LIVE AGAIN BY BEAUTY CHIDINMA NWAIWU
A BOOK REVIEWED BY FORTUNE NWAIWU
Live Again is a socio-religious discourse graphically written as a comforting balm against the odds and miserable conditions of life. It’s written to give hope to the downtrodden, the poor masses and to the political burgoists who have been affected by fate in one way or the other that they can live again.
Live Again as a title takes its allusions from the Bible, Ezekiel 37: 5 - 6, where God commanded his prophet to prophesy that the dry bones will live again. Also in John 11: 25 Jesus said to Martha that if anyone believes in him even if he dies, he will live again. The writer, Chidinma Nwaiwu was inspired to write in the lens of muse and this text is her visionary medium through which she whispers hope to the hopeless that they can still make it in life, no matter what.
The front cover of the book shows a dim-light-red colour used to design live again, and there is a ray of light coming out from the word “live” which shows a stylistic attempt to convey the message that in the midst of danger, and even death, there’s life and hope. As life and hope have gathered a momentum, the man in the cover begins to have the feeling of excitement, and enthusiasm.
The book has ten chapters with subtitles which form the running motifs, bearing significant messages in the text.
Chapter one: The revolution of life
In this chapter, the author tries to capture how circumstances revolve around a man's life beginning from the moment he's born to the time he dies. As a baby cries out as soon as it comes out into the world, the author, Chidinma Nwaiwu explains the mystery behind it which does not only signify how wicked or painful the world is but a cry of determination to conquer the odds and shackles of life.
The nine forms of revolution of life outlined in the book are what affect individuals if not handled properly.
Circumstance or obstacles as a revolutionary principle is a strong phenomenon outlined in the text that can hinder a man’s success, and so a strong decision should be made to curtail it. Also education has a long way to build the mind and character of individuals by giving them a hope in the future. Aristotle says, education is the creation of a sound mind in a sound body. By this, the author implies that education is a necessity for a man to excel above all odds. Belief is another principle of revolution that governs the mind. The author emphasises that man should believe only in God for him to live again. Also a man’s fate is always a determinant factor responsible for his failure and success. So man should as much as possible rise beyond the scope of his fate.
Chapter two: The unbookish instincts
A human instinct is an inborn impulse, or motivation to action usually performed in response to some external stimuli. This impulse is however what enables man to behave in some certain ways, and conceive some ideas about a fellow or something else. In this text, Chidinma Nwaiwu identifies two human instincts which are negative and positive. In these instincts, two unrelated stories were told to explain how a negative instinct can destroy, and how a positive instinct without proper management can ruin people's relationships. For instance, the sad grudges which Anita conceived about her friend – Angelina made her to treat her badly – accusing her that Angelina killed her sick son due to Angelina could not afford to sell her some leaf which is believed as a cure to Anita's sick son. Here the author Chidinma Nwaiwu insinuates through this story that when some people fail to grant some favours to friends, and relations, such people will begin to feel dissatisfied and so have negative instinct towards them. In other word, a positive instinct should be guided with cautions, and be enshrined in gaining of right knowledge to control it, if not, it will at last breed contempt and regret. This positive instinct was what Gabriella had, and as she revealed it to her friend Emmanuella, her suitor was snatched away from her. We may have different instincts but how we handle them matters a lot, and if we mismanage them, they become what the author termed as unbookish instincts.
Chapter three: The revealed secrets of life
“Life has many secrets” as Chidinma Nwaiwu relates in this chapter such as the secret of purpose, love, knowing and learning from people around you, acknowledging your creator, wisdom, learning from people’s mistakes, how opportunities come and the secret of blessing. This eight secrets about life have a potential influence in every individual's life once discovered. The secrets took their intertextuality from the Bible. Solomon says there’s a purpose for everything, and the author opines that there’s purpose why we are created, if we could understand the purpose why we are created by turning to God, our lives will be greatly transformed.
Also, love is the greatest commandment in the holy writ. The book stresses the need for people to embrace agape love more than any other loves. The author attributes the problem nations are facing today especially Nigeria as a result of lack of love. The author however says “a life with love is everlasting” p. 13. So, the souls without love are regarded as dead but can live again if they understand that life is beautiful when it’s full of love.
