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Endless Fortune
How do you go from being a penniless student in a foreign country to becoming the mother of four of the most successful creatives working in Great Britain today?
In 1980, Ify exchanged war-torn Nigeria for the strange streets of London. Having overcome death, hunger and extreme poverty, she has to start a new life as a working-class immigrant and student in an environment far removed from her own in a city brimming with hostility. Ify meets her husband Joseph, a Yoruba man in 1981 at a bingo hall in east London where both were working migrants. After the birth of their children the couple returned to education before setting up their own businesses. Together they raised their children in the tough working-class area of Tottenham and encouraged them to explore their artistic instincts against the backdrop of sometimes violent situations and harsh environments.
Ify’s powerful memoir is the first book of it’s kind from the mother of four highly successful British creatives to examine the experience of the African diaspora from a personal perspective. Hugely inspirational, Ify explores what it takes to survive the cultural, social and political chasm between your place of birth and another land entirely – and to thrive in this new culture and country.
In 1980, Ify exchanged war-torn Nigeria for the strange streets of London. Having overcome death, hunger and extreme poverty, she has to start a new life as a working-class immigrant and student in an environment far removed from her own in a city brimming with hostility. Ify meets her husband Joseph, a Yoruba man in 1981 at a bingo hall in east London where both were working migrants. After the birth of their children the couple returned to education before setting up their own businesses. Together they raised their children in the tough working-class area of Tottenham and encouraged them to explore their artistic instincts against the backdrop of sometimes violent situations and harsh environments.
Ify’s powerful memoir is the first book of it’s kind from the mother of four highly successful British creatives to examine the experience of the African diaspora from a personal perspective. Hugely inspirational, Ify explores what it takes to survive the cultural, social and political chasm between your place of birth and another land entirely – and to thrive in this new culture and country.
278 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 15, 2020
13 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 24, 2020
What I enjoyed most in this autobiography were hearing about the early stages of Ify’s life. Entering with no real knowledge of the violence in 70s and 80s Nigeria, it was fascinating to hear about her experiences and upbringing in such harrowing situations.
There were moments that I felt a bit more historical context would have helped my understanding, as well as signposting/reminding the reader of the year being reference and how old she was at different time, but this was a minor issue.
Ify’s overwhelming positivity and outlook for life shine through in her writing and whilst I preferred hearing about her early childhood, it was still great to hear about her parenting and the upbringing of her now hugely famous children.
(3.5/5)
There were moments that I felt a bit more historical context would have helped my understanding, as well as signposting/reminding the reader of the year being reference and how old she was at different time, but this was a minor issue.
Ify’s overwhelming positivity and outlook for life shine through in her writing and whilst I preferred hearing about her early childhood, it was still great to hear about her parenting and the upbringing of her now hugely famous children.
(3.5/5)
January 13, 2023
Ify Adenuga is a remarkable woman, not only because she’s raised four extremely creative, successful children, but because of her own personal achievements. Her positivity, tenacity, open-mindedness and commitment to helping others really shines through in her memoir. I learnt a lot from Ify’s story as she details her experience of growing up during the civil war in Nigeria, moving to the UK by herself, and then raising her family with her husband in Tottenham during the 80s. She discusses many of the challenges she faced, from nursing her seriously ill siblings during the civil war, to her anxiety around achieving legal status for herself and her family in the UK. Ify’s commitment to her local communities, both in the UK and Nigeria is inspiring, as she has dedicated so much of her life to helping young people pursue education and employment in both countries.
January 5, 2021
This inspiring woman lives through Nigeria's civil war, experiences extreme famine, disease and the deaths of siblings, yet pursues her dream of education and work in the UK. I enjoyed her story as well as hearing about the start of her children's career and how she supported them from the beginning! A truly amazing woman.
February 9, 2023
Immigrant parents are a different breed. 10/10 I am in awe of Ify 🤍
July 22, 2024
I loved it!
