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Ebook Details
  • 05/2024
  • 979-8-9895124-8-5 B0CT51G8C1
  • 374 pages
  • $8.99
Paperback Details
  • 05/2024
  • 979-8-9895124-2-3 B0CTDNLTK1
  • 374 pages
  • $19.97
Hardcover Details
  • 05/2024
  • 979-8-9895124-5-4 B0CTSC67YT
  • 374 pages
  • $29.99
Daniel Mamah
Author
As the Rivers Merge: A Story of Love, War and Perseverance Across Continents
Daniel Mamah, author
When the Nigerian Civil War crept to his quiet college town, Matthew Mamah's global journey began. His father, an Anglican priest who survived smallpox, had always urged him to "aim high and shoot high." Matthew knew that his quest for excellence could take him to the horizon's edge, but he never imagined himself in Budapest, Hungary. Yet, it was there he met the love of his life.   The grandniece of famed composer Béla Bartók, Judit Koós grew up in the shadow of Hungary's bloody Revolution, its tank fire shattering her home as her family cowered in the basement. But perhaps her most tragic obstacle was being denied the opportunity to follow her own dreams of excellence—as a religious Catholic, she was barred from teaching music in Communist Hungary.   AS THE RIVERS MERGE is a true story of Matthew and Judit's unlikely union which catapulted them into lives that would show them the best and worst of humanity.
Reviews
In this touching memoir, Mamah chronicles the life of his mother, Judit, and father, Matthew. Told through the immersive perspective of his parents' point of view from collected letters, journals, and loved ones’ memories, Mamah writes a sweeping narrative of his parents' separate lives growing up and then their enchanting romance and life forming a family in the 1980s. Matthew Mamah, a young Nigerian boy from the village Emelego, grows into a determined and highly educated man, earning a PhD, making an impact as a politician in his home country, and learning to lead (and at times ration food) in the face of injustice in his employment at West African Glass Industry. Matthew met his eventual wife, Judit, during an apprenticeship at Central Laboratory in Hungary, her home country, where she instantly took a liking to "this fascinating man—a Black man who actually spoke her language!"

In alternating chapters Mamah provides vivid details of both parents' upbringing and childhood struggles in the face of war and hardship in each country. The pair allows their love to guide them through relocations, career changes, political regime changes, and even prejudice from within their own family, specifically Judit's father, who eventually grows to love Matthew as his own son. Mamah's narrative is an engaging tale that immerses readers in the rich cultural history of Mamah's parents and a love that spans 25 years and five children, including two sets of twins, plus much societal change Mamah emphasizes the perseverance of that love in the face of “the political turmoil of the latter part of the twentieth century,” celebrating their strength, commitment, and connection in a world too often unmoored.

As the Rivers Merge is an emotional and inspiring story of cultures colliding and love transcending borders and human divisions. Fans of historical narratives and culturally diverse love stories will find much that’s moving in this story of family, religion, political strife, and resilience.

Takeaway: Sweeping memoir of Nigeria, Hungary, and resilient cross-cultural love.

Comparable Titles: E. Dolores Johnson's Say I'm Dead, Mark Whitaker's My Long Trip Home.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A

Formats
Ebook Details
  • 05/2024
  • 979-8-9895124-8-5 B0CT51G8C1
  • 374 pages
  • $8.99
Paperback Details
  • 05/2024
  • 979-8-9895124-2-3 B0CTDNLTK1
  • 374 pages
  • $19.97
Hardcover Details
  • 05/2024
  • 979-8-9895124-5-4 B0CTSC67YT
  • 374 pages
  • $29.99
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