Title of Book: Clarisse Blanche
Name of Author: Clarisse Mefotso Fall
Book Genre: Memoir
No. of Pages: 116
Year of Publication: 2019
Reviewer: Biachi Ndidi Anointing
Clarisse Mefotso Fall’s Clarisse Blanche is an impressive book that gets you entranced from the sentences to pages until the end of the book. The author weaves her life stories into pieces of advice to teenagers, young adults, and women. One can argue that the book stands between the margin of an inspirational book and a memoir. It fulfils the two obligations that both genres attract.
The book Clarisse Blanche is divided into thirteen chapters. In each chapter, the author writes about her life events, noting the lessons learned and making them a cautionary tale to everyone who enters the journey of her life. She utilizes her worries, development, and growth to educate us in such a creative way that we cannot ignore or become bored with. Some of the motifs she employs cannot be ignored. Even though the themes have been deployed previously by other writers, she adds a unique twist through conversational tone and flourishing language.
Fall’s pattern of dishing out her inspirational bits of advice is akin to the African folktale pattern of teaching. She begins every lesson with a story, which causes her point to sink in more, and ends the story by reiterating the essence of what she wants her readers to learn. One of the thematic thrusts that resonate in the book is the issue of parenting. Despite that this subject has become overblown, Fall provides her narrative in a different light.
She begins the first chapter with a walk back to her childhood which shows the trajectory of her becoming a phenomenal lady. This progress is not unconnected to the positive comments her father used to motivate her. His words create the picture of who she wants to be: “My father has always seen me as a woman who will one day grow to take over his legacy” (1). This shows that great parenting is not built on discrimination. Although it is rare in Africa for fathers to raise daughters to see themselves as women who can uphold a ‘manly’ legacy. He kindles in her all the positive words she needs to dream and live a great life.
Noting that good parenting is a continuous circle, she also talks about the relationships she is building with her children, involving herself with their dreams—not in a way as to impose on them, though, as they drive towards their careers. Also, the text shows the importance of a sense of community, and how parents were kind to the girlchild beyond their immediate children. In her narration:
I love the parents in my town. The mothers were loving gatekeepers, especially for young girls. They would always greet us when we walked by or when waiting for the taxi to school. They’d compliment us and say that we were beautiful and had beautiful skin. I recall one mother telling me that my black skin was beautiful and never to change my skin. These words always come back to me… As someone famously said, it takes a village to raise a child. (21-22).
The book teaches us that pursuing personal dreams are what shapes one’s decisions in life, and importantly, never to give up. From the storms of her early life in Douala after getting pregnant at the age of seventeen, she is able to sail into greatness because of her resilience and attitude of never surrendering to challenges. When the opportunity to start reshaping her life and building her dreams came forth, she seized it. Several things could have distracted her like peer pressure, the loneliness of being an immigrant, and much more. Because her dreams were burning so bright in her heart that she could not ignore the glow, she pushes forth at every occasion. This is why it is important that “During your life as a single woman,” she says, “educate yourself, be independent, work toward achieving your dreams, and then decide whether you want to engage into a relationship, and if you do, most importantly, make it healthy relationship” (32).
She gives instances to prove that a life without dreams sways towards the wrong path. Using the life stories of women who were her peers but got entangled in polygamy, she informs her readers that “One thing I do know today is that these women never pursued personal dreams and careers” (31). The women she refers to could not chase their dreams and had to end up as second wives. From the lessons shown in the lives of real characters, Fall teaches us that no mistakes should bury one’s ability. She talks about other virtues and important facts, using her life in every stage as a reference. It is a perfect example of ‘If I can do it, you can do it’.
Clarisse Blanche is a book filled with light and encouragement. From life as a young girl in a village to becoming a woman of recognition—Queen Tetsemboue of Medjo, West Cameroon, Clarisse Mefotse Fall tells us that greatness is for everyone. She dared to dream and acted upon it, ignoring all risks that might hinder her. It speaks so much of courage and strength. The author’s actions from the start established her as an impactful character. She is vital in improving the lives of immigrant women in New York by establishing the African Hope Committee, Inc. (AHC). Her feats of achievement were numerous, with several crowns and honours to her name. Whatever this book lacks in form, it makes up for in content. An easy-to-read book that is also educational and full of important ideals that may inspire any girl, lady, woman, or man to rearrange their lives. This is an antidote to many poisons, never forgetting her life as someone who has survived loneliness in the diaspora to urge everybody to pursue their aspirations.
Biachi Ndidi Anointing is an award-winning poet and a short story writer who invests her time in research on Feminism and activities that will improve the lives of the girl-child in Nigeria. She is a graduate of English and Literary Studies, and the founder of Hope Space Initiative, an NGO that focuses on menstrual hygiene and providing free pads for teenage girls. She is a performance poet at Benue Poetry Troupe.
Sevhage Reviews 