Polished and smooth, sophisticated and complicated, this is one memoir that will pass the test of time, trump every test of literary merit, and score high on the readability scale. But not so for the journey of the author. Rough, rugged and narrow, yet, triumphant in it all, Njie's life is a tale that transcends its West African setting. It is the rustic simplicity of an African childhood that metamorphosed into a global earthquake, the tremor of which shook the trans-Atlantic world! This memoir is, indeed, a testimony to the explosive supremacy of resiliency, survivability, native intelligence, and the courage to tread on the ground that even angels dread. It underscores the sacrosanctity of the family, and the enduring power of friendship.

Because the road to success is always under construction, Njie is not afraid to touch on the limitations of his effort while teaching us that it is better to try and fail than to fail to try. Sadly, as John F. Kennedy once quipped, "Victory has a thousand fathers; defeat is an orphan;" the naysayers may slight the effort of Njie and his co-compatriots in their attempts to relieve and rid their nation of the yoke of dictatorship, the ruinous coup is not altogether a failure; after all, it put the pain of The Gambians on the world map, and the blood of the martyrs were not shed in vain. The anchor holds. Njie is still standing; the dictator is gone. Sweat, indeed, is invisible in the rain, but rain will stop; sweat will dry up; and the breeze of mercy will provide the consolation and the ultimate reward.