Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion
book discussions
>
Discussion: Americanah
Mod
Londa, what did you mean by Shan may have spilled the beans on Ifemelu? My memory is really bad, did someone snitch o Blaine about Ifemelu?
Columbus, Ifem never found out how Blaine knew. it could have been any number of people that innocently mentioned where she really was. I just envisioned Shan doing it.
Mod
Oh, ok. Thought I had missed something and that certainly wouldn't be surprising.
Columbus wrote: "I just finished the book a couple of hours ago and honestly, I was a little afraid it wouldn't end well. That somehow this book couldn't possibly have a good ending as well as all the other good things it has going for it. I was so wrong. I thought the ending was the best part of the book. This is easily my favorite book this year by far and I've read some really good books this year. ... I made note of so many comments from the book that after awhile I got tired of jotting them down."I had the exact same experience. I was maybe 2/3rds of the way through the book and I just had this gut feeling like, "Oh this is NOT going to end well..." And then, further on, I was like, "Maybe it WILL end well!" Then I changed my mind. (view spoiler)
I also made a ton of notes from this book. Usually I don't take a single note from fiction (although I do usually put a fair amount of sticky notes in a good nonfiction), but this book had over 100 notes in it by the time I finished.
Columbus wrote: "Yes, it is really interesting to think about the race issue in Nigeria or better yet the lack of one. I think Ifemelu/Adichie mentions that the bigger issue is not race but class issues. Same for E..."So very true. I couldn't get over how the braider wanted Ifem to talk to her boyfriend to prove Igbo could marry other than Igbo. She was so naive. We definitely saw the differences in class and status in the hair shop.
I wonder if anybody else took note of the brown paper bag dust cover of the book. That color was once the standard for black people to be allowed entre into certain black (or should I say Negro) social circles.I forget if Adichie mentioned it in an interview, or if it was mentioned in the book.
Sarah wrote: "I wonder if anybody else took note of the brown paper bag dust cover of the book. That color was once the standard for black people to be allowed entre into certain black (or should I say Negro) s..."YES! YES! I meant to mention this before. With book covers being so sophisticated these days, I noticed how plain it was, and I have read some reviews that talk about how dull it is. I thought "This looks just like a paper bag" then I thought "Ohhhh! How clever!" She did mention the paper-bag-test in one of the blog posts in the book (I think it's the the one about Why Black women love Obama for picking Michelle, a darker skinned woman) I haven't seen Adichie mention it anywhere though.
Mod
http://www.eurweb.com/2013/06/mariah-...
Columbus wrote: "No, I wasn't aware of that, Sarah. I'll have to look for that blog posting. Well, the colorism theme lives on....http://www.eurweb.com/2013/06/mariah-..."
I should write a blog post, "What's a high-yalla actor to do, or 'Thank you Terrence Howard.'"
Well, I'm going to just dive in because I am going to miss the whole discussion if I don't.I am on page 205 of 470 and I am a little surprised at how slow going this one is for me. Maybe my e-pages are bigger?? LOL. I think it is probably because there is so much information in here, some blatant, a lot of it read between the lines, but all of it sounding loudly with the ring of Truth, and so I am taking a lot of notes (which I see others have mentioned). Also, I have a slight problem with how the chapters have been organized, I was very confused when the flashback started in the middle of Chapter 3, and then lasted 15 chapters! For some reason, I felt like it was dragging because the flashback didn't feel like the main storyline. Maybe if each part had subtitles my brain would known what to expect, like Part One: Present Day, Part Two: The Early Years, ... It's interesting to compare the format to Ghana Must Go because the first part of that book was mostly flashback, too. In Ghana, I was more confused because the timeline was so chaotic, back and forth to random moments, but I found it more engaging because I wasn't waiting for us to resume the current timeline as I was in Americanah until I finally accepted the new timeline.
That said, I am finding the first two teaser chapters to be very effective, since it makes me curious both about what happened in the past, and what's going to happen in the future. For example, as I was reading about Ifemelu and Obinze in Nigeria, and during their transatlantic communications, I found myself agonizing more and more over what happened to end their relationship. It was breaking my heart. And then when it happened, it did break my heart. I totally understood how Ifemelu shut down, and then delayed and delayed out of guilt, and it was heartbreaking.
