Shana 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?

Shana If what you meant by this comment was "it's hard for me to hear this criticism of the US without getting defensive", then I understand your sentiments…moreIf what you meant by this comment was "it's hard for me to hear this criticism of the US without getting defensive", then I understand your sentiments. I am an American living in South Africa (for 5 years now), and I thought I would love hearing an African's perspective on my home country, but actually most of the time I have to stop reading and remind myself to not be so defensive. I often find myself reading and thinking I don't like the main character, Ifemelu, very much because of what she's saying and how she says it.

That being said, though it's hard at times to be hear, I do think an outsider's perspective is incredibly valuable because they are not so deeply-rooted in the society they are commenting on, just like how I notice things about South Africa that possibly a lot of locals take for granted because they grew up here. There is a lot we can learn from new perspectives, and like Chimamanda herself has said, there need to be a lot more narratives! Though I don't always like hearing her critiques, I applaud the author's bravery in voicing them.

As a side note, I have also watched Adichie's Ted Talks and read some of her other work, and liking the author has helped me through a lot of the hard parts. I am also half way through the book, and if anyone has other advice or suggestions on how I can minimise my defensiveness, it would be greatly appreciated :) (less)

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