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WORK TITLE: Unstoppable
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.tarikubogale.com/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1986, in Ethiopia; married and divorced.
EDUCATION:Regencies Business School, M.B.A., 2010; SBS Swiss Business School, master’s in international management, 2013; Academy of Leadership Sciences Switzerland, master of advanced studies, 2015.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, entrepreneur, businessperson, film producer, actor, and philanthropist. Safe Computer Systems, Addis Abba, Ethiopia, hardware engineer, 1998-2000; Advanced Computer Technology, Addis Abba, Ethiopia, managing director, 1999-2000; Africa Holdings, Johannesburg area, South Africa, founder and director, 2001-2015; Shoe4Child.org, Johannesburg, South Africa, founder and president, 2012–; Dual Groups, New York, NY, LLC; CEO 2013-18; Startup-Workshop.com, Los Angeles, CA, founder 2015–; Dual Film, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, CEO and producer, 2016–; ConnectSocial(R) Inc., California, president and founder, 2017–; DualPR, Cape Town, South Africa, founder, 2018–.
WRITINGS
Head writer, producer, and actor in the film Bloodline: Now or Never, 2017.
SIDELIGHTS
Born into poverty and on his own since the age of eight, Tariku Bogale earned money to buy books and materials for school by tutoring other students. He has since become a successful entrepreneur who has founded several companies in Africa, Europe, and the United States and in a variety of fields from mining, real estate, and travel to technology, pharmaceuticals, and energy. Bogale also developed companies involved in media and commercial filmmaking. Nominated as an African Pioneer for Black Business Award, Bogale received a master’s degree in business administration and another in international economic law. He is also an actor and film producer and head writer of his company’s film Bloodline: Now or Never.
According to Bogale, he had a vision at the age of nine of one day writing a book. At that point he began keeping a diary. In his memoir titled Unstoppable: Challenge Accepted, Bogale details his rise from poverty to successful entrepreneur and international business person. Bogale recounts how he got his first name “Tariku.” After his parents were told that he had died in the womb, they traveled from their home in the Amaro Mountains in Ethiopia to the nearest hospital, which was more than 200 miles away. When his parents learned that he was actually alive, they decided to name him “Tariku,” which means “the story.” Bogale’s parents, however, ended up divorcing. His father took him away to live in another village, but Bogale would later be reunited with his mother and siblings when he took them into his apartment when he was on his own.
Bogale had a drive to succeed and enrolled in computer classes while a teenager. Shortly afterwards he started his first company, Advanced Computer Technology. Bogale also recounts how he spent time in a horrid prison when he was sixteen years old, after being found to have faked his Tanzanian passport. After making it to South Africa, Bogale faced so much racism that he hired a while man to conduct business negotiations for him. The memoir follows Bogale as he ends up in Switzerland, where he once again has immigration problems but meets a lovely model named Naomi. The remainder of the memoir focuses on Bogale coming to the United States and finding further success and eventually trying to make it in the movies in Hollywood and starting his own film production company.
Unstoppable is “a high-speed, energetic tale of a sometimes-bumpy ride from rags to riches,” wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor. Calling Unstoppable “an entertaining read,” Aimee Jodoin, writing for the Clarion Review, also noted: “Bogale writes with clarity and well-thought-out structure overall.”
BIOCRIT
BOOKS
Bogale, Tariku, Unstoppable: Challenge Accepted, Dual Publisher (London, England), 2017.
PERIODICALS
Clarion Reviews, August 22, 2017, Aimee Jodoin, review of Unstoppable; Challenge Accepted.
Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 2017, review of Unstoppable.
ONLINE
Foreword Reviews Online, https://www.forewordreviews.com/ (August 22, 2017), Aimee Jodoin, review of Unstoppable
IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/ (June 11, 2018), author filmography.
Tariku Bogale Website, http://www.tarikubogale.com (June 11, 2018).
