“Some books inspire because they help us understand and see ourselves in the kinds of challenges and decisions many of us so rarely have reason to face. Shively, author of Profiles in Survival: The Experiences of American POWs in the Philippines during World War II

Should be required reading in every high school.” - John C. From there he travels to the United States, where more hard work and perseverance land him in a distinguished career in business. Asare’s journey takes him to the Soviet Union, where he earns a BS and becomes fluent enough to teach Russian. From there, his story just gets stranger and more inspirational. “As the child of an illiterate farmer in a small village in Ghana, Patrick Asare supplemented his elementary-school education by reading newspaper fragments used to wrap fish. This is a story of inspiration, grit and resilience that teaches all of us to continue to work toward our biggest dreams.” - Shannon Huffman Polson, author of The Grit Factor: Courage, Resilience and Leadership in the Most Male Dominated Organization in the World “Patrick Asare’s unlikely and astonishing journey from the child of a subsistence farmer in Ghana to a successful corporate professional with a beautiful family in America is truly fascinating and awe-inspiring. Patrick’s amazing story offers insights, hope, and inspiration to others who face astronomical odds. Teaching in inner-city high schools alerted him to the particular challenges faced by America’s urban Black youth. He was raised by loving and supportive parents and lived in a society where race was not an issue. Patrick’s travels and adventures taught him that, regardless of his hardscrabble childhood, he was a lucky man. Finding his way to the United States, he taught Russian and math and eventually obtained a superb education from top American universities. He graduated from an elite secondary school and earned his engineering degree in the Soviet Union during the perestroika era. Despite major setbacks, he kept his eye on the prize.

During school vacations, he toiled in a jungle farm teeming with poisonous snakes and insects.ĭedicating every stolen moment to study, Patrick passed the common entrance exam with flying colors.

Numerous obstacles stood in the way of Patrick’s yearning for higher knowledge, including gnawing hunger, lack of sleep, and backbreaking daily chores. No one in the village aspired to be educated beyond middle school. His family was so large and impoverished that not even the earnings from crushing hard work could buy enough food to fill their bellies. Patrick Asare was born and raised by illiterate parents in the remote Ghanaian village of Boadua.

The Boy from Boadua by Patrick Asare