Today (10 October 2020), we caught up with a bibliophile and had an ‘Ask Me Anything about Books’ (AMA) session with him. Meet this bibliophile, Nzubechukwu Okoye-Mbubo.
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My name is Okoye Hilary Nzube. A graduate of Public Administration from Anambra State University, Igbariam, Nigeria. I am a YIAGA alumni, an alumni of the annual Dominion City-sponsored National Youth Summit. Currently running a Master’s in Organizational Behavior. I am a teller with Zenith Bank.
I love reading (fiction mostly), but until recently I was skeptical of self-help books, I found them too prescriptive and righteous. Tosin made me develop an interest in historical books. My line of work sparked an interest in financial/business books.
I love Tennis, my greatest athlete is Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams. I love the latter more. I am a movie buff. I once belonged to a movie/book club in Asaba before I relocated to Lagos early last year.
#AMA Session with Nzubechukwu
Q. 1. Which book did you read recently that you considered all buttered up? And which last book did you abandon?
A.
There is this book- It’s pop fiction. I can’t recall the name now, but it wasn’t buttered up but the message wasn’t for me. I dropped it halfway into the first chapter.
Then Dan Brown does this thing where he over-describes his book so much that it becomes gaudy and tiring to continue with the book. But he is Dan Brown we can forgive him for his shortcomings.
#AMA session with Nzubechukwu
Q. 2. Research says reading fiction develops empathy and improves interpersonal relationships.
Do you find this to be true?
A.
It’s absolutely true. At least in my experience. A well-written book can make you feel a lot of things. And I love how the lines between protagonist and antagonist can be blurred by fiction. How people turn out the way they are because of certain occurrences in their lives. How the vicissitude of life like a tide dictates who they become. It shines an entirely different light on how we perceive ‘good’ people and ‘bad’ people.
#AMA Session with Nzubechukwu
Q. 3. Which book has had the greatest impact on you as a person?
A.
Things Fall Apart and Arrow of God both by Chinua Achebe. They are portals through which I can relate to the lives of my grandparents and great-grandparents.
Obama’s ‘Dreams From My Father’ is a worthy mention here.
It resonated deeply with me. I read it when I was 17. I was impressionable then, but with time I began appreciating the book. Especially as the person of Obama began to unfurl before us.
#AMA session with Nzubechukwu
Q. 4. I don’t know about you, but I have read a couple of Nigerian fiction writers that I think are very good but not well known.
Do you have the same feeling? Why do you think that is so?
A.
There are good Nigerian fiction writers.
Chimeka Garricks is exceptional. I read his ‘Tomorrow died yesterday’ in a sitting.
Chuma Nwokolo is brilliant. I think his lack of publicity is because of his refusal to suck up Western prizes and publishing deals.
Festus Iyayi the late, ex-ASUU president is a great writer. His novel ‘Violence’ remains evergreen. There are so many of them. Even amongst the younglings.
The thing is, there is politics in the publishing industry. If you don’t pander you get eaten by the big sharks.
#AMA session with Nzubechukwu
Q. 5. Which book would you recommend to us?
A.
There is this book. It’s fiction but it’s absolutely beautiful. It cuts across economics, murder thrillers, black lives, American politics, and elitism.
New England White by Stephen .L. Carter. That’s the book.
#AMA session with Nzubechukwu
Q. 6. What do you consider your best fiction and nonfiction books?
A.
My best fiction would be Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. It’s an absolute classic_ https://amzn.to/3RZyJ2j
My best nonfiction is: Sapiens- A Brief History of Mankind by Yuval Noah Harari_ https://amzn.to/3tvBCxP
Fiction Authors- Chinua Achebe, Leo Tolstoy, Chimamanda Adichie, Lee Child, Toni Morrison, Vladimir Nabakov.
#AMA session with Nzubechukwu
Q. 7. What draws you to fiction books as against nonfiction?
A.
I find them relatable. I learn more from fiction because I watch and grow with the characters. I learn from their mistakes, I learn empathy, I learn nuance. I learned blindspot.
With fiction, things aren’t monochromatic. There is an array of endless possibilities.
#AMA Session with Nzubechukwu
Q. 8. What subjects do you wish more people write more about?
A.
Books that intersect between religion, politics, and sexuality. Old age. Fatherhood.
