Americanah in Litsy Reading Challenge 2017

Sep 27, 2016 Chessa rated it it was amazing

This book is a masterpiece. Adichie wields her powers of observation like a scalpel - I would hate to be under her scrutiny, but wow, does it make for amazing writing. She brings to the surface emotions and intuitions that are so fleeting, we may not even be consciously aware that we have them - but we recognize them all the same.

This was an absolutely enthralling story of love and self-discovery. I feel extremely privileged to have visited the world of Ifemelu and Obinze.

Just, so sharp. So in ...more

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Sep 28, 2015 Scarlett Sims rated it it was amazing

Shelves: leisure, multicultural, own, contemporary, audio, women, favorites

This is easily the best book I've read so far this year and I can't imagine how good something would be to top it. I absolutely think every American needs to read this book. I had heard a lot about it, but it just didn't seem up my alley. Then I was stocking up on audiobooks from an Audible sale and I grabbed this one and I'm so glad I did.

Not only does she tell a compelling story, Adichie made me think about so many things. She points out not only differences between white culture and black cul ...more

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Oct 06, 2017 Kris rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-star-books

Some books open your eyes to perspectives you have not considered before - this was one of those books for me. Adichie is skilled in writing a book for an English-speaking audience that broadens the scope of their knowledge of both immigrant and African experiences. It is funny and relateable, all while also being foreign and poignant. The characters are likable but far from perfect, and they make choices that can be criticized, but don't we all? Their humanness is what makes the book easy to co ...more

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Aug 19, 2017 Jaclyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I really liked this book. I felt like it put me in someone else's shoes - someone who is black, someone who is not from the US but came to live here. There is so much more that goes on than I realized. This book was an eye opener for me in many ways. I am glad I read it. I think this is a great book for book clubs. So much to discuss. One thing I want to remember from this book (and the discussion I had with my book club) is the importance of really listening to each other.

I did like the love st ...more

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Jun 30, 2013 Kimberly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: page-to-screen, library-book, 2014, lady-wordsmiths, poc-author, e-book

I enjoyed Half Of A Yellow Sun more than this book. Americanah was strongest when the focus was on Ifemelu, especially her experiences in America and sharing her observations on race.

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Sep 11, 2017 Jessica rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

I started out really enjoying this story but I slowly began suffering from topic burn-out based on a clearly too close-proximity read of White Teeth by Zadie Smith.

That's not to say that all "immigrant stories" are the same, but it is true in this case that the two stories - one about Pakistani and Jamaican immigrants to the UK (White Teeth) and one about Nigerian immigrants to the US (with one stop-off in the UK) (Americanah) share a remarkable amount of similarities in their expressions of th I started out really enjoying this story but I slowly began suffering from topic burn-out based on a clearly too close-proximity read of White Teeth by Zadie Smith.

That's not to say that all "immigrant stories" are the same, but it is true in this case that the two stories - one about Pakistani and Jamaican immigrants to the UK (White Teeth) and one about Nigerian immigrants to the US (with one stop-off in the UK) (Americanah) share a remarkable amount of similarities in their expressions of the experiences.

Both stories focus largely on the ideas of brown people immigrating to "white" countries - or at least out of countries where they are the majority. Both deal with the struggles of being a dual citizen and of maintaining their home country traditions while blending into new country expectations. White Teeth manages to do that with minimal reliance on a romantic relationship arc. Americanah's story completely relies on a romantic relationship arc(s).

Americanah also takes a point of order about the importance of naming that I don't quite grasp but that causes a lot of extra paying attention to people who don't really matter to the point of the story. Almost every person the main character comes across is endowed with a name. There's never just "the passenger next to her" or "the downstairs housemate" which makes it difficult to assess which experiences are more important and which are less so. Reader fatigue can set in pretty quickly.

This is not to say there aren't gems. There are several good, insightful scenes. There are more than a dozen good one liners. It doesn't necessarily make all 500 pages worthwhile.

The most important insight comes in the form of identifying that "black" only exists in America. That in other countries in the world, race is not the primary feature of a class structure or of a system of opportunity. Although this is neither an original nor an under-addressed topic, Adichie handles it well and insightfully.

I think the final dividing line between the two books is that I would still recommend Americanah to readers who like a detailed, character-heavy story driven by male/female romantic relationships with some insight into an unfamiliar culture and some relevant social commentary, but for a lot of that, plus literature and language, it's White Teeth, hand's down. ...more

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Nov 12, 2016 Rachel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

There are so many wonderful layers to this book. It's full of ideas, it's funny, and it's poignant. It's also like one long mic drop. So glad I finally read (or listened to) it. ...more

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Mar 04, 2018 Debbie rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love as teenagers in Nigeria, but go their separate ways during their university days because of the endless strikes. In the uncertain times following 9/11, Ifemelu goes to college in America, while Obinze tries his luck as an illegal immigrant in England. Eventually, they find themselves back in Nigeria, where they have to make some hard choices. Will they find their way back to each other or have their paths diverged too much?

Perceptive observations about race and c ...more

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Nov 12, 2016 Lia rated it it was amazing

Shelves: available-cnl

Loved it. This is my second book set in Africa in the past month.

Homegoing was the other.

Both 5* reads.
This one a modern love story set between Nigeria and USA.

Highly recommend both books.

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