On the recommendation of my boy Cas-Uno I picked up a book called "Things Fall Apart" by African author Chinua Achebe. It tells the story of a prominent African tribesman who falls into a string of curses and is exiled from his tribe for 7 years. On return to his tribe, most everything has changed for the worse. Even in the face of superior adversity his tribal principles remain intact and unmoved. This short book is a great read. In-fact, it was the inspiration for the title of The Roots album  in 1999. Support your local library and go pick a copy up son!