Chukwu offers an immersive collection of thoughts and observations to inspire readers to reach new heights.

Anybody offering “Life’s Blueprint” rates a quick check of the hubris meter—but the author manages to skirt such concerns with an earnestness that thoroughly pervades this accessible text. For example: “I do not need to claim to be the wisest or the smartest, for my work speaks for itself. Ultimately, I trust that you will find it meaningful, useful, and deeply engaging.” Chukwu, an avid mountain climber and law school student, adopts a sage’s solemnity, striking a consistently authoritative tone while encouraging readers to contemplate the pearls this fellow traveler on life’s twisting highways and byways has to offer. Split into nine short “Books,” Chukwu assembles the work in a perfect fashion for nonlinear consumption; readers feeling lonely, lost, or discouraged will easily find a passage that speaks directly to them. Although lofty in scope and aspiration, the scripture-like narrative never veers too far into the esoteric or arcane. For all its grasping at profundity, it remains remarkably grounded and appropriately applicable to the contemporary challenges readers face, which come from both within and without. “Accept both the good and the bad, and strive to be remembered as a teacher, a protector of freedom, an advocate for the weak, a symbol of liberty, a preserver of peace, and a steadfast opponent of tyranny,” the author writes in a characteristically confident tone. Does he falter? Maybe. “Evolution in gender roles is inevitable,” he asserts, “but extreme feminism or drastic revolution could lead to imbalance.” Such sentiments will strike many as problematic and more than a bit patriarchal—overall, though, Chukwu provides something compelling to chew on, whether or not readers fully embrace all of his convictions.

A thoughtful meditation on how to live a life of meaning and purpose.

— Kirkus Reviews

This book is highly philosophical and rich in witty memoirs addressing various aspects of human life. Somadina Nnaji Chukwu, through this masterpiece, tackles numerous questions on life, hope, morality, time, faith, and fate. Through adept inquisitiveness, philosophical insights, and cognitive probing, the author embarks on a quest to demystify several questions about human existence. It's a must-read for any society that wants to retain its moral compass.

—Dr. Oladotun O. Olagbaju, Legacy University, The Gambia.

Clarion Rating: 3 out of 5

Positive choices are the reigning mode of transport through the musings of the self-help text The Conviction and Ultimate Choice of Greatness.

Somadina Nnaji Chukwu’s inspirational essay collection The Conviction and Ultimate Choice of Greatness reflects on the role of personal agency in the pursuit of success, using personal experiences as a framework for its teachings.

Existentialism undergirds the book’s nine pseudochapters, whose inquiries often turn philosophical, delving into abstract concepts about life. Indeed, the posing of rhetorical questions about life’s intangible entanglements regarding freedom, purpose, and legacy is a reoccurring motif throughout. Still, the insights slant toward the practical application of information, centering concrete principles like hard work, perseverance, critical thinking, and humility as ways to eschew life’s dangerous pitfalls, which include limiting beliefs and “idle hope.”

On the page, the text appears like poetry, but the writing style is better described as essays in verse. Utilizing a conversational tone, their fervor imbues the text with a sermonic edge that oscillates between didactic and confessional. For instance, “Bad Friends, Farewell” breaks from addressing the general collective to address one person in particular: “Yes, it’s saddening to acknowledge that our paths have diverged.” These moments of intimacy, however brief, result in simultaneous candor and an artistic sensibility that endows the repetition of themes with momentum.

The book’s structure, however, fails to support its creative maneuvers. Indeed, inconsistencies supplant meaning with disorientation. At times, this is caused by a lack of consideration for conventions in style and formatting; at other times, as with the gallery of photographs that separates books seven and eight, the book’s intentions are obscured or unspoken. In contrast, the succinct chapter titles are useful, offering clear indications as to the tone and scope of the subsequent verse while demarcating the book’s distinct form-as-inquiry approach.

In keeping with the book’s philosophical undertones, the titles represent specific items of import, whether a significant relationship, human construct, or existential paradox that’s inextricable from daily life and thus worthy of deeper rumination. In “Diligent Hard Work,” for example, the lines “Hope is feeble where work is shy / And responsibility is lacking” function as a poem-cum-parable. Other entries employ a list-like cadence. In this way, the text has a musicality that adds pizzazz to its potpourri of life lessons, positive affirmations, preaching metaphors, self-reflective syntheses, and actionable advice.

Replete with prompts toward deeper inquiry and self-reflection, The Conviction and Ultimate Choice of Greatness is a philosophical self-help text.

Reviewed by Xenia Dunford

September 11, 2025