Think of all the hours, weeks, months and years of pounding the tracks, through thick and thin, in rain and in sunshine, of living a regimented life, of sustaining injuries that won’t heal fast enough, of depriving oneself of ordinary comforts, of combining school with sports. It is a tough call and only few ever stay the course and succeed in the end.
Foreword by Chief Olusegun Odegbami
And that’s how I became hooked on a great book, a good book, a motivational read. It takes a good author to write a book, making sure he obeys all the rules that come with creative writing and journaling. But it takes a genius to put together a literary masterpiece despite not having the necessary literary training to show for it.
From the foreward, you know you have a book to look forward to finishing without taking a break to go do something else.
I had been looking for a book to do a reading session with and I mentioned it to a dear friend. She made some recommendations and sent me two books to choose from.
Yes, one might argue that the cover isn’t captivating but that can easily be rectified in subsequent editions, it was the content I needed. Something to keep both book lovers and poor readers motivated. And yes, I was thrilled it was by a Nigerian.. .. Actually The two books sent were by indigenous writers.
The Silver Lining is an autobiography,and definitely not a boring one. I will try my best to give a short but concise summary.
It is a book about drive, determination, courage, ambition, and the will to keep striving to succeed.
From age three, Enefiok tells us about his thirst for success, to be the winner in whatever he competed in. Second best wasn’t good enough,… . No, he had to be the best.
We read about his childhood, his parents, his education, his love for his mother, the tragedy of her death, and other personal details… All this, without him having to tell us more than we needed to know.
Chapter four. … Oh! What CAN’T I say about chapter 4?!?! The whole of chapter four is dedicated to Goals! Goals! Goals! How to achieve your goals! How to maintain your goals! Everything you need to know. It doesn’t even tie it to the sport he was talking about.
I think the second best part, apart from chapter four, is the final chapter where we get to go into his head at that critical point, on the last lap of his anchor leg position in the relay team. We discover what actually happened to earn him the Gold medal he didn’t even think he could get.
And that’s where I will stop, if you want to know more, get yourself a copy….lol.
It is definitely a good read that cuts across a wide age range. Very good for the youths and people that are having it tough, especially in this recession. It send a message of hope to anyone who reads it. That’s why we will be taking it to secondary schools for our Schools Get Reading Initiative. Stay tuned for that info.
Today, Enee is a fulfilled family man. Humble, soft spoken and very down to earth. He is retired from active athletics but hasn’t relegated himself to the background. He is trying g to make it easier for newer athletes to enjoy better options than what he had as a young athlete.
Then we have the fact that he is probably the only athlete in the world, most definitely in Nigeria, to hold the record of being a 3-in-1 success as an athlete, a graduate and an author. He read anatomy and still teaches anatomy an physiology at his Fitness centre in Surulere, Lagos.
And yes, we had a successful reading session dominated by teens. … And Yes I actually held an Olympic GOLD medal in my hands!
I would love to hear your comments below, or send me a message for enquiries. Thanks
thereadinggymng 