FD Breaking Limits: Road Home from the South: An African Adventure by Ogbonnaya Kanu – A Book Review
“Road Home from the South” is a non-fiction, journal-style book authored by Nigerian super biker Ogbonnaya Kanu. The 154-page book is a short but interesting read that details Kanu’s experiences as he travels through Africa on his motorbike on a solo journey that made him the first Nigerian to ever take on such a feat. A man of faith, Kanu also emphasizes the importance of God’s guidance through every step of his journey. Through a firsthand recount of his experience, the author gives readers a glimpse into the world of motorcycle riding and effectively erases whatever stereotypes of super bikers that us readers might have.
As he journeys to different regions in Africa, Kanu gives the reader a glimpse into the different cultures by going into specifics about the people, the food and his experiences at the different hotels and accommodations he stayed in. The pictures provided in the book he took at the various places to go along with his stories proved to be a strong visual aid for me to help put “a name to a face” as they say.
Kanu’s rugged determination is showcased in “Road Home from the South” as he persists despite facing many challenges like being caught in the middle of the Ebola epidemic at border control, encountering seemingly unpassable roads in some towns and facing hitches in his plans due to bad weather.
As someone who honestly knows next to nothing about the world of motorcycle riding, I believed I was not necessarily interested in knowing every detail of Kanu’s tour, but as the book progressed and he shared more and more of his experiences on the road, I found myself wanting more & needing to know how his journey to every town or city went. Though when the author employed the use of motorcycle terms to describe the various issues he ran into with his bike, I was left a little puzzled as he was a bit too technical with the terms, but it wasn’t detrimental to the story in any way so it was also easy to overlook
“Road Home from the South” is a truly unique book, and I enjoyed every bit of it. Kanu’s suspenseful, leaves-you-wanting-more writing style transformed what might have been a book exclusive for bikers into one that anyone, anywhere, with a love for good writing, would appreciate.
Written By: Alma Nwajei
