Sylvester Mensah’s book receives four-star rating
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) may have entered the writing business not long ago, but his book, In the Shadow of Politics: Reflections from My Mirror, is already making waves with a four-star rating.
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Foreword Reviews, a prestigious global body dedicated to reviewing and rating published books across the globe, has given the former Member of Parliament’s autobiography a four-star rating in excellence.
Foreword Reviews rates books from one to five stars for excellence, with five being the highest possible rating. In its review, the organisation described the book as “a deeply personal and uniquely voiced story.”
“Sylvester Mensah reflects on his life in and out of politics, his journey often paralleling the struggles in his native Ghana over the past fifty years,” it said.
The body, in their review, recommended the book for those interested in politics and history, stating, “For those interested in politics or history, this is a good introduction to one man’s story about his life, family, faith, and country over the past fifty years.”
Some of his comments appear geared toward his fellow countrymen when he lambasts the younger generation for brushing aside those who came before, chiding them for falling into “historical illiteracy.”
But it appears to be good advice for anyone: “Ignorance of your past lessens your understanding and appreciation of the present, which in turn prevents you from charting clear paths into the future.”
The book recounts the experiences and exploits of Sylvester Mensah the scholar, technocrat, lecturer, politician, family man and author, in a refreshingly lucid, easy-to-read and engaging style.
The engrossing narrative takes the reader on an exciting journey through the vicissitudes of the author’s life with references to familial and other settings. Like all life stories, it has the element of a roller-coaster of highs and lows; a story of fortitude in the face of difficulty and of triumph over adversity. In a sense it is everyman’s story as it resonates with the unique human experience. The triumph of hope over despair, of success over disappointment against the odds, spiced up with snippets of mischief and intrigue, make this a riveting read.
In the Shadows of Politics: Reflections from my Mirror is a brilliant exposé on a life lived in an era of socio-political and economic adjustments and transformation in post-independence Ghana. The transition from military rule to democratic governance allowed the emergence of democratic institutions – a development which provides the context for some of the intrigues and demarches that enliven and enrich the narrative.