Inspire and give hope to those who have none
Dynamic and successful entrepreneur Tariku Bogale was the driving force behind Africa Holdings, a company he launched, developed, grew, and sold. Africa Holdings was a multifaceted company comprising the Johannesburg Shopping Centre, Self-Help.co.za, Travel Click, Sikhona Forex, Lions Entertainment , TravelStoreMaker(SA) and Dual Investment (Pty)Ltd. Tariku Bogale was a founder and CEO of Dual Groups LLC, Dual Films Inc and Dual Publisher LLC. He is the founder and President of ConnectSocial Inc.
As the founder and CEO of numerous companies, TARIKU BOGALE has done business in such diverse fields as Travel and Tourism, Retail, Real Estate, Finance, Technology, and Media and Commercial Filmmaking. A dynamic and visionary thinker, Tariku is driven by the search for innovative ideas and has established successful businesses in Africa, Europe, and the United States.
Tariku has been nominated as an African Pioneer for the Black Business Awards, the 2016 Best Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Strategy Award, the 2017 Top Empowered Business of the Year Award and the 2018 Business Excellence Award.
A strong believer in the power of education, Tariku funded his own education and furthered his studies in South Africa and Switzerland where he enrolled without a first degree for an MBA and an advanced masters studies in leadership international economic law. He is a serial entrepreneur, author, trusted advisor, film producer, actor, writer and philanthropist.
BLOODLINE: NOW OR NEVER
Watch the behind the scenes documentary on the making of Tariku’s first feature film.
NON-PROFITS
Tariku has founded or is helping finance the following charities:
Shoe4child.org
Now or Never Africa Wildlife Trust
Unearth Experience
Tariku Bogale Awards Night
AWARDS:
Nominated as an African Pioneer for the Black Business Awards
2016 Best Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Strategy Award
2017 Top Empowered Business of the Year Award
2018 Business Excellence Award
Q & A
As someone who has lived many lives – entrepreneur, film producer/actor, philanthropist – what attracted you to writing a book?
At age 9, I had a vision that one day I would write a book. Since that date, I’ve kept a writing diary. As I grew older, writing in my diary kept me company and gave me someone to talk to, someone that I could trust – myself.
Tell us about your background in business. How did you get started?
From age 8 onward, I was on my own. So I had o figure out how to fund myself. I began by teaching peers part time in my school in exchange for some of my expenses being covered – such as paper and pens. The skills I gained back then to learn to trust myself and work hard lead to independence, and that independence lead to confidence that I could accomplish anything.
Tell us about some of the people who have shaped you, or people you look up to inspiration.
Spending most of my childhood in the streets, I came across so many kind of people from all over the world. Watching and observing all walks of life helped inform who I wanted to be. However, It was the Peace Corps that impacted my life and showed me a bigger world than I could image.
In writing your memoir, what was the writing process like?
The writing process of my memoir is another book in itself! Let’s just say it was very rewarding, challenging, and exhilarating. I’m very much looking forward to hearing reactions from each and every reader.
What advice can you give to young boys and girls who want to follow in your footsteps?
Read as many books as you can open. Books reveal horizons that you can’t ignore. And, most importantly, be unstoppable. Don’t let any barrier stop you. It might slow you down, but never stop.
What’s next on the horizon for you?
On the horizon? Everything. Anything. I’m alive and healthy, which means anything is possible! For the immediate future, I’m looking forward to promoting my memoir UNSTOPPABLE, my first feature films: BLOODLINE (November 24, 2018 global release) and short film HEART. As well as pre production of my feature film ARCLIGHT aka THE WHITE HOUSE TAKEOVER. Indeed, launching of ConnectSocial app that connects us all!
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Tariku Bogale Poster
Tariku Bogale
Biography
Mini Bio (1)
As the founder and CEO of numerous companies, dynamic and successful entrepreneur TARIKU BOGALE has done business in such diverse fields as Travel and Tourism, Retail, Real Estate, Finance, Technology, and Media and Commercial Filmmaking. A dynamic and visionary thinker, Tariku is driven by the search for innovative ideas and has established successful businesses in Africa, Europe, and the United States.