My love for JME brought me to this book (I know he reads every tweet so hopefully mumsie read every review!) but I’m really glad the book focused more on Ify’s life rather than just the glory of the kids success. I loved learning more about Nigerian culture especially the different beliefs, my favourite was how the grandparents protect the kids freedom. It’s an awesome book :) thanks for sharing your story Ify.
My love for JME brought me to this book (I know he reads every tweet so hopefully mumsie read every review!) but I’m really glad the book focused more on Ify’s life rather than just the glory of the kids success. I loved learning more about Nigerian culture especially the different beliefs, my favourite was how the grandparents protect the kids freedom. It’s an awesome book :) thanks for sharing your story Ify.
March 19, 2022
Oh - what an eye-opening memoir.
I think I first heard about this book from Good Housekeeping years and years ago. I have no idea about music and I only have a vague idea who her children are but I'm so glad I picked this up. To be honest I thought it would be more of a 'how to raise children' book but I'm not at all disappointed that it wasn't.
Adenuga's childhood, and experiences of the Biafran war, were something I'd never known about. Yet her account of how it affected her life didn't leave me scratching my head. She is very careful and thorough about explaining her culture and how her upbringing affected her outlook on life. I was continually impressed by how many time she went back to school and changed jobs. I don't know why, but I was expecting her adult life to be easier - maybe because of the success of her children - so I was surprised that she went through so much difficulty in finding stable housing and marital strife. And she is so open about that as well.
I don't think Adenuga sits down and describes the setting in detail at any time, but the details she does include of her surroundings are also evocative - whether that's her estate, her childhood home in Lagos or 70s London. To be honest, it's also crazy to me how immigration to the UK used to work. I can't decide why it's important to me but I'm glad that I know.
I also recommend the audio-book. It's narrated by Nicole Adeyemi, who had me forgetting that she wasn't Ify Adenuga herself at parts - her voice is so expressive that it manages to change and reflect the maturity of Adenuga as she moves through life.
I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in reading about people who have walked a different path to your own. Adenuga's background is not one that usually gets written about so poignantly and in such detail. I certainly gained a lot from it.
I think I first heard about this book from Good Housekeeping years and years ago. I have no idea about music and I only have a vague idea who her children are but I'm so glad I picked this up. To be honest I thought it would be more of a 'how to raise children' book but I'm not at all disappointed that it wasn't.
Adenuga's childhood, and experiences of the Biafran war, were something I'd never known about. Yet her account of how it affected her life didn't leave me scratching my head. She is very careful and thorough about explaining her culture and how her upbringing affected her outlook on life. I was continually impressed by how many time she went back to school and changed jobs. I don't know why, but I was expecting her adult life to be easier - maybe because of the success of her children - so I was surprised that she went through so much difficulty in finding stable housing and marital strife. And she is so open about that as well.
I don't think Adenuga sits down and describes the setting in detail at any time, but the details she does include of her surroundings are also evocative - whether that's her estate, her childhood home in Lagos or 70s London. To be honest, it's also crazy to me how immigration to the UK used to work. I can't decide why it's important to me but I'm glad that I know.
I also recommend the audio-book. It's narrated by Nicole Adeyemi, who had me forgetting that she wasn't Ify Adenuga herself at parts - her voice is so expressive that it manages to change and reflect the maturity of Adenuga as she moves through life.
I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in reading about people who have walked a different path to your own. Adenuga's background is not one that usually gets written about so poignantly and in such detail. I certainly gained a lot from it.
March 24, 2021
Reading this book gave me a true appreciation for my mums journey to the UK as an immigrant. How vague she was about the Biafran war actually speaks to her little understanding of what was going on at the time and how serious that war was... going into detail was not necessary but we were able to see the impact of the war and how her resilience was built. I also loved the way she challenged cultural norms to forge her own way through life. And this I believe led to the success and development of her children
April 10, 2021
A queen !
April 30, 2021
Truly excellent book, an amazing and inspiring lady and the mother of very very talented children. A must read.
March 14, 2022
the story of an amazing life and woman, beautifully told.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews