by Chibike I. Nwabude
Can a man be so unlucky that he always becomes the target of bullying and discrimination in his life and career? Chibike Ichifenelo Nwabude in his autobiographical book The Sad and Painful Journey of a Struggling Disabled Black Man: Surviving Against All Odds.
“Don’t Quit” elevates bullying and discrimination to a whole new level of bad. From the dirt roads of a remote village in Nigeria to the concrete jungles of the United States of America, the author’s journey, through no fault of his, is marked by constant struggle. He points to his physical disability and the dark color of his skin as the drivers of his unlucky streak.
Will we see him fold or will we see him rise to the challenge and keep on fighting? This is what the book explores in over two hundred pages of text.
Stricken with debilitating polio that crippled his right leg at the young age of four, Chibike has always found fate conspiring against him. Yet rather than give up, he willed himself to walk with an uncomfortable leg brace permanently strapped to the affected leg.
His life in Africa took a turn for the worse when a four-year civil war rocked Nigeria and separated him from his parents. Living in a squalid refugee camp, he managed to survive and find his way back to his family. With his acceptance as a student at the Seattle Central Community College and University of Washington, he expected to realize his American dream. Instead, unfortunate incidents of bullying and discrimination in school and later on at work nearly derailed his life. Armed with an iron resolve, the author persevered to overcome the difficulties thrown his way. After he graduated with a Mathematics degree from the University of Washington, he proceeded to apply for jobs despite his perceived handicaps as a person with disability and a man of color. Bullied and discriminated again, he stood his ground and fought back with a vengeance.
The book details one man’s unflinching crusade against bullying and discrimination. That he continues fighting the good fight is something that we should all be thankful for. It is an inspiration for us all.
– The Moving Words Review
Official entry: The Most Moving Book Award, Jan. 3, 2022
About the Author
I am a talented disabled black man that knew that the sky was the limit to what I could do and achieve if given the opportunity so that I would accomplish some goals in my life, and contribute my talent to the society. But when I experienced many setbacks in my life and was not given the opportunity to achieve my goals, I was depressed and suffered some emotional distress.
I had only twenty-two-course credits to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics. However, since I did not maintain a 2.0-grade point average required by the department, I was dropped from the study program of the university.”
“Since I was almost in a destitute situation at the time, I applied and received some welfare assistance programs, like food stamps, etc. I never wanted to depend on welfare assistance to support myself, and the only way I could get myself out of that welfare predicament was to finish school, get a job and support myself. ‘I did not have any money to pay for my school fees, but I went to school for that academic year, and the grades I received for those twenty-two-course credits that I took were not recorded in my transcripts for graduation, since I did not pay for my school fees.
Surviving against all odds, and I did not quit, was how I paid and registered for those courses. Read on, and find out how that predicament was resolved, including the other challenges that I encountered during my painful journey.