A strong believer in the power of education, Tariku funded his own education and furthered his studies in South Africa and Switzerland where he enrolled without a first degree for an MBA and an advanced masters studies in leadership international economic law.
Tariku has been nominated as an African Pioneer for the Black Business Awards, the 2016 Best Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Strategy Award, the 2017 Top Empowered Business of the Year Award and the 2018 Business Excellence Award .
Unstoppable:Challenge Accepted (Book 1), is his first book and Be Unstoppable: No Excuses (Book 1), is his second book.
He is a serial entrepreneur, author, trusted advisor, film producer, actor, writer and philanthropist.
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tariku Bogale
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Filmography
Jump to: Producer | Actor | Writer
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2017 Bloodline: Now or Never (executive producer) / (producer) (completed)
2017/II Heart (producer)
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2017 Bloodline: Now or Never (completed)
Gabriel
2017/II Heart
Hamilton Naki
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2017 Bloodline: Now or Never (completed)
Tariku Bogale
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Academy of Leadership Sciences Switzerland
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Dynamic and successful entrepreneur Tariku Bogale was the driving force behind AfricaHoldings.com, a company he single handedly developed, launched, grew, and sold.
As the founder and CEO of numerous companies, TARIKU BOGALE has done business in such diverse fields as Travel and Tourism, Retail, Real Estate, Finance, Technology, Pharmaceutical, Mining, Energy, Media and Commercial Filmmaking.
A dynamic and visionary thinker, Tariku is driven by the search for innovative ideas and has established successful businesses in Africa, Europe, and the United States.
Tariku has been nominated as an African Pioneer for the Black Business Awards, the 2016 Best Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Strategy Award, the 2017 Top Empowered Business of the Year Award and the 2018 Business Excellence Awards.
A strong believer in the power of education, Tariku funded his own education and furthered his studies in South Africa and Switzerland where he enrolled without a first degree for an MBA and an advanced masters studies in leadership international economic law.
He is a serial entrepreneur, author, trusted advisor, film producer, actor, writer and philanthropist
Unstoppable (Book 1), is his first book and Be Unstoppable(Book 1), is his second book.
Mission:
To inspire and give hope to those who have none.
Motivations:
Believes in fair equity for all.
Protects your trust in whatsoever cost.
Believes in the power of intention and actions.
Challenges the norm and maintains independence.
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Tariku Bogale undertakes multiple roles as Actor-Writer-Producer
Tariku Bogale on LinkedIn
Publish date May 10, 2016
May 10, 2016
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Tariku Bogale: The Serial Entrepreneur.
Tariku Bogale on LinkedIn
Publish date January 7, 2015
January 7, 2015
Experience
ConnectSocial® Inc
President/Founder
Company NameConnectSocial® Inc
Dates EmployedMay 2017 – Present Employment Duration1 yr 1 mo
LocationCalifornia
Know what this is about?
Be the first to download ConnectSocial® app (coming soon)
DualPR
Founder
Company NameDualPR
Dates EmployedFeb 2018 – Present Employment Duration4 mos
LocationCape Town Area, South Africa
Public Relations,
Marketing and Communications,
Event Management and Sponsor Relationships.
Dual Publisher LLC
CEO/Publisher
Company NameDual Publisher LLC
Dates EmployedApr 2017 – Present Employment Duration1 yr 2 mos
LocationNew York, New York
Publishing and Distribution.
UNSTOPPABLE : Challenge Accepted (Volume I)
BE UNSTOPPABLE : No Excuses! (Volume I)
Both books available everywhere books are sold (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, etc) in select worldwide markets.
BE Unstoppable : No Excuses.
Author
Company NameBE Unstoppable : No Excuses.
