MY TOUGH LITTLE CANDLES: A FAMILY’S TORTUOUS ODYSSEY TO AMERICA

This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice.

MY TOUGH LITTLE CANDLES is a powerful, heartfelt story of migration, identity, and the quiet strength it takes to start over.

Dege and Doris leave their familiar life in Africa and travel 8,000 miles across the Atlantic to begin again in the United States—driven by hope, safety, and a dream of opportunity for their children. What they find is a world of dazzling technology, strict “work-work-work” realities, cultural contrasts, and moments of wonder that turn into lessons about resilience.

Through family love, sacrifice, humor, and hard-earned adaptation, the journey unfolds from the first day in California to the challenges of building a new life in Los Angeles. At the center is Ron—Dege and Doris’s “little baby”—whose path from immigrant uncertainty to academic excellence becomes a symbol of perseverance and purpose.

With vivid storytelling and honest reflection, this audiobook explores the beauty and contradictions of America, the cost of chasing a promise, and the enduring message that kindness and inclusiveness must triumph over hate.

Perfect for listeners who enjoy immigrant narratives, family dramas, and inspirational coming-of-age journeys grounded in real-life experience.