My Name Is Tani . . . and I Believe in Miracles: The Amazing True Story of One Boy’s Journey from Refugee to Chess Champion

Tani Adewumi is the eight-year-old Nigerian-born boy who recently won the NY State Chess Championship after playing the game for only a year. Tani and his family's story begins amidst Boko Haram's reign of terror in their native country of Nigeria and takes them to a New York City homeless shelter, where they waited to be granted religious asylum. Tani's father, who came from a royal Nigerian family, became a dishwasher and Uber driver to support his family. His mother, whose family owned the largest printing press in Nigeria and had been working at a bank for over a decade, trained to become a home-aid. So, when Tani asked to join the chess program at PS 116, which required a fee, it seemed unlikely. His mother wrote to the coach, who offered Tani a scholarship. Miracles led Tani and his family to New York. As Tani's father puts it, "There are many times in my life where I thought this must be the miracle and yet, I did not know that the miracle had not yet begun."

Kayode Adewumi is the father of Tani, the eight-year-old Nigerian-born boy who recently won the New York State Chess Championship after playing the game for only a year. The Adewumi family's story begins amidst Boko Haram's reign of terror in their native country of Nigeria and takes them to a New York City homeless shelter, where they waited to be granted religious asylum. Kayode, who came from a royal Nigerian family, became a dishwasher and Uber driver to support his family. His wife, Oluwaytoyin, whose family owned the largest printing press in Nigeria and had been working at a bank for over a decade, trained to become a home-aid. So, when Tani asked to join the chess program at PS 116, which required a fee, it seemed unlikely. Oluwatoyin wrote to the coach, who offered Tani a scholarship. Miracles led Tani and his family to New York. As Kayode puts it, "There are many times in my life where I thought this must be the miracle, and yet I did not know that the miracle had not yet begun."

Oluwatoyin Adewumi is mother of Tani, the eight-year-old Nigerian-born boy who recently won the New York State Chess Championship after playing the game for only a year. The Adewumi family's story begins amidst Boko Haram's reign of terror in their native country of Nigeria and takes them to a New York City homeless shelter, where they waited to be granted religious asylum. Oluwatoyin's husband, Kayode, who came from a royal Nigerian family, became a dishwasher and Uber driver to support his family. Oluwatoyin, whose family owned the largest printing press in Nigeria and had been working at a bank for over a decade, trained to become a home-aid. So, when Tani asked to join the chess program at PS 116, which required a fee, it seemed unlikely. Oluwatoyin wrote to the coach, who offered Tani a scholarship. Miracles led Tani and his family to New York. As Kayode puts it, "There are many times in my life where I thought this must be the miracle, and yet I did not know that the miracle had not yet begun."

Craig Borlase is a New York Times bestselling writer, specializing in crafting dramatic, engaging memoirs. Recent work includes Finding Gobi — the international and New York Times bestselling account of an ultra-marathon runner's chance encounter with a stray dog in the Mongolian desert, now translated into twenty-one languages — and My Name Is Tani — the story of an eight year old chess prodigy living in a homeless shelter in NYC. Films of both books are currently in development, with Tani… acquired by Paramount Pictures/Trevor Noah and Gobi… acquired by Sony/Tencent. Craig has collaborated with a wide range of authors on more than fifty books, from a global entertainment icon to a former Muslim woman who was one week away from becoming a suicide bomber. Previous work has taken him to Iraq, Jordan, China, Haiti, India, Sweden, Cuba, Uganda, Australia and all over the United States. Website: https://www.craigborlase.com/