English to Speakers of Other Languages). He is the founder of Learn and Care, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote Literacy and Adult Education, not only among immigrants but also among Native Americans who missed the opportunity to earn a high school diploma. The program offers ESL, literacy, GED preparation classes, and more. He self-published two ESL workbooks: Ideal Companion, ESL level 1 and Ideal Companion, ESL level 2. He teaches French in a high school and ESL at a community college in Omaha, Nebraska, where he lives with his family.
Akoto applied the Page 69 Test to his debut novel, Blindspot in America, and reported the following:
Page 69 in Blindspot in America is an essential part of the plot, a turning point in the story. The few dialogue lines on page 69 continue a conversation on the previous page, where Lindsey had just declared her feelings for Kamao after desperately waiting for him to make the first move for quite a long time. In those few dialogue lines on page 69, she is begging Kamao to say something in response to her declaration of love, and the latter is stoic, not knowing how to respond. He wanted to be in a relationship with Lindsey. Still, he also knew what was at stake: he, a Black African immigrant, getting involved with the daughter of a prominent, conservative, and anti-immigrant US senator was not a step to take lightly. The remaining lines of page 69 show the state of mind of a devastated Kamao following Lindsey’s bold move in her feelings for him. On the late-night bus ride back to his apartment after his shift at the gas station, his bus friend, a lady who worked at Burger King, knew something was bothering him but resolved to leave him alone, as he wouldn’t engage with her as he usually did.Visit Elom Akoto's website.
Browsers turning to page 69 of Blindspot in America will get a good feel for the story as they will sense the tension between two people who have strong feelings for one another. One person declares her feelings, and the other is hesitant to respond. The bottom of the page hints at why the other party is reluctant, which will likely cause the browser to want to read the entire story. Page 69 is the right page to introduce the browser to the story's heart because the other significant plot development starts from this page. The test is a good browser shortcut.
It is impressive how my novel appears to pass the Page 69 Test. This page reveals a significant plot twist, as the protagonist’s decision to respond to the declaration of love from the girl he has strong feelings for opens a new chapter in his life in America. This decision affects him and his family back home in Africa. He has a pretty good idea about how his potential girlfriend's father would feel about their relationship, which makes him uneasy. The rest of the story will show if he is right or wrong.
My Book, The Movie: Blindspot in America.
Q&A with Elom K. Akoto.
--Marshal Zeringue
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