Where the Children Take Us: How One Family Achieved the Unimaginable

by Zain E. Asher Narrated by Zain E. Asher

Overview

In this spellbinding memoir, popular CNN anchor Zain E. Asher pays tribute to her mother's strength and determination to raise four successful children in the shadow of tragedy.*

Awaiting the return of her husband and young son from a road trip, Obiajulu Ejiofor receives*shattering news. There's*been a fatal car crash, and one of them*is dead.

*In*Where the Children Take Us, Obiajulu's daughter, Zain E. Asher, tells the story of her mother's harrowing*fight*to*raise*four children*as a widowed immigrant*in South London.*There is tragedy in this tale, but it is not a tragedy. Drawing on tough-love parenting strategies, Obiajulu teaches her sons and daughters to overcome the*daily pressures of poverty, crime and prejudice-and much more. With her relentless support, the children*exceed all expectations-becoming*a CNN anchor, an Oscar-nominated actor-Asher's older brother Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)-a medical doctor, and a thriving entrepreneur.*

The generations-old Nigerian parenting*techniques*that lead to the family's salvation*were*born in the village where*young*Obiajulu and*Arinze meet*with their country on the brink of war.*Together, they emigrate to London in the 1970s to escape*the violence,*but*soon*confront a*different set of challenges in the West.*

When grief threatens to engulf her fractured family*after the accident, Obiajulu, suddenly a single mother in a foreign land, refuses to accept defeat. As her children veer down the wrong*path, she*instills a*family*book club with Western literary classics,*testing their*resolve*and challenging their deeper understanding. Desperate for inspiration, she plasters newspaper clippings of Black success stories on the walls and hunts for overachieving neighbors to serve as role models, all while*running*Shakespeare*theatre lines with her son and finishing homework into the early morning with Zain. When distractions persist, she literally cuts the TV cord and installs a residential pay phone.

The story of a woman who survived genocide, famine, poverty, and crushing grief to rise from war torn Africa to the streets of South London and eventually the drawing rooms of Buckingham Palace, Where the Children Take Us*is an unforgettable portrait of strength, tenacity, love, and perseverance embodied in one towering woman.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Asher delivers a well-written chronicle of absolute determination and familial devotion. A wholly inspiring portrait of an extraordinary immigrant family." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"An incredible personal story of tragedy, triumph and what's possible when you persevere, while keeping a firm hold on who you are and where you come from." — Don Cheadle, award-winning actor, producer, and director

"[Asher] is a master storyteller. . . . Thoughtful emotion and striking immediacy fill every scene, making for a mesmerizing read from start to finish.” — BookPage

"At its heart, Where the Children Take Us is a love letter to the author’s mother, in all her strength and determination." — Booklist

An inspirational story of resilience that will appeal to readers interested in memoir, parenting, mid-20th century Nigerian and British history, and actor Chiwetel Ejiofor.  — Library Journal

“A deeply moving and riveting memoir. The courage and resilience displayed by Zain Asher's mother leave a lasting impression, and offer valuable lessons for raising a family no matter the circumstances."  — Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive Global

“This powerful and beautiful memoir has so many of the aspects of life we relate to, sincerely appreciate, and remind us of the depths of our humanity. Overcoming tragedy, the strength in family, and the unstoppable spirit of a mother who made the greatest sacrifice to better the lives of her children.”  — Common, Academy Award and Grammy Award winning actor/rapper, and New York Times bestselling author

“A heartwarming love letter to a mother who miraculously pushes through tragedy to steer her children toward their seemingly impossible dreams, through a methodology all her own.”  — Golden Globe nominated actor, David Oyelowo, Selma

Academy Award and Grammy Award winning actor/rappe Common

This powerful and beautiful memoir has so many of the aspects of life we relate to, sincerely appreciate, and remind us of the depths of our humanity. Overcoming tragedy, the strength in family, and the unstoppable spirit of a mother who made the greatest sacrifice to better the lives of her children.” 

