A Worthy Legacy - Tomi Akinyanmi

Tomi Akinyanmi has taken inspiration from her real life events and created a wonderfully inspiring fictionalized tale - A Worthy Legacy.

She writes from the point of a granddaughter who has returned to her Nigerian village to await the death of her beloved grandfather. With the family gathered around him, her grandfather says that he has no worldly goods to pass on, but wishes to share the wisdom of a lifetime with them.

Self respect, solitude, pride, doing what you know is right, learning from the past, using your destiny and living a good life are just a few of the pearls of wisdom shared.

It's a slim volume, but packs much food for thought into 100 pages. It's not a book you want to race through at all, instead take your time to savour and think about the ideas and thoughts presented.

Tomi writes with a lyrical beauty. Her prose are calm, gentle and thoughtful, interspersed with beautiful poetry.

The ending quote struck a chord with me,

"As for me, I have no doubt within my heart that if every physical property the dear old man bequeathed were to be lost today, the words and knowledge I've received from him cannot be taken from me. This is the greatest treasure I have received, the very best inheritance of all, an inheritance with not equal: a worthy legacy to bequeath."

I think Tomi's work will strike a chord with many readers, prompting us to ask, what is our legacy?

A Worthy Legacy won the 2009 Reviewer's Choice Award from Reader Views.

Tomi's tour stops tomorrow at Lost in Books with Rebecca.