Dates EmployedFeb 2017 – Present Employment Duration1 yr 4 mos
LocationGreater New York City Area
We don’t usually know what we are born to do. We certainly also don’t know what kinds of obstacles we will face, or what forms they will take. When we understand how the world has been connected through history—through the movement of people, goods, languages, music, movies, and many other things—we see our world more clearly as a shared planet and a home for everyone.
Be Unstoppable is a golden nugget of wisdom, through the stories into which my life’s energy has flowed and emerged greater each time, that will bring you gold, in real money and in what is important in your life.
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Be Unstoppable: No Excuses
Be Unstoppable: No Excuses
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UNSTOPPABLE : Challenge Accepted
Author
Company NameUNSTOPPABLE : Challenge Accepted
Dates EmployedMar 2014 – Present Employment Duration4 yrs 3 mos
LocationGreater New York City Area
The greatest success stories can spring from the humblest of beginnings. Such is the case with Tariku Bogale, successful international “serial entrepreneur” and visionary thinker.
From his early days raised in poverty to his dealings in high-powered circles of the elite, Unstoppable tells Bogale’s story of success, struggle, and determination.
Sprinkled with a dash of international intrigue and high-stakes risk, Unstoppable details Bogale's journey through South Africa to Switzerland, New York, Hollywood, and beyond.
Driven by the search for innovative and fresh ideas, and unceasing in his drive to achieve the unthinkable, Bogale experiences the worlds of politics, prison, business, real estate, entrepreneurship, and more.
Unstoppable is merely the first part of Tariku Bogale’s amazing and captivating story.
Media (1)This position has 1 media
Unstoppable: Challenge Accepted
Unstoppable: Challenge Accepted
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Dual Films Inc.
CEO/Producer
Company NameDual Films Inc.
Dates EmployedFeb 2016 – Present Employment Duration2 yrs 4 mos
LocationLos Angeles, California
DUAL FILMS Inc is a production and content provider company for international market that founded by TARIKU BOGALE who makes his feature debut in Bloodline: Now or Never in which he takes on the multiple roles as Producer, Writer and lead Actor.
Mission:
To Make Films that are cause driven and entertaining.
Shoe4Child.org
Founder And President
Company NameShoe4Child.org
Dates EmployedMar 2012 – Present Employment Duration6 yrs 3 mos
LocationJohannesburg Area, South Africa
Shoe4Child.org is a non-profit organization that partners with communities to start up initiatives that promote education and entrepreneurship. Shoe4Child.org believes in communities that are active participants in their own development.
Our Mission: Change the life of those, Who have no hope.
Startup-Workshop.com
Founder
Company NameStartup-Workshop.com
Dates EmployedMay 2015 – Present Employment Duration3 yrs 1 mo
LocationGreater Los Angeles Area
Startup-workshop.com offers workshops on:
Entrepreneurship
Business mentorship
Business development
Leadership and Life coaching
Startup-workshop.com provides workshops that:
Will guide you.
Will inspire you.
Will motivate you.
Will give you hope.
Dual Groups LLC
CEO
Company NameDual Groups LLC
Dates EmployedOct 2013 – Jan 2018 Employment Duration4 yrs 4 mos
LocationGreater New York City Area
Dual Groups supports three developmental areas, International Trade, Investment and Infrastructure project finance advisory expert able to assist governments, multilateral agencies, investors and public and private sector firms to raise funds, put down business roots in foreign soil and locally, penetrate new markets, grow market share and lobbying.
DualGroups seeks:
Interim Leadership and Crisis Management.
Deals in international trade and Investment.
Infrastructure, project finance and advisory.
Buying distressed companies and sovereign debts.
Africa Holdings
Founder & Director of Companies
Company NameAfrica Holdings
Dates EmployedMar 2001 – Oct 2015 Employment Duration14 yrs 8 mos
LocationJohannesburg Area, South Africa
AfricaHoldings.com | Moving Business.
