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What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky
2021 books
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April 2021 - What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky
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I, too, am thoroughly enjoying these stories!! So powerful with such accurate depictions of life and situations. Great selection, Zach! Lesley Nneka Arimah has me falling in love with short stories...especially hers!!
I'm pacing these out day by day, savoring each character she depicts. Thanks for introducing her to us, Zach.
I am enjoying these stories. This is not normally my thing, but most of these have been fun to read.
I’m admittedly not really into this collection, I think she would work better for me if she wrote novels! But there’s definitely skill!
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I’m definitely drawn into each story. The writing is very vivid and engaging. I do think I’d love to read a full novel by her. I have a summer swim team meeting Wednesday so will arrive right after that ASAP.
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Here's the link again:
https://meet.google.com/ssk-ywba-syc
See you then!
So far I've enjoyed Wild--it's the longest and seems the most fleshed out with a strong narrative thorough line hence why I suggested she might be better as a novelist. Even this story I'm struggling with. I haven't quite figured out why I'm not connecting with her, I think I feel a bit old fashioned when it comes to stories because for me there needs to be a clearly delineated beginning middle and end; the only author who can skirt around that successfully for me is Machado. But I haven't even gotten halfway through it, so maybe I'll come up with something.
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1) Which of these stories were your favorites? Which didn't work for you? Why?
2) What are some of the recurring themes of Arimah's stories? Is there a clear message or point here?
3) Did you prefer Arimah's realistic stories or her more speculative ones? Would you prefer if this collection was all in one mode, or did you like the variety?
4) What does this collection have to say about life in Nigeria? In the U.S.? How are these stories similar to or different from other immigrant narratives you've read?
5) Have you read any other Nigerian authors (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chinua Achebe, Helen Oyeyemi, Akwaeke Emezi, Chigozie Obioma, Nnedi Okorafor, Teju Cole...)? If so, are there any common threads or themes you've noticed? What about major differences?
6) How are families portrayed in Arimah's stories? What about romantic partners? Friends? Is Arimah's view of human relationships more optimistic or pessimistic?
7) Would you consider this a feminist book? Why or why not?
8) What did you make of Arimah's writing style and storytelling? Did it stand out from other authors? Did you find it effective?
9) What are some of the advantages of short story collections over novels? The disadvantages?
10) Would you recommend this book? If Arimah publishes another book, do you think you'll read it?
Zach's question: 5) Have you read any other Nigerian authors?...touches on why a concept such as 'Nigerian author' can be misleading:
Simple questions like "What country are you from?" asked of Africans as being somewhat meaningless now. The concept of Afropolitanism tries to suggest alternate questions that will tell more about the cultural mix a person is. Often, people want an idea of someone's cultural background is by this question. Africans can't ignore (no matter how much they'd like) the marks that colonialism has left upon their societies. So a question like "What country are you from?" only has meaning along with questions like "Where did you go to school (e.g., Britain or Nigeria) and "Where do you live now?" (US or Britain). As a whole, these 3 questions tell a lot more than simply the name of the country (like, are you rich, what is your religious background, what tribe are you from, what kind of social system did you grow up with, are you consumer oriented... ) .
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie & Teju Cole are trying to make these questions more meaningful.
Lesley Nneke Arimah is from Eastern Nigeria (probably Ibo). Doesn't seem to have much connection to Western Nigeria/Lagos or Northern Nigeria.
Geoffrey, at the risk of sounding aggressive, what makes you think you are qualified to speak on the African experience? Also, are there links for interviews for Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Teju Cole where they talk specifically about the African experience? I'd be really interested in reading them!
I went to your profile Geoffrey and realized you have 37 books on your African literature shelf. Do any of those books stand out as relevant to your understanding of Nigerian culture?
Our discussion will be held on Wednesday, April 21 at 7 pm. Here's the link:
https://meet.google.com/ssk-ywba-syc
P.S. Our Goodreads group has been pretty quiet the last few months, so if you're so inclined please remember to post reading thoughts here as they come to you!