Arianna Huffington

A deeply moving and riveting memoir. The courage and resilience displayed by Zain Asher's mother leave a lasting impression, and offer valuable lessons for raising a family no matter the circumstances." 

Golden Globe nominated actor

A heartwarming love letter to a mother who miraculously pushes through tragedy to steer her children toward their seemingly impossible dreams, through a methodology all her own.” 

Don Cheadle

"An incredible personal story of tragedy, triumph and what's possible when you persevere, while keeping a firm hold on who you are and where you come from."

BookPage

"[Asher] is a master storyteller...Thoughtful emotion and striking immediacy fill every scene, making for a mesmerizing read from start to finish.

Booklist

"At its heart, Where the Children Take Us is a love letter to the author’s mother, in all her strength and determination."

Booklist

"At its heart, Where the Children Take Us is a love letter to the author’s mother, in all her strength and determination."

Library Journal

03/01/2022

Asher, a CNN International news anchor and sister of Oscar-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, has written a moving and inspiring memoir about her mother, Obiajulu Ejiofor. Born in Nigeria, as an Igbo she suffered starvation and displacement during the Biafra War of the late 1960s. In her teens, she found an enduring love with Arinze Eljiofor. Together they immigrated to England with the hope of achieving medical degrees and returning to their homeland to start badly needed schools. On the cusp of success, tragedy strikes when Arinze is killed and their son Chiwetel is seriously injured in a car crash during a trip to Nigeria. Asher describes how her grief-stricken mother harnessed the determination she learned from her own mother's experience of loss and resolve. She instilled in her children pride in their Nigerian heritage and helped them succeed in school despite the racism they faced. Asher writes that drawing on their mother's strength propelled her and her siblings to careers in business, journalism, acting, and medicine. VERDICT An inspirational story of resilience that will appeal to readers interested in memoir, parenting, mid-20th century Nigerian and British history, and actor Chiwetel Ejiofor.—Laurie Unger Skinner

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2022-01-26
Homage to an indomitable woman and her remarkable journey.

CNN anchor Asher makes her book debut with a vibrant memoir of her “tough-love” immigrant family, headed by her resolute mother—“breadwinner, nurturer, disciplinarian, cook, cleaner”—who instilled in her children a “succeed-at-all-costs” mentality. Obiajulu Ejiofor and her husband, Arinze, moved from Nigeria to London in the 1970s, having survived a brutal civil war and a two-year famine. While Arinze pursued a medical degree, Obiajulu enrolled in the pharmacy program at the University of London. When she graduated, the couple obtained a loan to open their own pharmacy, a business that supported them and their children. In 1988, however, tragedy struck: While Arinze and their 11-year old son, Chiwetel, were visiting Nigeria, they were involved in a horrific automobile accident; Arinze was killed and Chiwetel, severely injured. As an immigrant in South London, with three children and pregnant with a fourth, Obiajulu faced a daunting future. But despite her grief, she made an unwavering commitment to raise her children to become “ambitious, talented, and disciplined.” Chiwetel is an Oscar-nominated actor; the author’s sister is a physician; another brother is a successful businessman. For Obiajulu, education was paramount. To make sure her children were well prepared for their assignments, Obiajulu devoted every evening to study sessions, and she gave the children reading lists and quizzed them on their comprehension. When 9-year-old Asher seemed to be floundering, her mother sent her back to Nigeria for two years, where children showed adults “unquestioned obedience.” She hung photos of famous Nigerians around the house to serve as role models. When the children were distracted by TV, she sliced the cable. To keep them from wasting time on phone calls with friends, she installed a pay phone. Refusing to be undermined by poverty and racism, Obiajulu, writes the author, “fought with every fiber of her being for her family.” Asher delivers a well-written chronicle of absolute determination and familial devotion.

A wholly inspiring portrait of an extraordinary immigrant family.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177082714
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	04/26/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos