what was going on, either in Nigeria or while living with their relatives in the US. Tani's voice centers mostly on the chess aspect, and that comes only in the second half of the book.
I liked hearing about the Nigerian traditions, and about the Yoruba tribe.
Overall it's a nice story, and an inspiring one. It will also give some food for thought for many about what it means to be an immigrant. The way it's told (and its short length) I think makes it very suitable for kids, and maybe that will help make a more tolerant society in the coming years.
I think that sentence summarises the book very nicely. In "My name is Tani", we meet Tani and his family, initally living in Nigeria, but who have to move to the US hiding from Boko Haram. As assylum seekers, they live in a refuge in New York, where Tani's father works hard to advance himself and his family. In school, Tani starts playing chess and discovers he's really good at it.
There are three main voices in the story. Tani's parents dominate the narrative, and I liked that, because their voices give a broader view of the events that made them leave Nigeria and their lives as refugees. It is kind of nice to see that Tani and his brother weren't fully aware of what was going on, either in Nigeria or while living with their relatives in the US. Tani's voice centers mostly on the chess aspect, and that comes only in the second half of the book.
I liked hearing about the Nigerian traditions, and about the Yoruba tribe.
Overall it's a nice story, and an inspiring one. It will also give some food for thought for many about what it means to be an immigrant. The way it's told (and its short length) I think makes it very suitable for kids, and maybe that will help make a more tolerant society in the coming years.