Isidora: The Life, Mind and Memories of an African Phoenix by Kally - Jay Mkwawa @KallyJ5 #bookrevie
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  • N. N. Light
    • Dec 11, 2018
    • 3 min read

Isidora: The Life, Mind and Memories of an African Phoenix by Kally - Jay Mkwawa @KallyJ5 #bookrevie


Title: Isidora: The Life, Mind and Memories of an African Phoenix

Author: Kally - Jay Mkwawa

Genre: Memoir, Inspirational Nonfiction

Book Blurb:

Spending the better part of your life being called a good listener, a weirdo, a hermit or a ‘mirror of ugly truths’ and a walking-talking memory machine isn’t at all what it’s cut out to be. To a large extent, it’s a lonely life. You arrive into this life without even meaning to and suddenly it seems that you carry the weight of the whole world on your shoulders. You get sucked into it quite easily and coming up for a breath of fresh air is not easy at all.

This is an account that will give the reader, an idea of what Isidora has encountered in this beautiful, yet twisted and noisy place called the world. It’s not a long story with a happy ending (at least not so far). Rather, it’s about the reasons for her tears, worries, the unending voices in her head and the blows that life threw at her. It’s also about those precious moments of sheer joy and last, but certainly not least, her encounter with Him.

Hopefully, sharing her story will find others who can relate to it and make them feel they’re not alone. Writing this work has been like an ‘extension’ of herself whilst overcoming her fear of hurting people or being compelled to ‘walk on eggshells’. It’s one of her legacies and as always, has been her type of therapy. May it be a type of therapy or an inspiration for you too.

My Review:

This is a book unlike any book I have ever read. The author shows the height of bravery by so exposing her own soul to the whole world. This book, written in an almost diary like format really spells out some simple truths that anyone could benefit from.

At the core of the book is the concept - have faith. Although this book is Christian in belief this message would not be lost on any person of any faith. Having faith is a strong and positive message whether you worship in a church or in a field.

Further the author offers the message - have faith in love. The path the author takes in finding love is a very personal path but not one that cannot provide lessons to a reader. If you do not have faith in love, you will never be able to find love that satisfies your soul.

This book is more inspirational than a fun read but the challenge that comes from reading this makes it more rewarding to the reader. A fine example of a book where the point can be simply - be true to yourself.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

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Author Biography:

Kally-Jay Mkwawa (a pseudonym), is a lady of 30 years living and working in Tanzania and is the author of Isidora – The Life, Mind and Memories of an African Phoenix. She gained her undergraduate degree in Bcom Law (majoring in law and minor in business management) which she was awarded in South Africa and is currently working for an NGO dealing with provision of medical assistance in the country whilst pursuing her MBA with the University of South Wales, the latter being via distance learning.

She’s always been a lover of reading and collecting books, a passion through which (in addition to formal education) and, possessing a mind louder than words she can actually utter, has enhanced and inspired her to start writing. Her writing is more of a born talent since she’s never had classes in literature or the arts which would have enabled her to grow further in the field. To her, writing is a form of therapy and a way to tap into her imagination.

Besides her love of writing, Kally-Jay has a passion for lending an ear to people who most of the times need someone to listen to, music and watching series or movies.

She draws inspiration for writing from travelling, reading fiction novels and devotional books and conversations with close friends and family and, anything that is ‘out the box’ or living life not conforming to society’s normal set standards. She strives to write stories from real life experiences and thus, living an essence of herself in them and what she’s personally been through in life and epiphanies she’s come to in the process.

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Reviewed by: Mr. N

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