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"Racism should never have happened and so you don't get a cookie for reducing it." Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
If you haven't yet had the pleasure of reading one of Adichie's books, please let me introduce you to a deeply gifted writer. Her narratives are masterful. They engaging and warm and, Americanah especially, will encourage you to think about perspectives that are possibly different from your own.
Americanah is a novel with many facets. A simple plot overview could say this is the story of Ifemelu and Obinze, young friends who fall for each other in Nigeria and are pulled apart as their lives head towards different futures. Ifemelu in the US and Obinze in the UK. Looking deeper, the reader will find subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) explorations on racism, immigration, identity, love, and home.
I find that Adichie's novels cannot be read quickly. It is almost as if they demand that the reader slow down and pay close attention to the messages being shared. The keenly observant truths woven into Americanah about Western life will sit with me for some time to come.
Now is absolutely the right time to pick up a copy of this book, and I encourage you to listen to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie reading parts of Americanah here. If you have already read Americanah, I also highly recommend Half of a Yellow Sun and any of her non-fiction work.
xo
Jenn
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