Nadia Habeeb exists. Maryam Awaisu created an inspiring character in Nadia Habeeb but reading through the book, one would not fail to see that there was nothing fictional about the realities created by the words of Maryam as she took us through the journey of a young lady, who had to battle sickle cell anemia even as she had all of life’s conventional challenges along the way too. Reading the book, you’d find yourself rooting for Nadia’s character but on a second thought you are taken by guilt; how much have you rooted for the Nadias that are battling the disease in real life?

If for nothing, the book brought one closer to the pains and agony of those who suffer from sickle cell anemia get to go through everyday. You also get a feeling that closeness to the pain would never convey the reality in the way that those who live the life have to.

But Nadia showed us that in tribulation, there can be triumph. She offers herself as the symbol of light for those who every now and then must pass through the seeming darkness that is the disease. This is a book that must be read by everyone who suffers from sickle cell anemia, it is their book of hope in the midst of chaos and crisis; it is their template of victory over the shadow of death.

Burning Bright focused on victory over some of life’s greatest challenges and in this book, sickle cell anemia represented the greatest one as a girl had to battle for life, through a polygamous home, through heartbreaks and through getting an education that saw her leave home, away from her parents, across the ocean, to find herself, to be herself, to be the woman who in the midst of her troubles knew she had to stay ahead, burning bright through her moments of darkness and always making sure she had enough light within, for herself and the world around.

Nadia was easily the star of the story but in Nadia’s mum, we saw how much of a mother’s love makes the difference in the life of a child. It was not a perfect relationship but it was great enough for them to feed off each other’s strength, for them to battle life together and for them to win together. Even Nadia needed a heroine.

Then there was the love story, the one that failed and the one that showed us at the end of the book, that Nadia could love again, even when love had failed her, first with her dad, then with her serial relationships. This could pass for a story of love and of course friendship, as represented by Ayman, who always got Nadia being nothing but herself and saying things she would even keep away from her mum.

For me, more than anything else, this is a book about the power of faith, the power of belief in that powerful force that keeps our spirit going when we are at our dead end and cannot go alone anymore. Nadia went through her ordeals and thrived through them because she lived in faith and the belief that she was not alone; that there was God watching and rooting for her. It helped her cause, it gave her strength and belief and it kept her going, when going forward seemed impossible.

Sickle cell anemia is not a death sentence and it is certainly not an excuse to live through life excusing doom and agony. The book, Burning Bright by Maryam Awaisu showed us another side, in my opinion, a better side to what carrying the sickle cell could mean. Education is everything and this book educated us about the disease and about those carrying it. It took us to their minds, their thoughts, their daily questions and their quests for answers, from God and from those of us they call friends and family. That Abubakar Habeed, Nadia’s father went ahead to marry Nadia’s mother despite knowing she carried the AS genotype was irresponsible on his part seeing as he carried the AS himself. That he lied about this was a betrayal and that he sought an escape from it all by marrying another wife was another level of betrayal. But the one person who ought to live excusing her predicament on other people instead chose to live by taking responsibility for herself. That is the lesson here; that in the end, each one of us must look to thrive, to run, to fly, to soar, blaming no one, excusing no failures, rising when we fall and making sure to live life to the fullest.

We have Maryam Awaisu to thank for this gift of a book and we’d all do well to have everyone we love read it. It is easy to read, entertaining, fun and enlightening. It is a page-turner, you want to see what’s next out of excitement but you also want to take in every moment. I cannot wait for Maryam’s next book and a part of me wants to see what Nadia is up to after her sojourn in Burning Bright.

© Japheth J. Omojuwa

Follow the author Maryam Awaisu on Twitter via @Ice131Queen

Available on:

iUniverse: Burning Bright – Maryam Awaisu

Amazon: Burning Bright – Maryam Awaisu

Barnes and Noble: Burning Bright – Maryam Awaisu and on the Google Play App.