October 1, 2013 was the release date for my first book 'Qaddafi's Point Guard'. It took a lot for me to put my life on display because I'm a very private person. The book has done a lot for my life. It was an opportunity to talk about my experiences in life, but most importantly I got to shine a light on the people that helped me throughout my rough time during the Libyan Civil War. It would've been selfish for me to not talk about those people and how they were courageous enough to help a young nigerian/american man. I am grateful for them till this day and will be for the rest of my life.
I've got the opportunity to speak all over the world about my life story and the big part of that is because of this book. To says this book was a blessing to me is an understatement. As I travel to the world to tell my story I have also picked up many great gifts along the way. I've become a lot more comfortable telling my story to large crowds, and to me it has been very therapeutic. I always thank the crowd after every talk I have because to me they serve as my therapist for that hour. If I can sit in front of strangers and emotionally open up then I know for a fact that I can live with all of these memories for the rest of my life. Therapy plays a big part of my life because I literally I have to take it a day at a time. I am an advocate for people seeking therapy and most of my speeches are focused on mental health issues.
Lastly, I like to thank all of the fans and supporters. Without you and your support none of this would be possible. I get messages everyday from people all over the world telling me how my book has helped them get through something in their life. After some basketball games that I play I get a new person who walks up to me with a copy of the book and a pen looking for a fresh signature. I usually have a conversation with them for a couple of minutes and the appreciation they have for the book really makes me feel good. I can't express how important the fans are in my everyday life. They keep me going in my writing journey and their positive energy really does a lot for me. This is for all of you who have supported me on this 5 year journey. With all of your support this book will stay alive for a long time and once again I really appreciate you from the bottom of my heart.
I would like to thank you in advance for reading this blog. Please share and comment if you can.
Alex Owumi is a professional basketball player and bestselling author of Qaddafi's Point Guard and The Fire Raven series. You can view his website here.
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