Precious Esosa Osaro, an aspiring teenager, launched her first book, titled “The Price of Pride”, at the Freedom Gate Auditorium, Lagos, to commemorate the 2023 Children’s Day celebrations.
Speaking during the book presentation, Precious opened her speech by expressing gratitude to God, her parents, and everyone present for making the day eventful.
“I want to thank God for giving me the inspiration to bring this idea to life. My thanks also go to my family for their love and support, especially my father, who encouraged, taught, and motivated me to make this project a reality,” she said.
The author also recognised two prominent Nigerian authors who have been a source of motivation for her writing. “When I was little, I always loved writing, which gave me the inspiration to write ‘The Price of Pride’. I was also inspired by two authors: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Chinua Achebe. Chimamanda is one of the youngest Nigerian authors whose career has grown so quickly. She has written a number of novels, such as “Half of a Yellow Sun in 2006”; “Purple Hibiscus in 2013”, among others. The second person who has also inspired me is Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian novelist, poet, and writer, born in 1930. He died in 2013. He is the writer of “Things Fall Apart”, a book popularly used in our secondary schools.
“I wrote the book so that I could pass a message to teenagers like me. Most especially for the proud ones, there is always a reward for being proud. It could be death, embarrassment, bad names, and more. But in this case, Ada died as a result of pride, though it was not her fault. If she had been scolded, she would not have found herself in such a situation, much less dying as a proud girl,” the teenage writer said.
Speaking at the launch, Ajibade Abolanle, proprietress, Hopewell Group of Schools, Lagos, said, “I am excited that we are celebrating the accomplishment of one of our very own, and that is in the person of Precious Esosa Osaro. She is a teenager and an author who has a passion and dedication for writing. This has led her to write her first book. I have had the occasion to read the book, and I can tell you that the book is very educational and informative.
“Today, Precious is a shining example of what it means to follow your dreams. For her to be an author at age 13, that means she is still going places. People like Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie started one day, and we all know where they are today.
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“This book is special, not just because it proves that age is not a barrier to whatever we want to do, but because it also embodies the version of the author,” the proprietress said.
Also present at the launch was Anwuli Ojogwu, one of the publishers of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s books. “The Price of Pride is a good debut, I found this imaginative in the design of the plot into 10 chapters, which in literature we would describe as aptly the right technique till the end of the story from the inciting incident,” Anwuli said.
She added, “It is a good moral story exploring themes of good behaviour and its reward. It contains lessons for both parents and children.
“I am most impressed by her ability to communicate her ideas in simple, short sentences. They are the magic of beautifully written literature.
“It is a good start for Precious, who reminds me of myself at that age, writing stories longhand.
“For Precious, I advise that if this is a passion, then invest in it by reading voraciously and writing continuously. Through that process, you will become one of the formidable voices in African literature in the future. Precious is destined to do very well.”
Peter Osaro Ehigiator, the author’s father, in his closing remarks, urged parents to nurture their children’s abilities and gifts. Every child, he said, is intended to be great; all they need is guidance and support to bring out the best in them. “Everything about the book is the writer’s creative idea. When she told me she was writing a novel, I took a look at it and kept urging her to write more while also showing her how to divide her tale into chapters. I asked her to type it after she was finished. I informed her that I would release the book in honour of her 14th birthday, which falls on November 8, 2022. I give God praise for enabling me to fulfil that promise. She has three other books she has written that we are currently working on,” he said.
