I just really dug this book, y’all. It’s a long read for sure, and I was stoked to be along for the ride. The story is expertly told and I hung on for every word. Also, I really really wish that Ifemelu’s blog, “Raceteenth or Various Observations About American Blacks (Those Formerly Known as Negroes) by a Non-American Black” was real because I would read the shit out of it. Is it real? Has someone made it real? I’m just assuming no but I also haven’t […]
“What happens when you are worthless in somebody’s eyes”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah was one of my favorite reads last year, and her Purple Hibiscus will be right up there on this year’s list, too. I don’t know how it took so long for me to find her books (correction: yes, I do), but she has quickly become one of my favorite writers. Purple Hibiscus tells the story of the Achike family through the eyes of Kambili, a young girl. Papa rules the family with an iron grip, infantilizing and militarizing and terrorizing his […]
Americanah
I have probably mentioned previously that my sister-in-law rating something five stars on Goodreads means I automatically add it to my To Read queue 9/10 times. Such was the case with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah. My new book club selected it for this month and so it got bumped to the top. And 477 pages later I am glad I did, though I struggle to think of what to say about it. Americanah is the story of two childhood sweethearts, Ifemelu and Obinze, and how […]
A useful little guide
This book arose from a letter to a friend. The friend had asked Adichie how to raise a feminist daughter and this book is Adichie’s answer. As books go it is fairly short, but I suppose that for a letter it is quite long. If you have read Adichie before (and if you haven’t you really should) her voice is strong and flowing in this letter and I enjoyed reading it. I wanted to buy ten copies and just throw them at anybody who’s expecting. […]