From the village to international success guru

Fast forward to Victorian times, when writer Samuel Smiles became an instant celebrity with the publication of Self Help. He promised his readers power and success if only they focused on hard work, restricting time spent in prayer, on meals or in sleep to a minimum. Quality time spent with the family was as yet an unknown concept.
Today, the largest and most popular section in any bookshop is devoted to self-help books, and thousands of titles can be discovered on the Internet, all offering to help us realise our ambitions. Whether we want to be a rock star, a fluent and convincing public speaker, an investment banker or a spiritual leader, the key to achieving these goals will be found within the pages of this vast library.
Rabison Shumba, a Zimbabwean writer with a background in agriculture, mining and IT, has recently published The Greatness Manual: Recipes for Perpetual Success. This inspirational text, that offers guides and sustenance to travellers on the road to success, emphasises, as did Samuel Smiles, the requirement for hard work, diligence and perseverance to achieve greatness. In this personal history, Shumba shares with his reader the many hard lessons he has learned in life, describing how he overcame adversity and discovered the importance of loving those around you and making a positive decision to be a happy person.
Shumba was born into a large family in Chitanga village near Masvingo. His father was not only a master farmer producing maize, sunflowers, sorghum and nuts, but an accomplished plumber and builder. He signed every edifice he built, including the village school, with his trademark signature, ET Mapuranga.
Like his father, Shumba is multi-talented and an entrepreneur. He has worked in agriculture, ICT, and mining, and through his involvement with church ministry has become a church leader and writer of inspirational books. Those who read The
Greatness Manual, will value it as a source of information and help on numerous topics – developing team and networking skills, having a good name and being committed to your cause, keeping hope alive in dark times, spreading wisdom around your community, taking responsibility for your actions and decisions and sharing wealth fairly with everyone around you. 
This is a book to carry around with you, to dip into and to think about every so often. Do not be put off by occasional lapses in spelling and grammar, which could be easily rectified by an efficient editor.
And while it is true that arresting designs on book jackets sell more copies, try not to allow the drab brown cover with its old-fashioned fonts to discourage you. Acquire the book, turn the pages and discover the means by which Shumba will help you achieve greatness.