Book Review: STILL by Eniola Prentice

When Eniola asked me to review her book, I was honored. Not only because I got to read the advance review copy before it hit the shelves (:p), but because Eniola is part of my medical school family, infact she was my first year mentee.

It is usually challenging for me to read stories with multiple characters, and so for the first few pages, I had to continually go back to the beginning of the chapter to know who I was reading about. This didn't last long because the characters are firmly settled and the writer does a very good job of sequencing the stories so that the characters flow seamlessly from chapter to chapter.

Eniola does a very good job capturing the highs and lows of medical school. In fact, the book had me reliving my orientation week but my entire first year all over again! In the middle of all the usual medical school drama, each character's personal struggles is beautifully interwoven in a unique way that gives life to the characters.
Every medical school class had that gunner who cried because he/she got a 99 on the test, the person who turned in exams with almost 30 minutes to spare, the life of the party, and sadly the person who still failed eve after studying tirelessly.

Still is a fusion of two of my dearest institutions - Medicine and Christianity. Within this setting Eniola explores Christianity, suicide, alcoholism, relationships, the dark world of secrets and mental illness in a way that has never been done before. Still will entertain you, enlighten you, but most of all it will encourage you. No matter what you are going through, and in a class of over 100 students, there WILL be many with challenges, it will encourage you to run to a higher source.

Even though this novel is set in a medical school, the story is still (no pun intended) applicable to everyone because we all go through trying times in our lives, relationships, careers, business etc. We have all been created for a specific purpose, and in spite of whatever experiences we have been through - through whatever experiences we have been through, If we would only keep calm and be still, God will work through us to fulfill His purpose in our lives.

"The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still" - Exodus 14:14

PS: Nikki Abe is my girl any day of the week!
PPS: Even though I thought I knew what to expect at the end of the book, I shed a grown girl tear at the end of the book *covers face*

The author has been generous enough to give away a signed copy of the book and a $40 amazon gift card!, so be sure to enter the giveaway below:


rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Under Construction

Over the weekend, I happened to pass by my alma mata randomly. The GPS had suggested routing me through another shorter destination than it had previously calculated. As the voice routed me through streets that sounded familiar, I caught a glimpse of a train station. I realized I was back in the vicinity of my former college. Then I noticed something amazing. It looked more beautiful than I remembered it.

You see three years ago, the place was under construction. Mounds of earth that had been dug up stood in an ugly pile. The Makeshift wooden walkway and fence made for an even uglier site. I heard that an apartment complex was being built there.

Today the reason why I didn't recognize the area was that it was more beautiful than I ever remembered it . The apartment complex was complete with shops around it. In place of the ugly wooden makeshift boards were beautiful glass windows.

Then He told me, this is what I can do with your life. When people see the dug out earth, and the wooden boards, it might look ugly - it WILL look ugly, but I have to dig up all that earth to make a solid foundation. It's part of the rebuilding process, but very soon in it's place will stand a magnificent edifice such that nobody will remember the ugly structure that once stood there. Even if they do, it will be open amazement what I will do.

Construction sites are never pretty while they are under construction - if anything, they are even uglier than they start out. Sometimes the initial edifice might have to be tone down. Even if it's a bare land, the earth has to be dug up to create the foundation/basement. They are usually ugly sites, but if you wait, and let the dry wall come up the windows, and then the paint, it's always a beauty.

Tired of being strong

Usually I'm good at it -being strong that is. With a smile on my face, a chirpy attitude, and Pharell's "happy" playing in the background, you would think I have not a care in the world. However when I had to put on my sunglasses while sitting in traffic so that other drivers wouldn't see me cry, I knew I ws close to breaking.

I'm tired of acting strong, I'm tired of appearing strong. I'm tired of repeating the same prayers over and over wondering if He hears me, I've held back the tears for so long  that the dam is threatening to burst. I really want to have a good cry, problem is there's so many people around me that I don't have the privacy to cry -which might be a good thing cos I don't want to slip into depression -again.

I don't want to sound ungrateful, because there has been light in this tunnel. I've been able to do a lot of things I never thought I'd be able to do,, but I want more. I don't think I'm asking for too much. , and if I can't get more now, I really want to bitch and throw a tantrum about if.
Being strong is tiring. I'm not as strong as you all think I am. Not as strong as He thinks I am.