COMING LATE TO AMERICA

About the Book

A middle-aged medical doctor lives in a relatively promising third world country. He had attained a reasonably comfortable position in the sociopolitical setup of his country. He had led his state’s professional body and had served at the profession’s highest national levels. He had been awarded the profession’s highest honors. He falls out of favor with the political authorities after his refusal to sell out and call off a mandated strike action declared by the professional body, which he led. Insecurity to his person, as manifested by armed attacks, compels him to immigrate to the United States of America. He is required by the regulations to literally start his professional career from the basics. Scaling through the basics becomes a tall order, and he finds relief and fulfillment in reversing course. He deliberately takes on a job at the lowest rungs of the care ladder, ministering to and interacting with Alzheimer’s residents and people with memory loss. His experience and impressions about the future, about the lives of, and care for the aged and the most dependent of American society, and generally about daily living are portrayed for the benefit of the general society and those who may later consider coming late to America.

About the Author

Oliver Akamnonu is a physician, with specialization in anesthesiology. An author and poet, Dr. Akamnonu had his early education at St. Brigid’s School Enugu, Nigeria, and Government Secondary School Afikpo, where he was the School Captain . He finished his education at the University of Ibadan medical and postgraduate schools. A former state chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, former member of the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria MDCN, member of the Board of Federal Medical Center Owerri, recipient of the Distinguished Medical Practitioner (DMP 2005) award, chairman of the Akamnonu Foundation for the Poor, he became an author after he immigrated to the United States and has over eighteen published books to his credit. Dr. Akamnonu’s published books include Suppers of Many Dishes Part I; Suppers of Many Dishes Part II; The Gods Have Not Yet Spoken; Taste of the West; Nation of Dead Patriots; Bature; The Honorable; Coming Late to America; Earth’s Man of Color: Genes, Agenda, or Jeans; Soldier Ants of War; The Trial of Monogamy; the award-winning book Rap to Mars; A Spot to Perch; Comedy of Naked Vampires; Konganoga: Mauling the Polity; and the widely read book Arranged Marriage and the Vanishing Roots. He is also the author of several short stories and literary contributions in several blogs and newspapers. A Nigerian-born citizen of the United States, Dr. Akamnonu lives in Massachusetts, USA, with his wife, Dr. Chika Agnes Akamnonu; and they have four children.