Book Review 78
Name Of The Book : Americanah
Author : Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Publisher : 4th Estate (an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers)
Year : 2017
Category : Fiction
Review :
As teenagers in Lagos, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Their Nigeria is under military dictatorship, and people are fleeing the country if they can. The self-assured Ifemelu departs for America. There she suffers defeats and triumphs, finds and loses relationships, all the while feeling the weight of something she never thought of back home: race. Obinze had hoped to join her, but post-9/11 America will not let him in, and he plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Thirteen years later, Obinze is a wealthy man in a newly democratic Nigeria, while Ifemelu has achieved success as a blogger. But after so long apart and so many changes, will they find the courage to meet again, face to face? Fearless, gripping, spanning three continents and numerous lives, ‘Americanah’ is a richly told story of love and expectation set in today’s globalized world.
The book is divided into seven parts. It begins with the protagonist Ifemelu taking a decision to return to Nigeria after more than a decade of living in America. She visits a small salon to do her hair and we are taken through the journey of her life from when she was an adolescent studying in Nigeria to her present decision to leave America. She leaves for America when she is young and leaves her lover Obnize behind. Obnize is later forced to go to London and spend a considerable amount of time there before returning to Nigeria. When Ifemelu returns after fifteen years, they meet again, but the circumstances are very different. The book has a powerful female protagonist and the character development is excellent. Obnize is also a very likeable character. Through the journey of Ifemelu, we understand how modern-day racism affects Africans in America. The blog which Ifemelu writes boldly states the inconvenient truth and I really loved it. Throughout the story, we are shown the example of the curly African hair as against the straight hair of white Americans which affect their lives deeply at every stage. The book is captivating in every way, and surely enlightening. I was able to gain deep insight into the topic of culture, race and discrimination. The seventh part is my favourite - the emotional depth is impressive. The characters express raw emotions and they are unapologetic; this makes the story highly realistic and relatable. Though the primary focus is on racism, the author does not forget to highlight the issue of sexism. This book is one of the most well-written books with a strong woman of colour as the central character. Chimamanda has become one of my favourite authors and this book is my new favourite. I urge all of to pick up this book and devour it while understanding the nuances of racism and sexism.
Rating : 5/5
Name Of The Book : Americanah
Author : Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Publisher : 4th Estate (an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers)
Year : 2017
Category : Fiction
Review :
As teenagers in Lagos, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Their Nigeria is under military dictatorship, and people are fleeing the country if they can. The self-assured Ifemelu departs for America. There she suffers defeats and triumphs, finds and loses relationships, all the while feeling the weight of something she never thought of back home: race. Obinze had hoped to join her, but post-9/11 America will not let him in, and he plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Thirteen years later, Obinze is a wealthy man in a newly democratic Nigeria, while Ifemelu has achieved success as a blogger. But after so long apart and so many changes, will they find the courage to meet again, face to face? Fearless, gripping, spanning three continents and numerous lives, ‘Americanah’ is a richly told story of love and expectation set in today’s globalized world.
The book is divided into seven parts. It begins with the protagonist Ifemelu taking a decision to return to Nigeria after more than a decade of living in America. She visits a small salon to do her hair and we are taken through the journey of her life from when she was an adolescent studying in Nigeria to her present decision to leave America. She leaves for America when she is young and leaves her lover Obnize behind. Obnize is later forced to go to London and spend a considerable amount of time there before returning to Nigeria. When Ifemelu returns after fifteen years, they meet again, but the circumstances are very different. The book has a powerful female protagonist and the character development is excellent. Obnize is also a very likeable character. Through the journey of Ifemelu, we understand how modern-day racism affects Africans in America. The blog which Ifemelu writes boldly states the inconvenient truth and I really loved it. Throughout the story, we are shown the example of the curly African hair as against the straight hair of white Americans which affect their lives deeply at every stage. The book is captivating in every way, and surely enlightening. I was able to gain deep insight into the topic of culture, race and discrimination. The seventh part is my favourite - the emotional depth is impressive. The characters express raw emotions and they are unapologetic; this makes the story highly realistic and relatable. Though the primary focus is on racism, the author does not forget to highlight the issue of sexism. This book is one of the most well-written books with a strong woman of colour as the central character. Chimamanda has become one of my favourite authors and this book is my new favourite. I urge all of to pick up this book and devour it while understanding the nuances of racism and sexism.
Rating : 5/5