Wheels of Imagination by Tomi Wright

This book, gifted to me by my girlfriend, was of special importance to me because she wrote it. As such, my review of it may be biased or unbalanced because I know the author and care about her. That said, I will do my best to be neither of those two things as I tell you about my experience reading Wheels of Imagination: Adventures and Verses of Resilience.

Beginning with my conclusion:

Reading this book felt like digesting a lifetime's worth of information about the life and inner world of the author. This was both exciting and enlightening because well, she's my woman, and I was getting to know her better through our shared passion: Writing.

In a way, I think it is unfair to call the book "a book," because it is more of a collection of writings. The only thing in common between them is the main character and the fact that these are her experiences, observations, and perspectives. It should be approached more like reading a blog or journal, than like reading a novel. Because sometimes as you move between the stories in the collection, you are rudely reminded that "Oh! This isn't a continuation from where we left off. It's a new beginning."

That little quirk aside, the writer uses this medium to deliver multiple insights of great import. From the inaccessibility of Lagos, Nigeria, to the importance of mental health to well-being. The failings of medical care in Nigeria are thrown up as the author walks us through her ordeal of treatment after her tragic accident. Yet after all the trauma, she reflects on the importance of P.W.D. (Perseverance, Willpower, and Discipline) to making it through the disabled life.

Having talked about the main character's experiences and views a bit, the author then dedicates a section of the book to a couple of interviews. Offering additional perspectives on the disabled life. This brings us to section four... my favourite part of the book. Entitled, Tales By Sunlight, the majority of section four is dominated by one story: The First Encounter - of the Love Kind. This story captured my rapt attention as it told the tale of the main character's "love affair" with her Occupational Therapist. This story single-handedly makes the book worth the read (if you don't know the author like I do). By itself, the short story is nearly 100 pages long, and has a good deal of drama for your entertainment.

After this, however, the book quickly winds down with a few short short stories and a few poems. Because I had a vested interest in reading this book, and my interest was satisfied, I call it a good read. But if you have no connection whatsoever to the author, I don't know if you would say the same.

What I can say for certain is that regardless of all the other factors I've mentioned here today, if you pick up this book just to read The First Encounter - of the Love Kind, you would be happy you did.

Now, I need to go think about all the ways I can use this treasure trove of information to tease my girlfriend. 😏