I will have to also chime in about the ongoing hair commentary. As a white man raised around "white hair" I am finding it very enlightening, and it is also making me want to go back and rewatch Chris Rock's "Good Hair"; that was an eye-opening film for me. I guess it is not ironic that I was very moved by Curt's reaction to Ifemelu relaxing her hair and to her childhood "hair injury". There was something poignant about Ifemelu, who resents this sacrifice of herself but has always been familiar with the fact of it among her peers, has accepted it as a part of the price exacted by racist society, but then she glimpses her situation through Curt's eyes, who can barely wrap his head around the travesty, the wrongness. I thought his words, "It's so f**king wrong that you have to do this" were a great summary of the effects of racism in general, and I'm thinking Ms. Adichie is using the hair conversations as a way to represent the conversation about racism and tie together the ongoing injustices under analysis in the book.
Having just read about her hair straightening, I am wondering what her arc will be from here to the current time when she is proselytizing in the hair salon. I also wondered about her accent, since she didn't mention it during the interview. I assume she kept using her Nigerian accent, and I wonder if she thought it affected the interview one way or the other.
Sarah wrote: "...yes we are talking about hair again. But there is another thread in that beauty shop conversation about African ethnic differences. "Igbo will marry only Igbo". So even though Ifemelu tells herself that race was not an issue until she came to the USA, there are in fact perceived differences of class and tribe in Africa. "Good point, Sarah, and I enjoyed reading the follow-up comments about perceived race and color differences in response to this post. One thing that struck me was how the "kept" mistresses in Nigeria all went out to get Chinese weave-ons, "shiny and straight as straight could be". There is such an interesting intersection of class and race and color here, that the privileged Nigerian women (given temporary class privilege by upper class Nigerian men because of their beauty?) buy Chinese hair because it makes them look whiter. Nigerians may not know what it means to be "American black", but the side-effects of colonialism and American dominance seem to permeate the culture.
Mod
No spoilers beyond this point so those still reading beware!
What notes did you make in chapters 5, 6 and 7? Anything?
Chapter 6 is a total of 3 pages long but it's an emotional and powerful one for me. The relationship between Ifemelu and Dike is so special and sort of humanized her - for lack of a better word - after some of the problematic or questionable things she's done. This short chapter basically is all Ifem and Dike and the trauma surrounding his suicide attempt. She takes him to Miami for a mini vacation and to decompress, relax and unwind. So, so emotional.
Columbus wrote: The relationship between Ifemelu and Dike is so special and sort of humanized her - for lack of a better word - after some of the problematic or questionable things she's done."I agree with that, but the book left it to our imagination to discern the cause of the suicide attempt. He seemed to be a happy teenager, in spite of losing a father who wasn't really in his life, and being ripped from his home to be taken to US by a mother who was totally immersed in her career.
Maybe Ifem helped to ground him emotionally.
i finished the book a few days ago and i have read all the comments. all very interesting and compelling. thank you everyone. i wanted to bring to your attention the brouhaha that followed adichie's boston review interview, which i found, even before knowing of the brouhaha, a little cutting (i was near the end of the book and it sort of soured it for me -- briefly). anyway, this is a blog post that mentions it. the writer is sympathetic to adichie, which i like. i wonder whether anyone has any thoughts on the whole thing.
oh, i also want to say that i found the book amazing and mind-blowing and downright exceptional. i guess all this enthusiasm has kept me from writing here about it, because i don't know i can find the words to support it! and, michael, it's taking you long because it's a bloody long book!