To Invest, Consult and Facilitate Trade and Investment in Africa, Middle East and Europe.
Founder of Sikhona Forex (Pty) Ltd ( Authorised dealer in Foreign exchange) SOLD, Stokal Property (SOLD), Lions Entertainment (SOLD), Abyssinia Business and property investment ( SOLD), Travel online Click ( IATA accredited)(SOLD), TravelStoreMakerSA, MOCCA fashion magazine, Visible Link CC, Battery Extender, VoiceBlast, SmartReply, Self-Help, KIOSK, Jozi Cash'nCarry(SOLD), Johannesburg Shopping Center CC(SOLD) and Dual Investments (Pty) Ltd.
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Education
Academy of Leadership Sciences Switzerland
Academy of Leadership Sciences Switzerland
Degree NameMaster of Advanced Studies Field Of StudyLeadership International Economic Law
Dates attended or expected graduation 2015 – 2015
SBS Swiss Business School
SBS Swiss Business School
Degree NameMasters Field Of StudyInternational Management
Dates attended or expected graduation 2012 – 2013
Regenesys
Regenesys
Degree NameMasters Field Of StudyBusiness Administration
Dates attended or expected graduation 2010 – 2010
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Volunteer Experience
Shoe4Child.org
Founder
Company NameShoe4Child.org
Dates volunteeredFeb 2012 – Present Volunteer duration6 yrs 4 mos
Cause Children
Mission: Change The Life of Those, Who Have No HOPE!
Skills & Endorsements
Entrepreneurship
See 124 endorsements for Entrepreneurship99+
Endorsed by Louis David Spagnuolo and 7 others who are highly skilled at this
Management
See 105 endorsements for Management99+
Endorsed by Venish Dewrajh and 2 others who are highly skilled at this
Start-ups
See 92 endorsements for Start-ups92
Endorsed by DR. LISA CHRISTIANSEN and 5 others who are highly skilled at this
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Accomplishments
Tariku has 13 courses13
Expand courses section
Courses
Business Transaction Law Financial Managment Human Resource Management International Marketing and Research International Political Economy Introduction to Financial Accounting Marketing Management Operations and Supply chain managment Organizational Behaviour Poltics
Tariku has 6 honors6
Expand honors & awards section
Honors & Awards
The 2018 Business Excellence Award The 2017 Top Empowered Business of the Year award The 2016 Best Workplace Diversity and Inclusion strategy award WHO'S WHO STATUS! Finalist for South Africa's Premier Black Business award. Nominee for African Pioneer.
Tariku has 3 test scores3
Expand test scores section
Test Scores
Introduction to Leadership Theory . Business Strategy and Policy International Marketing and Research
Tariku has 2 languages2
Expand languages section
Languages
Amharic English
Tariku has 1 publication1
Expand publications section
Publication
The Serial Entrepreneur
Tariku Bogale
Tariku Bogale
Follow
Dynamic and successful entrepreneur Tariku Bogale was the driving force behind Africa Holdings, a company he launched, developed, grew, and sold. Africa Holdings was a multifaceted company comprising the Johannesburg Shopping Centre, Self-Help.co.za, Travel Click, Sikhona Forex, Lions Entertainment, TravelStoreMaker.co.za and VoiceBlast.biz. Tariku Bogale is the founder and CEO of Dual Groups LLC, Dual Films Inc, Dual Publisher LLC and ConnectSocial Inc.
As the founder and CEO of numerous companies, TARIKU BOGALE has done business in such diverse fields as Travel and Tourism, Retail, Real Estate, Finance, Technology, and Media and Commercial Filmmaking. A dynamic and visionary thinker, Tariku is driven by the search for innovative ideas and has established successful businesses in Africa, Europe, and the United States.
Tariku has been nominated as an African Pioneer for the Black Business Awards, the 2016 Best Workplace Diversity & Inclusion Strategy Award and the 2017 Top Empowered Business of the Year Award.
