"Lovers of international stories of perseverance, history, and politics will enjoy this memoir, which is as illuminating as it is inspiring."—Publishers Weekly
Wyomissing, PA—Growing up in the jungles of Ghana and now thriving in suburban America, Patrick Asare defied all odds on his journey through life. In his incredible memoir, The Boy from Boadua: One African's Journey of Hunger and Sacrifice in Pursuit of a Dream, he recounts his childhood, family, education, and the experiences that made him into the person he is today, in addition to reflecting on socio-cultural relations, race, and the social structures in the different countries that he has lived. Patrick Asare offers a new perspective as someone who has had first-hand experience in a variety of cultures, specifically within the education system.
"Patrick Asare delivers his life experiences in his memoir - a book that not only is well written, but also provides one of the most informed visions of life from a vantage rarely equaled…While it is important to view his life journey as a series of successful achievements, the joy of reading this book is the candor and honesty and constant sense of discovery that exudes from every page." —Grady Harp, Amazon Top 100 Hall of Fame Reviewer
Patrick was born and raised in Boadua, a small village in Ghana, Africa. His family lived in extreme poverty, relying on farming and selling fish to get by. He attended elementary school in Boadua, where most children were not expected to gain a higher education. However, Patrick discovered a love for reading and knowledge at a young age, and he would stop at nothing to continue his schooling in order to give himself and his family a better life. After being accepted into secondary school, he eventually traveled to the Soviet Union to continue his education, and finally, to America, where he gained advanced degrees in engineering.
"Nothing stops Patrick Asare. An incredible story of how he escaped abject poverty in Africa by realizing at a young age the importance of learning how to read. It was his ticket to becoming formally educated in Ukraine and the United States. A truly inspirational and uplifting memoir deserving of Hollywood attention." —Flying Books Review
Patrick Asare's love of education is evident in his story: his motivation is seeking knowledge and pulling himself out of poverty by doing so. He writes, "My journey began with the accidental discovery of an interesting piece of information on a discarded scrap of newspaper. That information triggered the series of events that ultimately took me on a magical journey around the world." He worked for a time as a teacher in America, and the behavior of his students led him to explore the socio-cultural differences between Ghana and America, and how circumstances can create drastically different people.
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"'The Boy from Boadua' is a reflection on education, society, culture, and the impact that different forces have on a developing person, and he leads the reader through the harrowing but miraculous journey of his life. This combination makes for a fascinating read." —Lauren Lee, Writer
This is a journey that is both inspiring and heart-wrenching as Patrick recalls his triumphs and hardships. Each experience he recounts further explains his view on the world and different cultures, which he reflects on in the latter part of the book. The Boy from Boadua is an unbelievable true story for all ages that teaches the importance of education and understanding the social, cultural, and political factors that shape a person. It's a fascinating read: from working in the harsh jungle and struggling to even afford food, to traveling to a new country without knowledge of the language, and finally, to confronting the American school system, race relations, and much more. Patrick brings his story together in a thought-provoking, exciting, and compelling way that combines his journey with the lessons he learned along the way.
The Boy from Boadua, ISBN: 979-8218101008, $16.95 Paperback, $5.99 Kindle, 268 Pages, 2022. Available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and the author's website: https://patrickasareauthor.com/
About Patrick Asare: Patrick was born and raised in Ghana. After completing secondary school, he attended university in the former Soviet Union, studying electrical engineering at Donetsk National Technical University in the then Soviet republic of Ukraine. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and also completed a certification program to become a Russian language teacher. Patrick resided in the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991, during the historic perestroika era, when President Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the reforms that ultimately led to the breakup of the Soviet Union. He traveled extensively throughout Eastern and Western Europe and became one of the few people with firsthand knowledge of ordinary life on both sides of the Iron Curtain.
After graduating from Donetsk, Patrick immigrated to America, where he initially taught Russian and math in public schools in Buffalo, New York. He earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University in 1995 and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in 2003. Patrick is a principal at UGI Energy Services, LLC, a diversified energy services firm in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where he lives with his family. He previously worked as a senior electrical engineer at Caterpillar, Inc. in Lafayette, Indiana. Patrick has written extensively on social, political, and energy policy topics. He is a Democracy and Development Fellow at the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, an Accra-based think-tank. Some of Patrick's energy policy articles have received attention worldwide.
Media Contact: For a review copy of The Boy from Boadua or to arrange an interview with Patrick Asare, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Reach Lorenz on Twitter @abookpublicist