A New Day Dawn is a book award winner in the 2022 book award competition from Readers' Favorite in the category of non- fiction- Adventure. In addition to the picture showing the finalists in the category, below is the book review done by the judges following the book's selection..
BOOK REVIEW
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
A New Day Dawns by Terry Lister is a non-fiction travelogue that follows its author as he explores countries in West Africa, making this the second volume in his Travels With Terry series. The book begins with an introduction to Terry for those of us who are just meeting him for the first time, followed by eight chapters of travel content that covers his time in the coastal countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana. Lister provides historical and cultural backstory to each place he visits and commingles the narrative with photographs and his own personal journey. These range in tone and tenor from the small, such as a three-hour wait for a mediocre dinner in Sierra Leone, to a slave castle and the infamous Door of No Return in Ghana.
Terry Lister is the guy that everybody wants to be friends with. He's well-traveled, articulate, and makes you feel like you've known him for years a few pages in after cracking open his book. A New Day Dawns is written simply and conversationally, in a way that connects his work to his organic experiences. Some of the photographs are blurry and faded and, frankly, really add to the charm of an already enjoyable experience. Sure, there are fancier travel books out there, but what sets Lister apart is the authenticity of his text. This is a man on a journey that transcends travel for the sake of travel.
This is an immersive experiment that is relayed to readers who, like Lister, want to dig below any and all superficial surfaces. In the small details, Lister shines, like the recounting of a journey from Monrovia to Zwedru that was supposed to take eight hours but eclipses 25. To this end, he states naturally, "This is Africa!" Thank you, Terry, for taking us along! Very highly recommended.
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