Barbara Bonneau answers “I am reading Americanah, and I'm about...”

A Goodreads user asked this question about Americanah:

I am reading Americanah, and I'm about half way through. If, for the protagonist, Nigeria is 100 % good, and the USA is 100% bad, why come to the States?

Barbara Bonneau Anyone who has every lived abroad, regardless of their race, will come to identify with the protagonists. Of course, this book is also very enlighteni…moreAnyone who has every lived abroad, regardless of their race, will come to identify with the protagonists. Of course, this book is also very enlightening about the race issue, coming from a black person, faced with racial issues for the first time in her life. Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie hits the nail on the head when she says that it is impossible in the US for people to talk about the race issue in the US without being called on it. Her angle on the differences between Africans and African-Americans, basically her own realisation of race, allows her to open the question for White America in a refreshing new light. Race is not about genetics, it is about sociology. Through the eyes of an African woman, we have the opportunity to open our own. (less)

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