A strong believer in the power of education, Tariku funded his own education and furthered his studies in South Africa and Switzerland where he enrolled without a first degree for an MBA and an advanced masters studies in leadership international economic law. He is a serial entrepreneur, author, trusted advisor, film producer, actor, writer and philanthropist.
Unstoppable; Challenge Accepted
Aimee Jodoin
Clarion Reviews.
(Aug. 22, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 ForeWord
https://www.forewordmagazine.net/clarion/reviews.aspx
Full Text:
Tariku Bogale; UNSTOPPABLE; Dual Publisher (Nonfiction: Autobiography & Memoir) 19.99 ISBN:
9780998293400
Byline: Aimee Jodoin
This businessman's rags-to-riches tale, filled with adventure, is an entertaining read.
Entrepreneur -- and now author and actor -- Tariku Bogale has lived a remarkable life and has enjoyed
extraordinary success. His memoir, Unstoppable: Challenge Accepted, details some of his fascinating
adventures, from his childhood in Ethiopia to his business career in Switzerland and the United States.
Born in a poor Ethiopian village, Bogale was able to acquire an illegal passport to cross into Tanzania and
gain a proper education. His immigration status was discovered, however, and he spent many months as a
teenager running from the police -- and six months in jail. He escaped to South Africa, where he began his
rich and varied career with his first real job at a computer repair shop. After gaining contacts in the industry,
he started his own travel business, which he launched to great success, allowing him to gain further
education in Switzerland and ultimately continue growing his business in the United States.
The first fifteen or so years of his life are action-packed and inspiring, but only a few short chapters detail
this journey. While his adult life, too, is fascinating, Bogale appears to downplay the uniqueness of his
childhood in favor of sharing where his career has taken him. His many expensive activities, such as renting
an expensive apartment in New York and buying fancy cars and tuxedos, often come across as
braggadocious, though it is apparent that this success is the result of the great ambition and integrity he has
shown throughout his career. He often expresses his gratitude for those who have helped him and the
"angels" who watch over him; he's rightfully proud of his accomplishments but strikes a balance with
graciousness.
Despite this understanding that his success did not come from his own hard work alone, he cites overly
ambitious goals and hopes for his future. His belief that he lives a life of international intrigue and that film
directors want to cast him as the next James Bond comes across as grandiose. Almost every woman he
meets is model gorgeous and fawns over him unexpectedly -- though his author photo does reveal him to be
rather charming.
5/17/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1526580155653 2/3
The writing itself is forthright and no-nonsense with little elaborate description. More physical detail of the
various settings and scenes depicting his family life would be welcome. Occasional tense changes are
apparent, but Bogale writes with clarity and well-thought-out structure overall.
Unstoppable: Challenge Accepted may not be met with all the fanfare Bogale expects, or that his hard work
deserves, but it is an entertaining read.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
Jodoin, Aimee. "Unstoppable; Challenge Accepted." Clarion Reviews, 22 Aug. 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A502036135/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=c907574e.
Accessed 17 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A502036135
5/17/2018 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1526580155653 3/3
Bogale, Tariku: UNSTOPPABLE
Kirkus Reviews.
(Oct. 15, 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Bogale, Tariku UNSTOPPABLE Dual Publisher (Indie Nonfiction) $19.99 9, 21 ISBN: 978-0-9982934-0-0
An entrepreneur's debut memoir takes him from the wilds of Ethiopia to the neon lights of Hollywood.
In 1986, Bogale's parents were told he'd died in utero, so they traveled to the closest hospital, almost 250
miles from their home in Ethiopia's Amaro Mountains. After discovering that he was, in fact, alive, they
rejoiced and named him "Tariku," or "the story." The joy ended, however, when Bogale's father divorced his
mother within a few years and took him away to another village. (Later, when Bogale was living alone, he
took in his impoverished mother and siblings.) As a teen, he enrolled in computer classes and started a
company called Advanced Computer Technology. The memoir's action-packed first part is by far its most
engaging, painting a vivid picture of the author's early hardships. After being arrested for faking a
Tanzanian passport at 16, Bogale spent months in a nightmarish prison. He finally made it to South Africa,
where he hired a white man "to negotiate sometimes," because local racists didn't want to pay a black man.
