No Pressure, No Diamonds: My Life and What it Takes to Lead
By Abel Laeke (Ա’00)
(CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 326 pages; 2014)
The American Dream is alive and well. From a traditional Ethiopian home to the shores of his new home in the United States, struggle and a constant state of learning have been Abel Laeke’s continual companions. As a young man, he was lured by the bad behavior of those he considered friends, alarming him family and derailing his life. After the trauma of the terror attacks on September 11, 2001, his life hurtled toward the dark halls of a psychiatric institution. Like a phoenix, he was able to reclaim his life and turn his hard-won lessons into a passion for service to humanity.
No Pressure, No Diamonds is a blazingly honest memoir: controversial, insightful and thought-provoking. This sharp and unflinching look at Abel’s life will engage readers in every state of mind.
“I don’t possess a Ph.D. or MBA, and you can’t buy the lessons I’ve learned at an Ivy League school,” said Laeke. “I learned the hard way how to rebuild my life and how to be a valuable member of my community.”