Though I'm not black or from an African country this book became very personal to me. Just as Ifemelu I also lived in the US for about 14 years. Adichie was so keen to describe the disappointment Ifemelu left when instead she of the "Real America" she found herself in a small apartment in Brooklyn. In a neighborhood with other African imigrants. The feelings described were my and the same. The difference in my the families were hispanic, where the corner store ower didn't speak English. This takes to where Ifemelu mentions that she became black in America. Classifying people was new to me as well. Her confusion about Dike's first babysitter being hispanic since in Nigeria she would be considered white. I'm from Chile were the only black persons I had seen was on TV. I had a hard time understanding why the Indian kid in high school wasn't black if the skin color fit the criteria, was it because his hair was straight?
There are some many more comparisons in this book. I'm completely fascinated by Adichie's observations all the way down to the return home to Nigeria where she asked for fries from real potatoes. She might not be black anymore but she became American.
i must say that i chuckled all through this book in more or less the same vein layla did, because the things ifemulu finds strange in america are the things i found strange when i came here from italy more than 20 years ago, and find strange still. the laughter that is not meant to be laughed with and the laughter that is meant to be laughed with. the ways some groups (ethnic?) laugh and other groups laugh. people taking you for a tour of their homes! so normal to americans and so so odd to nigerians, apparently, and italians too. people offering your water but not offering you food. so much strangeness. i've been here for so long and i still feel so unintegrated, so foreign. and yet, when i go home, people no longer consider me italian, say stuff like "you americans" (this includes my family) and it's so strange. when i'm here i'm not entitled to say things about america because it's "you italians," when i'm in italy i get all this "you americans."this is captured beautifully, the predicament of the middle-class immigrant.
i love the way adichie uses the blog posts to give a rundown of the main ways in which racism manifests itself in this country. if you are a teacher, those posts alone are gold.
i love the way the novel is structured and didn't find difficult to follow the temporal shifts. in fact, the ease with which it goes back and forth seems to me absolutely virtuosistic. i didn't try to keep all the characters straight. i just let the story carry me and it was a great journey.
i envy ifemulu because she came to the east coast. the west coast gave me the culture shock of a lifetime.
but i don't envy ifemulu her black skin and the tragedy of poverty and racism -- until a prince in shining armor showed up. being white and italian gives you about five or six legs up. in fact, people forgive you so damn much, it's embarrassing.
it seems to me that this book unpacks american blackness in a masterful, masterful way, and it seems to me easily the most accomplished of adichie's books. but since it's a lighter book (no war, no tragedies), since it's about womanness and hair, and since it's a love story, of course it wasn't nominated for a booker prize (her two previous novels both were), which i find a crying shame.
i put this alongside the work of richard wright, james baldwin, nella larsen, ralph ellison, ann petry and toni morrison (to name a few) in the canon of great literature about race in america.
Mod
Columbus writes:
Oh Jo, I really agree with this statement so much. But unlike yourself and some of the others in this group, I've only read Americanah and not Half or Hibiscus and therefore have nothing to compare it to. I keep expecting more recognition for this book out of this early award season but nothing so far. I truly believe Americanah is every bit as good as some of the best work of the authors you referenced and will be around longer than any of the books currently gathering honors.
I'm beginning to agree with these sentiments. I got to a point where I realized Americanah was reminding me of Invisible Man because of the constant influx of new situations and new characters all conjured to look at race and in this case immigration/emigration and other issues from all of these different angles. I am overwhelmed.The chronology and timeline still trip me up occasionally but I think this is also like Ellison's epic in that the sequence of events is not as important as the context and content of the events.
I am also realizing that some of my resistance to this book (as a white person) is that whereas I could distance myself somewhat from the harsh realities of Invisible Man because the events were so dramatic and were not from my era, Americanah hits a lot closer to home. I see what people are talking about with the "squirm factor". Amidst all the lampooning Ms. Adichie is doing in this story I have been having this sinking feeling that, hey, she is talking about me, too.
Mod
I thought the ending was reasonable. clearly, they were intended for each other until they allowed life to get in the way. mostly Ifemelu did of course. In a sense, I don't know how it could have ended differently. as for where they go from here, well obviously they live happily forever after, of course. well, maybe a good part of the time anyway. enjoyed the book, finished it only yesterday.
