Abba's Favourite: 15 Essays on the Rhythms of Life

In this debut collection of creative nonfiction, Chidinma Ibemere crafts fifteen lyrical essays that trace the contours of a life in motion. With the intimacy of memoir and the elegance of literary prose, she invites readers into the messy, sacred work of becoming.

Ibemere captures unforgettable moments with vivid tenderness: a cousin lost too soon, a friend who arrived with pasta and prayer at exactly the right time, brown pews where pride met correction. She explores Igbo names that carry destiny, the courage to face giants, a cold March night when forgiveness finally resonated, and the morning she discovered what God calls her.

These essays reflect on friendship and grief, humility and identity, and the unseen strength required to heal, grow, and begin again. She reveals the uncommon contexts of happiness, while confronting oppression with protest and conviction. She shows us why growth is rarely linear.

Written with literary warmth and precision, Abba's Favourite speaks to anyone who has questioned their path, doubted their worth, or wondered if they are enough.

This is creative nonfiction for the dreamers and doubters—for anyone still becoming, unfolding, and bravely navigating life.