Nigerians Abroad TV Unleashing the Fun!
AUTHOR: MELVIN EJIOGU
PAGES: 181
GENRE: RELIGIOUS/INSPIRATIONAL
PUBLISHER: VEEMOST PUBLISHERS
The Greatest Reality Show is a religious cum inspirational book by first-time author, Melvin Ejiogu, a US-based technology professional. It is divided into four parts with the first two parts happening in heaven among God, Jesus, angels, Adam and Eve and other heavenly beings. God and Jesus speak in the first person as the heavens are given life and replicated in familiar earth situations. Part Two returns back to earth and the author resumes his voice and narration. He drops a few anecdotes of other peoples’ life experiences with God and then a large amount of his own personal experiences.
The book at first reads like My Book of Bible Stories and The Children’s Bible— which we loved as children and learnt about the stories of the bible in children’s language. It is steeped in the mythic ideation of the bible and while the adult would appreciate it, children would equally enjoy it.
This book is a handbook for the new believer or aspiring believer and also a simplified reference book for the old believer. It reveals the God-process without being overtly religious but rather, spiritual and engaging. Its allegorical tone appeals to you to come to God but with simple and relatable evidences. There’s no coercion of force but almost a childlike appeal to an almost-toddler to accept the beautiful toys of his parents and leave being stubborn and troublesome.
It’s a book of God explaining himself in the simplest form possible for the least of us in faith and understanding to understand along with the more learned. There has been this air of arrogance built around God by various preachers, especially in expressions like, “He is God, he does whatever he wants.” God never assumes such airs in this book, rather, He is the ever caring shepherd who leaves the 99 safe sheep in shelter and goes in search of the singular lost sheep and with every ounce of paternal care, cajoles him back to the fold and shelter.
Most hardships are just tests to confirm you worthy for a higher responsibility and blessing. Many of us fail at this point and when we do, we stagnate or reverse and miss out on the next step of our journey and blessing. They are like class exams and you have to pass them in order to proceed to the next class, if you fail, you would repeat the class or even fail out of the school.
The book makes everyone realize how important they are to the show no matter how small they feel their part in the show is. This is akin to the the parable of the talents where even the servant who receives only one talent is expected to make profit. It also reminds of John Milton’s ‘Sonnet 19: When I Consider How My Light is Spent’, and how the poet realizes that even those that ‘stand and wait’ also serve God.
In the second part of the book, the author resumes narration. He becomes the preacher, as subtle as God in Part One. Along with biblical references, he throws in real-life anecdotal inferences to help the reader see his point.
In this part, the author somewhat gets carried away as the story becomes personal and read almost like an autobiography. You can sense the palpable enthusiasm for Christ still, but he overtly becomes the subject of the story and the show becomes a story of his life and family.
The original idea inferred at the beginning was to produce a series script, but this largely falters in Part Four as the author gets caught up in proselytizing and extended autobiography.
There is an extensive use of the dream motif in this later part of the book and the author relies on this to explain some of the supernatural occurrences that wouldn’t readily be relatable to the human purview.
The Greatest Reality Show is told in a conversational and almost laid back tone, it would familiarize you with God and no matter the stage of your relationship with God or your religious leanings, you are welcome to the conversation.
This is a beautiful first outing from this new author and he has promised two more offerings on this subject and we can’t wait!
Chilee Agunanna.