The ending was certainly the ending that I expected, but I can't say that I loved it. I felt sorry for Obinze's wife, whose only crime was not being Ifemelu. I haven't commented about this book because I couldn't decide how I felt about it. The blog post and the general commentary about race, immigration, and American and Nigerian society were brilliant. I felt a bit as if the plot was superimposed on the commentary. The book appealed to me intellectually and, of course, Adiche is a brilliant writer, but this book didn't capture my heart the way that Half Of A Yellow Sun did.
Various characters became disposable to get Ifemalu from point A to Z, where she reunites with Obinze. She didn't end up with Blaine and the rich guy, beacause she wasn't meant for them. Obinze's wife was no different. Various folks did nothing wrong in particular, so it's hard to emotionally connect with Ifemelu on occasions. We want to like her, but she does things that aren't particularly likeable. I agree that the commentary and the blog are the book, not the plot, sort of an African Innocents Abroad in which she spares no one, even herself it would seem.
I will review past posts but so behind, just in book 2 at this point...and wondered why Ifemelu was with Obinize (sp) one time, check herself, and nurse claims she's not pregnant...then you read a couple paragraphs on and find out it seems like she aborted it with his mother making sure it happens. I have learned with Nigerians that they call their elders: Aunty and Uncle, who are not actually their relatives and sometimes do the same with friends as Brother and Sister...so at times it is hard to tell who is related by blood or by culture.
Londa wrote: "Columbus wrote: "Oh well, there's still lot's more to discuss including: blogs including Job Vacancy in America on pg 316; Dear American Non-Black on page 326; Traveling While Black pg 331; Is Obam..."Yes as I converse and chatted with a Nigerian man, as I was learning from the outside about their culture...they are used to see Black people even in high positions, and rarely see other races like Caucasians unless they are tourists. Therefore, it can be a culture shock for us going there to see this or them coming here, since it is a culture issue all the time about race. Even among the Hispanics (which I have Spanish/Spaniard blood), they label them as White Hispanics (Latinos/Latinas) to Black Hispanics, which one are you...I recall that when I was working a library and one woman was Hispanic. On the job application sometimes will ask as well.
the colonial experience itself was very short for most of the country, over and done with in one lifetime.
Mod
Whew, Adichie is shaking things up in Nigeria! When I first read this piece in the Boston Review not long after it was posted, I thought absolutely nothing critical or even semi-controversial of it at the time. Some of it could be left to interpretation, though- such as Adichie referring to one of her students as "one of my boys" - although for me it didn't really come off as being dismissive, arrogant or anything of that nature. In fact, I thought it was a sort of an appreciation or respect. After reading it again with regards to the sensitivity expressed by those affected by it, I can see how one might have felt slighted or could come off as disparaging.
It's all rather unfortunate though. I mean if you look no further than our May, July & August discussion selections - Americanah; Ghana Must Go; & We Need New Names, respectively (Nigeria/Zimbabwe/Ghana represented) - this is a time of real celebration throughout the African diaspora.
Incidentally, I was aware Nigeria was the most populous African country, but I had no idea that it was double the number of Ethiopia - second in population (177mil to 86 mil) if wiki is correct. I do understand that the size of the population alone doesn't explain the wealth of incredible writers here or diminish the dearth of writers from some other less populous countries.
Columbus wrote: "What did you think about the ending? Is it a hopeful or honest one for you? What happens to Ifemelu and Obinze? Where do they go from here?"It wasn't really the ending I was expecting. About 3/4 through the book, I just had this feeling that Obinze & Ifemelu weren't going to get together and would have to make their own separate ways, maybe not happy but content and wise and okay or whatever--it just seemed like the depressing "literary" thing to do. It was definitely hopeful to me. It seemed fairly honest too. It's true that a child can sense when their parents are unhappy and I think staying in a loveless marriage full of resentment and unhappiness is less healthy for a child than one where the parents are separated but both present and loving and happy.
Mod
Thank you, Columbus, for a great discussion again! Just an amazing amount of material here and I'm sure the discussion could go on for months; I'm impressed that you managed to cover so many topics.And I am humbled by everyone's candor on their own experiences with race/international travels/origins. I'm very grateful for this group and everyone's willingness to go right to the nitty gritty.
