Foreword Reviews, the prestigious global body dedicated to reviewing and rating published books across the globe, has awarded ‘In the Shadow of Politics: Reflections from My Mirror’, an autobiography of National Health Insurance Authority boss, Sylvester Mensah, a 4-star rating in excellence.
Foreword Reviews rates books with one to five stars for excellence, with five being the highest possible rating. Foreword Reviews in their review 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.”
Mensah is one of five sons born to a diplomat father, who died when the author was not quite twenty, and playwright-actress mother.
In 1997, at age thirty-three, he was elected to Ghana’s parliament, becoming one of the body’s youngest members. When an opposing party came to power four years later, he was forced to adapt to a life without politics, while he pursued educational opportunities and a variety of jobs in order to support his wife, Millie, and their four children.
His personal story is entwined with that of his homeland, which was the first nation in sub-Saharan Africa to declare its independence from colonization in 1957”, the review states.
The body in their review recommends the book for those interested in politics and history, by 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 lambastes 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.”
In the Shadows of Politics: Reflections from my Mirror, is a well-written, popularly acclaimed autobiography of Sylvester A. Mensah, Chief Executive of Ghana’s National Health Insurance Authority and former Member of Parliament of Ghana.
It 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 human experience, and yet unique. 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.