More so, knowing much about your friends and people around you is very important in socialisation because it can enable you decide whether to trust them or not. But not only discovering whom the people are do we begin to trust them as human beings are erratic in nature, and can disappoint at when less expected. At this time, reader's inquisitive mind begins to explode with much curiosities and questions of necessity if it’s necessary to trust man at this critical time of betrayal, hatred, and dishonesty. The author offers a solution that the evil ones ought to be avoided. While the third secret of life is acknowledging the creator, (to serve him and abide in his guiding principles which he has established for us to follow through which we can be prosperous, and have everlasting life) the fourth is wisdom. It’s by wisdom a man builds his home, and from the mistakes other people make, a man learns a lesson and tries to avoid making such mistakes in his life. All these secrets are what individuals can learn for them to live again.
Chapter four: Ignorance a source of destruction
Through this book, readers are made to realise that being ignorant of things around them is a great mischief, and misery to them. It at times in one way or the other affects our family, relationship, and career. Due to Nathaniel lived in ignorance of what his friend, Justice said against him, it ruined him, and even his gatekeeper was murdered. Chidinma Nwaiwu reveals that man must try to get out of being ignorant of what people say about us. And the worst is one being ignorant of heaven which the author says would lead one to an everlasting regret in hell.
Chapter five: the release of education expands wisdom
The author maintains that education matters a lot as it expands a man’s wisdom. Though as the author argues that wisdom comes from God, she recognised the vitality of education, what it can offer in the life of individuals. Chidinma Nwaiwu is of the view that man is born with an iota of wisdom, and once it is boosted through education then prosperity is sure to emerge. She went further to talk about three vital keys to success such as preparation, hardwork, and success. These three issues help a lot for anyone who wants to succeed in life.
Chapter Six: The unreligious Christianity
Irrespective of different religious practices all over the world, such as Judaism, Buddhism, atheism, Islam, and Christianity, the author basically, identified three types of religion practiced in Nigeria, namely Christianity, Islam, and traditional religion. Her main focus is on the Christians who are supposed to be like Christ but unfortunately their minds are far from trusting in the Lord. So, the author sees those who profess the religion but can not sincerely put it into practice as unreligious Christians. A story is told about a man who happened to be a sacred cow, a respected elder in a church but no one would ever think that he was a cultist, destroying souls and destinies of people until death laid his icy hands on him. Such a person is what Chidinma Nwaiwu calls an unreligious Christian. She therefore charged everyone to live a sinless life, loving God, having the fruit of Holy Spirit, and walk in the Spirit. It’s by these principles that we can confide to the doctrine of a true Christian life.
Chapter seven: the life conqueror
The life conqueror is one who undergoes a series of life challenges and overcomes them. Here the author relates struggles, difficulties, sufferings, bitterness, poverty and betrayal as life challenges a man may encounter in his life, and his ability to overcome such hurdles of life is what makes him a life conqueror. In order to become a life conqueror, the author adduced that you shouldn’t allow oppositions to stop you, shun ignorance, and break away from some unideal relationships. If we may decide to have determination or a will, the author emphatically states that your silent will, will voice out your future. Thus a man’s future is dependent on his determination to rise above all obstacles of life. It is by this will that the author repeated in chapter eight in another perspective through the story of Alex, who was abandoned by her parents, and was rejected because she wasn’t a man. But she had the will, - zeal of becoming a lawyer, and as fate may have it, she succeeded. This incident inspired the writer to caption chapter eight: “Where there is a will, there is a way”. By this, readers are charged to always have the willing heart to work towards their ambitions and they will succeed.
Chapter nine: Discovering your potentials
Some youths of this generation have been marooned in the island of dilemma over how they could realise their potentials. Unfortunately, most of them do not have guardians and counselling mentors in their respective schools who would listen to their distress voices, and try to give them valuable advice over their career choice. But all hope is not lost because, the writer, Chidinma Nwaiwu has taken the bull by the horn to explain in this book how we can discover our potentials. Some of the guidelines are: we must survey our lives, ask for God’s intervention and then pursue after our dreams. The author concludes her text in chapter ten by emphasizing on the necessity of prayer through which every individual can live again, live above all shadow of life, live above poverty, and live above the reproach of life.
In all, the book is an enjoyable read, I therefore recommend it for everyone who wants to live again, no matter how life has tortured you, and bruised you up.
Good luck!
FORTUNE NWAIWU
(The author of The Devil in the Cathedral)
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