I am almost up to date reading everyone's comments, though I have been skipping the "ending" posts since I am just 40 pages away (Obinze and Ifem are in the book shop as we speak).
jo wrote: "and, michael, it's taking you long because it's a bloody long book! "
LOL, just saw this comment, jo, I missed it the first time. It is longer than others I've been reading lately. It caught me off guard!
How are my partners in crime doing, Jennifer, Creolecat - did you all finish, any thoughts? I will probably post again once I finish if there is anyone still here!!
Mod
Hey, thanks so much, Michael! ...and, take your time with the book and let all the goodness of Adichie marinate! :)
Oh. My. God.I can't believe that ending, I was weeping. I didn't realize how sad I was about the loss of their relationship until that final line flooded me, and I could stop holding my breath. Ms. Adichie is a genius the way she was wrapping everything up just like Obinze said, "letting it be the poetic tragedy of our lives". I don't know what it was about how she described their love for each other, but it was so palpable to me, I could feel my heartbeat every time they were together. I never really got over the drifting apart for 12 years (and obviously neither did they).
Well, certainly more to talk about, the love affair was only half the book, but I will have to come back to this thread once I compose my thoughts...
Wilhelmina wrote: "The ending was certainly the ending that I expected, but I can't say that I loved it. I felt sorry for Obinze's wife, whose only crime was not being Ifemelu. ........The blog post and the general commentary about race, immigration, and American and Nigerian society were brilliant. I felt a bit as if the plot was superimposed on the commentary. The book appealed to me intellectually and, of course, Adiche is a brilliant writer, but this book didn't capture my heart ..... "I agree with all of this. I knew that Ifemelu was going to get her way once again as she had been for much of the novel. If her character stays true to her past behavior, she might not even stay with Obinze once the thrill of getting him back is over.
Like Wilhelmina, I really appreciated the commentary in the book, but it is not one that I fell in love with.
Great discussion! I have really enjoyed reading along with you all.
Okay, here is my summary post to follow up on a few thoughts.I thought the section on Ifemelu and the tennis coach and her resulting depression was done very well. Having some experience with depression myself, it was totally believable to me that she would not be able to talk to the one person who would love her (Obinze), exactly because she was afraid she was unlovable. Also, I couldn't help but be reminded of the many ways families of African descent have been torn apart and scattered by the legacy of slavery and racism. Although it could be argued that her experience with the tennis coach was an example of how women are harmed by sexist inequalities, the situation that brought her to that decision: being separated from her support system (parents, Obinze), being ignored for job opening after job opening, seemed to be very much based on her race and country of origin. I was left with the feeling that she lost her relationship with Obinze largely due to the hardships she experienced as an immigrant of color.
I think the London section was not as entertaining (maybe the lack of blog entries, maybe Obinze is a less expressive character), but I agree with Desiree and others about how Obinze's experience in London was effective in showing more examples of the perils of the immigration process. A few people mentioned how Ifemelu got "lucky", and Sarah talked about it being hurtful to see Obinze struggling while Ifemulu had found her safety net. It does highlight the randomness and indifference of the system. I think Ms. Adichie did a good job of showing how fragile these situations are, how one can easily be defeated/destroyed by the obstacles to immigration/emigration, and how success may have nothing to do with your effort.
Wendy wrote: "I'd like to know what other people think about Ifem's relationships with Curt and with Blaine. What struck me is that she seemed to lose her identity and became completely absorbed into their lives."
I agree that she was more herself with Obinze than the other two men, she seemed to let Curt and Blaine's "cultural backgrounds" dominate, maybe because she never felt at home in America. But she still had her blog and her other friends during all of this, I don't think she was completely subsumed. One thing I noticed, though, was that she felt inadequate with all three of them, even Obinze. I can't give exact quotes because I no longer have the book, but I remember her feeling jealous and insecure, even when she was with Obinze she thought her best friend was more appropriate because they both came from money and she thought they had more in common than Ifemulu and Obinze did. Is this a class issue? A product of sexism/competition? Or just her personality?
