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PROUD PRODUCT OF A NIGERIAN TIGER MOM CNNInternational anchor �ain Asher shares how relentless hard work led her fa�ilytos�ccess
WRITTEN BY �ULIA MARTIN
When Zain Ejiofor Asher was aschool- girl in London , her mother , awidowed Nigerian immigrant with four young children , hatched an audacious plan : her eldest daughter would go to Oxford . Obiajulu Ejiofor had plans for her other children , too , despite working 10-hour days to support her family after losing her husband in adevastating car crash .
Against the odds , her ZAIN ASHER plans worked . Asher graduated from Oxford , and in 201� , at age 31 , became an anchor at CNN International . Chiwetal Ejiofor , who had been badly injured in the crash that killed his father , was nominated for an Academy Award in2013 for his performance in 12 Years aSla�e . Kandi isadoctor inLondon , and Obinze asuccessful entrepreneur .
Asher , who now lives in Montclair with her husband , Steve �eoples , a political writer for the Associated �ress , and their two young sons , says that people are often eager tolearn her mothers ’ secrets ; even her children ’ steachers would ask her mother for advice for raising their own children . Asher ’ s memoir , �here
the Children Take �s , published this spring by HarperCollins , is an answer to those who wonder how her mother raised such extraordinary children in such challenging circumstances . Here , we talk to the journalist — who appended the name “ Asher ” to Ejiofor because it means
“ happiness ” or “ blessings ” — about how the life lessons she learned from her mother helped her get her primetime CNN International news show , �ne �orld with �ain Asher ; why she moved to Montclair ; and which lessons she will pass on to her own children .
TO QUOTE FROM YOUR MEMOIR� �THERE IS TRAGEDYINMYSTORY� �UT MY STORYISNOT ATRAGEDY�� HOW DID YOUR MOTHER RECOVER AND THRIVE AFTER SUCH AHOR� RIFICLOSS� Iwas 5years old when my father and brother Chiwetel went on atrip to Nigeria . Onthe day my mother was due to pick them up at the airport , she got a call that they had been in a car crash and one was alive and one had died , but they didn ’ t know which one . My mother , who was pregnant , flew to Nigeria and learned that her husband was dead . Hehad been the love of her life , and vice versa , since she was 1� . He was a doctor in training and close to receiving his credentials . She was so devastated it was hard to focus on the silver lining , that her son was alive . Chiwetel was very badly injured and she stayed with him for weeks until he was strong enough to return to London .
Back in London , she struggled to function . What catapulted her out of mourning was when her oldest son , Obinde , who had been a straight-A student , failed out of school . The whole reason she and her husband had left Nigeria was to give their children a good education and more opportunity . That made her think , “ I really have to make some changes around here .”
WHAT WERE SOME OF THOSE CHANGES� When Iwas �years old , she started asking our teachers for the syllabi a couple of months in advance , and would teach us the topics at home , after 10-hour work days . I knew my times tables cold while my classmates were still struggling . It made a world of difference . I became arole model , the kid with the most gold stars next to my name . Iwent from being achild who didn ’ t �t in and didn ’ t enjoy school to being very happy and thriving . I could directly see at age �that what you get out is what you put in .
My mother also taught us to be productive in our free time . Her “ eight-hour rule ” divided the day into eight-hour blocks — eight hours for
THIS �AGE� COURTESY OF BEOWULF SHEEHAN� O��OSITE �AGE� COURTESY OF�AIN ASHER
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