Are women still treated as equal—and how important are they in the “here and now”?
Adebimpe’s new book comprises these questions that take us on a tragic yet beautiful journey.
There is no better time to inject this voice of gratitude in the face of a deep political divide that paints a seemingly distressful future. This book’s content almost writes itself in a world divided by politics, focused on racial issues, finally giving women and their rights the attention they deserve.
Yet, despite the relevancy of this book, what makes this story stand out is the personal journey of the author, Adebimpe Daniells, and her battle with not just patriarchy but her medical disability, chronic pain, and poverty. The story of how a little girl from Africa survived against many odds – including premature deaths, the loss of her sister, and the tragedy of her gender. Being one of 4 girls in a family of 6 children, with emphasis, privilege, and glory focused on the first & only boy, who in a patriarchal society, owns the absolute right to education among other economic resources ahead of any girl-child, most especially, a medically challenged one whose older sister had died from the same genetic disease she suffers from, which is deemed as a money-wasting scheme that is prone to early death. Adebimpe was written off as soon as she completed her high school education; she was told to look for an apprenticeship as a coiffeuse, which has a low entry and training barrier and, subsequently, a low standard of living as it involves little to no educational training.
Adebimpe disagreed and fought family condemnation to follow her dream of education with a vision of becoming an engineer with an international degree, yet with no penny in her account nor any foreseeable financial backing from her family.
It’s a story that begs you to ask the inevitable question…are women still treated as second-class citizens worldwide?
How did Adebimpe transport herself out of Africa at a young age to Canada in search of a better life that would support her forbidden aspiration to become an Engineer when, as a girl-child, you are only ever good enough to be a wife with smaller aspirations?
How did she pick herself up to fight this emotional and psychological warfare to become the No. 1 graduating student at an acclaimed U.S. university – Rutgers University, with Honors in Information Systems, and later became a Machine Learning Solutions Architect at a leading U.S. technology company? Doing all this while transitioning between motherhood and an abusive marriage, and then divorce.
She sheds light on the fact that even though Western countries have made significant progress on women’s rights, countries outside the boundaries of America are still struggling. The reality is grim. African women are still subjected to many forms of abuse; members of communities, influential women, and young activists are now leading the charge.
Truly Serendipity is a poignant, intense, raw, yet dramatic book that reaches deep into the human heart of an African woman’s life to reveal what it is truly like to achieve what you were meant to.
A mesmerizing journey from the bottom to the top, a life lesson of how to deal with life challenges and rise like a sound character. Serendipity by Adebimpe Daniells strengthens every woman’s mindset with firm self-believes.