I Am Because We Are

November 1, 2021
In this heartfelt if imperfect debut, Akunyili-Parr reflects on the life of her mother, Dora Akunyili (1954–2014), a titan of Nigerian politics. Writing in her mother’s voice, Akunyili-Parr starts with Dora’s childhood in Biafra—where, she notes, no one “was spared a first-hand experience of the war”—and charts her devotion to her academic studies, which later led to her rise through the ranks of local government. Inspired by the death of her sister due to a fake insulin shot in 1987, Akunyili “had a front-row seat to how the system discriminated against precisely those in need” and fought tirelessly against the corruption in Nigeria’s health-care system. Despite facing discrimination as an Igbo woman, Akunyili became director-general of the Nigerian National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control in 2001 and vowed to “tackle the Hydra-headed monster called counterfeit medicines.” While readers will undoubtedly be inspired by Akunyili’s role in shaping modern Nigeria, Akunyili-Parr’s approach to telling her mother’s story through a first-person narrative often yields writing that feels more formal than intimate—recalling her mother’s marriage to her father, for instance, Akunyili-Parr writes, “I felt so deeply blessed for this man that I now called husband.” The result unfortunately feels like a shallow summation of an immensely complicated life.