Dear Fellow,
My book got a negative review. But first, good news.
Finally, my debut book The University Library was launched on Wednesday, 19th July 2023. The long-awaited ceremony is now history. It was a learning process altogether. In the process, learned a lot about bureaucracies, people, and ideas. I have experienced change in profound ways. For example, I have learned to not be hasty toward conclusions about people; a few interactions are far too limited evidence to draw conclusions about people.
The book launch remains a memorable event in my existence—a milestone. Of the numerous wonders accompanying the launch, I will discuss three things worth sharing, and also a fourth which delights my heart.
1. Public Appreciation of My Parents
Once I had the opportunity to publicly say “Thank you!” to my parents on my own terms—that is, on a platform where, among all the humans present, I was the actual host. Humbly, I recall Mr. Charles Brown was helpful here. When I reached the podium to give my speech (titled “Living in the Now”), I received a note on a sheet of paper from Mr. Brown. He wrote: “Appreciate your parents, and introduce them pls.” Note or without, I would have done that, because I had it in my subconscious. However, I needed that conscious reminder. And it paid off. While kneeling in appreciation of them and confessing my gratitude, I was told, a staff got emotional. I learned he was not alone; a well-wisher said it moved her to tears, bringing memories of her father who passed on before she was 10.
2. Meeting Cordelia and LeeYah
Human interactions are a major theme of my book. I think my appreciation of people came to bear while writing the book. I have grown to easily get acquainted with people. For example, I wrote a letter of 3,795 words to Cordelia, after becoming friends for barely a month via the comment section of a post on Facebook. (The letter was titled “Undergraduate Research Project”.) I met Cordelia for the first time at the book launch—she was an easy-going and cheerful fellow.
Then I met LeeYah for the first time. LeeYah, I learned, bears 9 names, but her full name is Miriam Adah Mallum. Introduced by my friend Kiyani, LeeYah has been a faithful reader of this newsletter. She decided to attend the book launch in order to register her appreciation for this newsletter. I was moved by the news. It was surreal to find that there is another fellow who makes sense of my wandering thoughts. LeeYah said she’s finally resolved to resume writing intentionally after the book launch.
3. Christine, Others and Numbers
The book launch cost more than I expected. Less than a week before the deal day, I had not settled on photography. I was persuaded to reach out to Christine, a friend on Facebook I had only chatted with for less than a month at the time. Three of my friends insisted I should choose Christine out of the five options I had. I did. Dazzled, by Christine’s influence as the head of Shantee’s Lens Media Consult, I paid only 12.5 per cent of what my bill would have been in actuality given the standard hourly rate charged by the company. Also, I had a great team of good friends and acquaintances who enabled me to sit without panic through the event. By the register, 129 people (80 of them were staff and students of the University of Jos community) attended the book launch. We anticipated 150 people in attendance.
4. The First Negative Review
I saved the main course for the last. Yes, my book got one negative review—essentially a criticism. When goodwill messages were conveyed, a management staff of the University of Jos Library walked to the podium for his. Before the message and pledges, he pointed out three “dangerous mistakes” (as he called them) that should be corrected with immediate effect. The ambience changed, and then silence set in.
He pointed out that:
i. The Acknowledgement Page was wrongly placed,
ii. Chapter 5 was omitted from the content table, and
iii. The book did not capture what the title implies.
It was unusual and unsettling for virtually everyone in the hall. There were mumblings here and there. I almost got into panic mode, until I was reminded of where I was—an academic setting, where ideas are debated and fine-tuned. But for one instance when I was reprimanded for not listening to him (because my attention was sought at the same time), I was put together with my pen and notepad. Fueled by appreciation rather than displeasure, I insisted to have an opportunity to respond to his observations. I responded to all three of his observations, proving their correctness. Only that it happened in his absence. However, I registered my due appreciation for his boldness and courage to rise up to the occasion in public, an audience made of 49 (out of the 129) people who were not members of the university community.
I will share my response to the three “dangerous mistakes” in a subsequent despatch. But then, the open criticism is perhaps the highlight of the event for me, because, on the Saturday before the launch, I was in a conversation with an experienced copyeditor and proofreader about the quality of writing and research in Nigeria today and how to salvage the situation. One of the factors we figured is to have tolerance for criticism. Knowledge from that conversation steadied me in the hall as the critic talked.
Overall, the book launch remains memorable! I have only been recruited into the world of deeper and longer tinkering with words and symbols.
Your LetterMan,
Tongjal, W. N.
P.S.: With pleasure, I would like my book to sit on your shelf, good Fellow. To get a copy (print or electronic), reach me via WhatsApp: 09028838362.