Title:  The Unbreakable Human Spirit of Resilience

Author: Desmond Eric Ketter

Genre: Memoir / Self-Help

 

In The Unbreakable Human Spirit of Resilience, Desmond Ketter unfolds his journey and offers guidance for readers navigating their own challenges as he takes the reader from the war-torn streets of Liberia, West Africa, to the halls of the University of Oklahoma.

Through sheer hard work and perseverance despite extreme hardship and trauma, Ketter has become a highly respected mental health counselor in Tulsa.

The Unbreakable Spirit of Resilience is an unusual book, a hybrid mix of a heartfelt memoir and a nicely subjective, slightly scholarly self-help manual.

This dichotomy of form perfectly represents Ketter, a product of Liberia’s ravaged, crime-stricken West Point township. He is determined not to become a victim of circumstance, yet his resilience was primarily forged in the brutal cauldron of West Point.

Ketter was born in 1990, ten months after the first Liberian civil war began, one of the most savage conflicts in African history and infamous for its use of child soldiers.

He describes Liberia as his “haven and battlefield”, and this complicated and fascinating bond to his homeland is spine-tinglingly obvious from the first chapter.

Ketter vibrantly describes his early memories of the West Point township and its inhabitants with their strong sense of community and undimmed resolve in the face of adversity.

Notwithstanding the daily struggle for survival, Ketter fosters an overwhelming affection and regard for West Point, viewing its influence as shaping his life and formative years.

At age ten, Ketter moves to the relative stability of Mamba Point, which he considers a decisive moment in his quest for a better life. Nonetheless, the war still casts its deadly shadow and he is forced to seek sanctuary at Graystone, an American compound in Monrovia.

His refuge is short-lived when an explosion rocks the Graystone camp, narrowly avoiding Ketter. Although a ceasefire is declared, the horrors he witnessed sharpen his ambition to reach America, and at seventeen years old, he arrives in Tulsa.

Whilst doggedly pursuing his academic studies, Ketter works at Taco Bell where he encounters numerous issues. Ketter’s understated and frankly generous view of his treatment and difficulties during this time is poignant and awe-inspiring.

Resilience is the beating motif of the book, and it’s what drives Ketter to strong academic success and his pursuit of a career in mental health. Although he recognizes his achievements, he is consistently modest and writes without pretension or pomposity, making his narrative all the more compelling.

Toward the end, Ketter lays out the “Resilience Model”, a simple framework of effective principles that he uses for reflection and growth. He offers concise personal examples to inspire readers to adapt the model to their own lives.

The chapters are meticulously laid out and begin with a well-chosen quotation. He provides full academic referencing, an index, and a brief synopsis of each chapter at the end of the book.

However, the book could stand to improve from its use of repetition and a sharper revision may have been beneficial. Although keen to reinforce his stirring message of resilience, Ketter’s duplication means this ideology occasionally loses focus.

Nonetheless, Ketter’s writing has warmth and integrity, which reflects the man himself. His command of prose is beautifully eloquent with a deep, almost poetic, tone and a rich, authoritative voice that is both reassuring and encouraging.

The Unbreakable Human Spirit of Resilience is a thought-provoking, accessible, and potent memoir. Ketter gives the reader much to consider as he shares the remarkable story of his life and its lessons in this quietly powerful and humbling book.

 

 

This Editorial Review was written by the Book Review Directory staff. To receive a similarly honest, professional review for one of your own books, click here.