Paige wrote: "I felt bad for (Curt) when Ifem cheated (although I, like Ifem, wished he had not called her names)."
I thought this was interesting, that he decided to use a sexist epithet, but not a racist one. I had the feeling that Curt wouldn't think to go there, because he did not have the emotional investment across racial lines that he did across sex lines. Anyone have other thoughts on this?
Desiree, I agree with your comments about Kosi not being a good fit, and I also found Ifemulu not so likable but still fascinating. Obinze's intent to divorce Kosi seemed unfortunate, but honest, and his accountability around Buchi and realizing his continued presence in her life was most important, was uplifting.
Londa wrote: "I knew that Ifemelu was going to get her way once again as she had been for much of the novel. If her character stays true to her past behavior, she might not even stay with Obinze once the thrill of getting him back is over."
Ouch! I guess she had a lot of people put up with her criticisms/commitment issues, but I thought she struggled a lot as well, and always felt incomplete after she and Obinze stopped talking. My take on it was the last scene put up the possibility of a changed Ifemelu. She did not want to welcome him because it was everything she hoped for and she is used to running from that. I thought they were both incredibly brave at the end.
Michael wrote: " Although it could be argued that her experience with the tennis coach was an example of how women are harmed by sexist inequalities, the situation that brought her to that decision: being separated from her support system (parents, Obinze), being ignored for job opening after job opening, seemed to be very much based on her race and country of origin. I was left with the feeling that she lost her relationship with Obinze largely due to the hardships she experienced as an immigrant of color."I just want to point out that it doesn't have to be one or the other. Women are victims of sexism no matter their color, and immigrants of color have other systems of oppression that work against them on top of that. (See intersectional feminism.) Although her race and immigrant status of course played a huge role in the tennis coach situation, Obinze (also a black immigrant) did not have a similar run in, and if Ifemelu had been male it is unlikely that it would have occurred (not impossible--just less likely). It's not "either it was sexism OR racism, but not both!" but rather that there were lots of factors impacting Ifemelu's experience.
Michael wrote: "I thought this was interesting, that he decided to use a sexist epithet, but not a racist one. I had the feeling that Curt wouldn't think to go there, because he did not have the emotional investment across racial lines that he did across sex lines."
Definitely--Curt seems well meaning enough to not be consciously racist so probably wouldn't think to go there. Also, maybe it's an indication that he didn't really see Ifemelu "as being black" (I think it was hinted elsewhere that he was sort of "colorblind" or went along with that mindset--offering any excuse for people hating on Ifem besides her blackness). And after all, in that moment she was hurting him in her capacity as a woman in a heterosexual romantic relationship.
Thanks for your feedback, Paige, those are great points. I'm glad you raised the issue of intersectionality because I can see I was going astray in my post. I had intended to argue that it wasn't just sexism that was so devastating to Ifemelu in that situation, but now I see I went the other way and implied it was either/or instead of analyzing how the oppressions were interacting. That link was interesting, too, I hadn't seen that website and it looks like a great resource.Curt was fascinating to me; I agree that he seemed to think of himself as "colorblind", and yet I also heard people say Curt had a bit of exoticism going on. I think he made a point of saying he had never slept with a Black woman before, which seems to support that idea. Their relationship definitely touched on a lot of issues. I liked your analysis, though, of how she was hurting him as a woman in that moment.
Hey Michael, thank you for the kind words :) Intersectional feminism is an issue close to my heart so I'm really glad it was well received. Thanks for taking the time to write me back :)I agree that Curt did have elements of exoticism too--a weird mix of exoticism and perceived "colorblindness." He just seemed really, I don't know, ignorant/innocent of any knowledge of racism or race relations--part of his privilege.
Mod
Columbus, yes, I thought she did an awesome job with Curt. She did an awesome job on the whole thing! I <3 her writing so much.
