One young, black man making great strides within the collegiate community as an author is Tobias Brown. The senior marketing student from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio recently had one of his works titled “It’s Easier Than you Think!” published by Jossey-Bass. In the book, Brown shares the story of how he went from a 1.2 cumulative grade point average to a 3.93 on a 4.0 scale. He attests that using his methods, it is possible for anyone to improve their grades.
The Famuan: What was your motivation for writing this book?
Brown: I wanted to find out what makes one of the ‘greats’ great, and I thought the most logical thing to do would be to follow successful people around in order to observe their styles of learning and personalities.
I noticed a lot of similarities, so I categorized these recurring traits and modeled them. After making these changes and gradually moving up academically, my friends began to question how I did it, forcing me to put it down on paper in the form of an extended outline-that eventually evolved into a book.
One of my personal philosophies is that in order to change our society we must build broken down cities and help those that are in need-build an empire that will solve problems for everyone.
This alone challenged me to go out and help other students with my book and any other venues available. Although the life every man walks is his own, we all have a responsibility to help others, because our talents haven’t been granted to us not for ourselves, but for others.
The Famuan: What are the five principles that your book is based on and how did you come up with them?
Brown: If a student is able to prioritize, set goals, communicate, chart progress, and utilize time management along with discipline, than they are destined for the top. And because time is one of the most valuable commodities we have, it is important to not waste it. We have to treat school like a job.
The Famuan: What or who are some of your inspirations?
Brown: My mother is my rock, along with my twin brother, who is always there to motivate me and keep me going.
The Famuan: Could you tell me a little bit about your national book tour and any other plans you have in the near future?
Brown: The tour is set to be a 200-300 city tour and we will probably visit about two schools in every state along with churches, synagogues, and any other venues available. Right now, I’m considering taking a year off to pursue the tour full time. I plan on starting with historically black colleges and universities because I’m so grateful for the opportunities that Central gave me and I want to be able to help the students at these schools overcome these types of challenges.
My book “It’s Easier Than you Think!” as well as another book I co-authored with Dr. Michael J. Cuyjet, associate dean of graduate school at the University of Louisville, titled “African American Men in College” (Jossey-Bass) are both due out nationwide in late March of this year.
Contact Yewande Addie at famuanlifestyles@hotmail.com