Ekene Onu is simply a joy and I find that all that she says in her videos and newsletters are truly who she is. She is super refreshed to the extent that even her voice sounds refreshed and completely at peace.
It was such an enjoyable evening of conversation and honesty last Sunday at Ekene Onu’s book reading of ‘Aristocrat Wives‘ at the fancy DeLankaster Hotel, Lekki. Ekene was such a fine mix of American and ibotics as she talked about the nuances of society to the different conditions of women, whether married, divorced or single.
Kemi from City People was also part of the conversation as she co-anchored the reading with questions and contributed to directing the steering wheel of the conversation. The point of the evening was to slowly change the perspectives and/or prejudices of people to be more accommodating and supporting of women who want to change their lives or situations, say leaving a destructive relationships due to abuse or infidelity, women living their single lives comfortably without societal hassles, etc. Aristocrat Wives explores the lives of 3 women- Karen, Lola and Chika-2 married and one single. It narrates themes of infidelity, battery and the mounting pressures of single women to get married after a certain age and how the characters use faith to navigate them and come out whole. The book is not like a picture perfect ending as Ekene tries to portray how life truly is. So, it’s not a happy ending for all the characters (or it might be, depending on how you see it)
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But the most important thing that she says is to forgive yourself and that whenever you wake up is your own morning.
This book reading was not left to only women. Some men came as well and we had conversations about certain prejudices that not only women face, but the men as well, when they do not meet up with the expectations of society. There were some views as to the difficulty of turning against these expectations as more backlash would be faced. But there were comments supporting breaking free from the box of society regardless.
There was the question as to our favourite character in the book and one who annoyed us the most. Now, I haven’t read through all other pages of Aristocrat Wives, but I’ve read more than half, and I feel like Chika might have been most irksome. This is because she made some weird mistakes I felt were a bit of a no brainer, and especially because I expected her to know better because of her age and her faith.
But Ekene said that one might judge these women because we are not in their situation, but she found that a couple of readers began to feel the pains of the characters as the book progressed. I don’t know if that applies to me because I read some chapters from the beginning, then I skipped to the end and started reading in the reverse order. LOL. So I know the end, and I’m not sure I’ve changed my mind about Chika.
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But anyway, I believe this book is a tool that aids in refreshing people and their perspectives about others, so that they live more soulful lives.
Ekene Onu is a Leadership Coach and Founder of Refresh Leadership Circle, a super amazing group where she shares secrets on how women may live fuller lives in their careers and relationships.
Aristocrat Wives may be purchased at Terra Culture
Have you heard of the book ‘Aristocrat Wives’?
How do you think you could live a more soulful life amidst societal expectations?
What was the last book you read?