Yes, that is why he seemed so believable to me, because he seemed to blur the stereotypes a bit. And why I liked him in some ways but felt uncomfortably identified with his privilege in other ways. I mean, I'm not as naive as he was about the hair/beauty politics, but that whole scene with Ifemelu and the women's magazines made me think about how there is still plenty for me to learn as a white guy. "Honest" is definitely a good description of her writing.
there really weren't any perfect characters in the book, least of all Ifemelu. I found that aspect interesting, so perhaps that would qualify as honest. there were certainly times when her actions wouldn't qualify as rational or clearly in her self interest. Curt was an interesting character as well, but then so were the others.
Partly I thought her writing was honest because the characters seemed real, partly I thought it was honest because they did things that made me uncomfortable, but since they are fictional characters (maybe based on real people?) that wasn't my main reason for the agreement on honesty. That was based on the fact of her speaking uncomfortable truths through her characters and storyline. Even the magazine scene was something people don't often talk about, at least not interracially, and I would say every page in the book had observations that felt like "telling it like it is" in a way that seemed refreshingly candid, at least in a fiction novel. The style is different, but it reminded me of how Pearl Cleage uses her fiction to do analysis on race, gender, etc.
I thought Ifemelu was a keen observer of the human condition, who probably would not have held up well under her own microscope. but I certainly enjoyed it and the various observations, much of it was quite amusing.
I finally read this book. It took forever to get off the hold list at my library. I'll search through the comments to see what everyone thought, but for the record, I really liked it.
Columbus wrote: "I would first like to know where we are in the reading here and if everyone is comfortable with the format and time allowed for each part?What other books have you read by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi..."
Americanah is the first book of Adichie's that I've completed, though I did start reading her collection of short stories. Once I got about half way through Americanah I decided to request her short story collection again from the library.
Columbus wrote: "July 4th, 3:48am:Well, I'm not sure if its insomnia or just that I'm so anxious to start discussing this book that has me posting a question at such a bewitching hour --but here we are. Probably ..."
I think the issue of hair for Black women in the U.S.(and the diaspora, I suppose) will remain a hot button topic until wearing hair naturally isn't seen as an oddity, political, etc.
Mod
Well, I'm not sure if its insomnia or just that I'm so anxious to start discussing this book that has me posting a question at such a bewitching hour --but here ..."
Yes Evelyn, Ms. Underwood had to find out the hard way:
http://urbanbellemag.com/2013/09/sher...
Evelyn wrote: "I think the issue of hair for Black women in the U.S.(and the diaspora, I suppose) will remain a hot button topic until wearing hair naturally isn't seen as an oddity, political, etc. "I was trying to figure out where to post this, and then you rebooted this thread as if in answer. The incident in the link below speaks to your observation, Evelyn, and I found it crushing, just because children of color in America are taught so early that there is something wrong with their hair:
http://jezebel.com/little-girl-sent-h...
also almost finished and also the first of her books that I will finish reading. makes me want to go back to the others
Literary Fiction by People of Color
Books mentioned in this topic
Americanah (other topics)The Good Lord Bird (other topics)
And the Mountains Echoed (other topics)
Beautiful Creatures: The Manga (other topics)
Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Pearl Cleage (other topics)Kami Garcia (other topics)
Khaled Hosseini (other topics)
Malala Yousafzai (other topics)
Pearl Cleage (other topics)
More...
I just finished the book a couple of hours ago and honestly, I was a little afraid it wouldn't end well. That somehow this book couldn't possibly have a good ending as well as all the other good things it has going for it. I was so wrong. I thought the ending was the best part of the book. This is easily my favorite book this year by far and I've read some really good books this year.
Leona and Teona I certainly agree that this is not your average book about race. I made note of so many comments from the book that after awhile I got tired of jotting them down. Leona I so agree with you with the comment:
"As for myself, I never really thought of African immigrants that way. It did not OCCUR to ME that race would not OCCUR to them. It is so ingrained in life in the US that I just assumed they should know off the bat how it is, but of course, they don't"
Not a day goes by that I don't think of race in some way. Something happens each and every day that reminds me of it. Although extremely proud of who I am, it would certainly be nice to not have that to think about once in awhile.