THE ROAD IS GOOD: HOW A MOTHER’S STRENGTH BECAME A DAUGHTER’S PURPOSE
By Uzo Aduba

Published by Viking (September 24, 2024)
Hardcover $20.30
Audiobook $14.99

Reviewed by Ashley Riggleson

Celebrity memoirs are not my usual fare, but when I saw Uzo Aduba’s recent book, The Road is Good: How a Mother’s Strength Became a Daughter’s Purpose, was available for review, I leapt at the chance. Many readers may know Aduba from her role as “Crazy Eyes” on the hit show, Orange is the New Black, but, truthfully, it was not Aduba’s fame that interested me. It was her story.

Aduba’s full first name is Uzoamaka, a name which in Igbo means, “The Road is Good,” and, as Aduba explains, its use signifies that though there have been many challenges along the way, the hardship to get to this good point has been worth it. While this name fits Aduba very well, it also hints at her family’s history. Yes, The Road is Good has all the components of a celebrity memoir, but it is also the story of an ordinary (but also extraordinary) Nigerian-American family.

When the memoir opens, Aduba knows that her mother, a strong, passionate, loving, hardworking, and determined woman, is dying. Aduba uses this tragic event as the impetus to reflect on the past and pen what begins as an immigrant narrative about privilege and belonging.

Unsurprisingly, it is immediately clear how much her mother’s support contributed to developing her sense of self-worth over the years. This fact means even though she is the child of immigrants and is often the only black person in predominantly white spaces, readers find in Aduba a sense of rootedness. She credits her mother for instilling pride in her heritage and family. Aduba also shows the way that her mother’s focus on her children’s dreams breaks the mold of many “typical” immigrant families. That does not mean, however, that Aduba and her siblings were not well-rounded and multi-talented. (Although Aduba eventually chooses theater and acting as her profession, she is also a gifted athlete and intelligent to boot.)

Despite the advantages her mother gives her, though, Aduba is no stranger to adversity. Along with the hardships that come with being black and female in America, she also struggles in other ways during her early adulthood. And again, her family and her faith keep her afloat.

Readers can see that there is a pattern here, and when I initially started reading The Road is Good, I thought this memoir would be about grief, perhaps in the same spirit as Cheryl Strayed’s, Wild. Instead, The Road is Good is a labor of love and moving remembrance, an effort to keep her mother alive, at least in words. I finished reading The Road is Good weeks ago, and the portrait of Aduba’s mother has remained. She is a woman I wish I had known, and I hope that Aduba takes that as the highest of compliments.

This heartfelt book is guaranteed to pull on readers’ heartstrings while also telling a compelling story (and yes, while I did not talk much about Aduba’s journey as an actress, readers looking to learn more about that will not be disappointed.) If you take away anything from my review though, I hope it is this: The Road is Good is a relatable and human narrative about a family split between The United States and Nigeria—a story about love, family, and overcoming adversity. It is a work that brings tears to the eyes even as it inspires, and a work that I will not soon forget.

Ashley Riggleson is a free-lance book reviewer from Rappahannock County. When she is not reading or writing book reviews, she can usually be found playing with her pets, listening to podcasts, or watching television with friends and family.

This review was originally printed in FXBG Advance.

I enjoyed learning more about Uzo's life, which was not something that I was familiar with before reading. She is a beautiful writer.