Undaunted, he ventured into several other businesses and became rich; he also got married, which didn't
last. Part II is also intriguing, detailing how Bogale built a shopping center after fighting corrupt, powerful
forces. In spy-thriller fashion, the memoir takes the author to Switzerland, where he ran afoul of
immigration authorities, met an attorney and former model named Naomi, and found that his jackets kept
getting stolen. In Part III, Naomi's doppelgAaAaAeAnnger (or possibly Naomi herself) reappears in New
Yor after several rambling pages, however, she simply leaves. Part IV, however, will appeal to fans of lavish
Hollywood lifestyles; the author seems extremely label-conscious (he doesn't just drive--he drives a
Mercedes-Benz SL550) and drops famous names, such as director Steven Spielberg's. Still, Bogale's
friendly narrative voice always emanates confidence: "You might say that I have the heart and the senses of
a lion, noble in its bearing, attuned to the sounds and smells of his environment, and able to pounce with
great ferocity to make his killing."
A high-speed, energetic tale of a sometimes-bumpy ride from rags to riches.
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Bogale, Tariku: UNSTOPPABLE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2017. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A509243969/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=683715f6.
Accessed 17 May 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A509243969
UNSTOPPABLE
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Tariku Bogale
Dual Publisher (Sep 21, 2017)
$19.99 (234pp)
978-0-9982934-0-0
Clarion Rating: 4 out of 5
This businessman’s rags-to-riches tale, filled with adventure, is an entertaining read.
Entrepreneur—and now author and actor—Tariku Bogale has lived a remarkable life and has enjoyed extraordinary success. His memoir, Unstoppable: Challenge Accepted, details some of his fascinating adventures, from his childhood in Ethiopia to his business career in Switzerland and the United States.
Born in a poor Ethiopian village, Bogale was able to acquire an illegal passport to cross into Tanzania and gain a proper education. His immigration status was discovered, however, and he spent many months as a teenager running from the police—and six months in jail. He escaped to South Africa, where he began his rich and varied career with his first real job at a computer repair shop. After gaining contacts in the industry, he started his own travel business, which he launched to great success, allowing him to gain further education in Switzerland and ultimately continue growing his business in the United States.
The first fifteen or so years of his life are action-packed and inspiring, but only a few short chapters detail this journey. While his adult life, too, is fascinating, Bogale appears to downplay the uniqueness of his childhood in favor of sharing where his career has taken him. His many expensive activities, such as renting an expensive apartment in New York and buying fancy cars and tuxedos, often come across as braggadocious, though it is apparent that this success is the result of the great ambition and integrity he has shown throughout his career. He often expresses his gratitude for those who have helped him and the “angels” who watch over him; he’s rightfully proud of his accomplishments but strikes a balance with graciousness.
Despite this understanding that his success did not come from his own hard work alone, he cites overly ambitious goals and hopes for his future. His belief that he lives a life of international intrigue and that film directors want to cast him as the next James Bond comes across as grandiose. Almost every woman he meets is model gorgeous and fawns over him unexpectedly—though his author photo does reveal him to be rather charming.
The writing itself is forthright and no-nonsense with little elaborate description. More physical detail of the various settings and scenes depicting his family life would be welcome. Occasional tense changes are apparent, but Bogale writes with clarity and well-thought-out structure overall.
Unstoppable: Challenge Accepted may not be met with all the fanfare Bogale expects, or that his hard work deserves, but it is an entertaining read.
Reviewed by Aimee Jodoin
August 22, 2017