“You are not alone, and there a lot of people who would like to hold your hands and walk you back to your lively life,” said Urmila Patel, author of “Out of Uganda in 90 Days,” about what she would like her readers to take from her powerful and at times emotional reality she and her family experienced while attempting to escape the nightmare that was Uganda under the violent and genocidal dictator Idi Amin.

Patel spoke at DVC at a book talk sponsored by Community Education, which according to their link on the Diablo Valley College website has a mission to “provide affordable and enriching programs to enhance the lives of our community. We are a fee-based, not-for-credit, program, with classes that last from one day to several weeks.”

Patel read a few chapters from her novel and even answered questions from the students who came to listen to her speak.

For Patel, reading some of her experiences aloud were quite emotional, especially when she connects with a student while reading.

“It all depends on the chapter I’m reading, but if someone had watched me closely, at one point my eyes would fill with water.”

Even though this book has made such an impact on so many lives, Patel explains how hearing all the reactions from her readers has actually changed hers.

“I have come across many readers or people who have just held my book and opened themselves up. Some poured out years of their held emotions from their cocoon, by sharing their own experience, to me.”

Writing the novel was an experience on its own, as a few obstacles arose that forced Patel to relive some very emotional memories.

“In 2011, the pieces of paper I was writing my account on got wet. After that, I started putting my account on a word document and released a lot of emotions each time I went through (the document)…”

What makes Patel unique as an author is her determination to make sure her “book is not out there to be placed somewhere in a corner to get dusty.”

She believes strongly in the impact her journey has had on her, and is motivated to share with others with hope that at least one reader can relate to her story.

Patel’s mission behind her novel is “helping students, or anyone, learn about East Africa and Uganda, to know the history and culture, to know what has been going on in this world and how one person’s greed can effect hundreds and thousands of people and their generations to come.”

Take the time to read, and maybe even relate to Urmila Patel’s fantastic story and her message behind it.