My Name is Tani…And I Believe in Miracles: The Amazing True Story of One Boy’s Journey from Refugee to Chess Champion
By: Tanitoluwa Adewumi, Kayode Adewumi (contributor), Oluwatoyin Adewumi (contributor)
Review By: Ellen Pristash
Published: 2020; Thomas Nelson
Genre: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Chess, Biography Memoir, Africa, Children, Immigrants Biography, Nigerians Biography
Audience: 7, 8, 9, 10
Triggers: Refugee experience, Conflict and Violence, Struggles and Adversity, Emotional Impact, Cultural Adjustment
Goodreads Review: Tani Adewumi didn’t know what Boko Haram was or why they had threatened his family. All he knew was that when his parents told the family was going to America, Tani thought it was the start of a great adventure rather than an escape. In truth, his family’s journey to the United States was nothing short of miraculous—and the miracles were just beginning. Tani’s father, Kayode, became a dishwasher and Uber driver while Tani’s mother, Oluwatoyin, cleaned buildings, while the family lived in a homeless shelter. Eight-year-old Tani jumped into his new life with courage and perseverance—and an unusual mind for chess. After joining the chess club in his public school, Tani practiced his game for hours in the evenings at the shelter. Then he began competing in the ultra-exclusive chess clubs of New York City. And winning—again and again. And then, less than a year after he learned to play, Tani won the New York State chess championship. In My Name Is Tani . . . and I Believe in Miracles, Tani and his parents tell us their incredible true story of sacrificing everything for family, living with nothing but hope, and then sharing generously all they received to discover the greatest riches of all. Tani’s triumphant spirit reminds us of the power of kindness and the beauty of unity as we watch for the next miracle to begin.
Review: This is a story of change, refugees, faith, believing in yourself, persistence, perseverance. The memoir is told by Tani, his
mother, and his father, giving readers three different perspectives on their life. Tani has an older brother Austin but is not a major character in the memoir. Tani’s story starts in Nigeria. School is closed abruptly because Boko Haram, a violent extremist group, enters the city where Tani and his family live. Tani’s father, owner of a printing company, encountered four men from the extremist group when they want him to print violence posters. To avoid these men, he closed his business, moved his family to another town, however the four men found them. The family sold everything, packed up, and headed to Dallas to stay with relatives; to be safe. The stay with relatives became very uncomfortable to the point that they were not welcome there anymore. With the help of a Pastor, they journeyed from Dallas to Queens, settling in a shelter in the Bronx. The shelter had strict rules, the boys stayed in a room on one floor, the parents stayed on a different floor, no kitchen, no living space. Tani and his brother were enrolled at P.S. 116. That is where, with the help of Coach Shawn Martinez, Tani learned to play chess. Tani watched You Tube videos and listen to Coach Shawn on how to become better. With the financial help of others, he was able to go to Chess Camp, go to tournaments which made him even better. He was able to go to Orlando and there he won the state championship. An article was published in the New York Times about Tani’s journey. His story went internationally, a GoFundMe raised money for the family to get out of the shelter, he was interviewed on TV, and more. Tani’s story is a reminder that refugees making the transition to America is difficult, uncertain, scary, and filled with sacrifice. This is a quick read, but not lacking in detail. It’s a “root for the underdog” story. There are pictures in the book of Tani and his family. The cover has a very welcoming picture of Tani which makes you want to read it.
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