Take a photo of a barcode or cover
calarco 's review for:
Americanah
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
“I discovered race in America and it fascinated me.”
If I were to quickly describe Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel [b:Americanah|15796700|Americanah|Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356654499l/15796700._SX50_.jpg|21519538], it would be as an odyssey of self-discovery, but it is so much more than that. Centering on protagonist Ifemelu, we follow her journey from Nigeria, to America, and back again. Her path intersects with Obinze, the love interest from her youth, who undergoes his own journey before one day reuniting with Ifemelu. The ending is more or less presented at the beginning, but it is the journey from start to finish that makes the stakes feel so important.
“The world was wrapped in gauze, she could see the shapes of things but not clearly enough, never enough.”
What really sets Adichie’s writing style apart as something truly noteworthy, is her use of perspective. Almost every character’s life is denoted by serious hardships and extreme luck. These elements ultimately shape very distinct world views; we can see how experience crystalizes into identity for each of these characters. People are ultimately the sum of their choices, but everyone is frustratingly limited to the choices available to them. It is the balancing act that kept me on my toes as I progressed through each page.
The best part of the novel though, is Ifemelu herself. She is smart, caring, and ridiculously funny. Obinze honestly feels like a lackluster, mere mortal compared to her. When Ifemelu comes to America, she eventually starts writing a blog that centers on her perspective as a black immigrant living in the United States. Her observations from this framework, fuel a number of great exchanges. For instance, in the middle of a dinner party conversation, Ifemulu is confronted with the argument that Barack Obama’s election as the Democratic nominee in 2008 signaled the “end of racism” in the United States. Her response is everything:
“The only reason you say that race was not an issue is because you wish it was not. We all wish is was not. But it’s a lie. I came from a country where race was not an issue; I did not think myself as black and I only became black when I came to America. When you are black in America and you fall in love with a white person, race doesn’t matter when you’re alone together because it’s just you and your love. But the minute you step outside, race matters. But we don’t talk about it. We don’t even tell our white partners small things that piss us off and the things we wish they understood better, because we’re worried they will say we’re overreacting, or we’re being too sensitive. And we don’t want them to say, Look how far we’ve come, just forty years ago it would have been illegal for us to even be a couple blah blah blah, because you know what we’re thinking when they say that? We’re thinking why the fuck should it ever have been illegal anyway? But we don’t say any of this stuff. We let it pile up inside our heads and when we come to nice liberal dinners like this, we say that race doesn’t matter because that’s what we’re supposed to say, to keep our nice liberal friends comfortable. It’s true. I speak from experience.”
I am from a mixed immigrant family, and this rant pretty much summarizes every frustration I’ve ever felt in polite company when the conversation turns to the topic of “race in America.” Overall, this book is truly great, and I am officially a huge fan of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Americanah is a novel worth reading.
Rating: 4.5 stars
If I were to quickly describe Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel [b:Americanah|15796700|Americanah|Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1356654499l/15796700._SX50_.jpg|21519538], it would be as an odyssey of self-discovery, but it is so much more than that. Centering on protagonist Ifemelu, we follow her journey from Nigeria, to America, and back again. Her path intersects with Obinze, the love interest from her youth, who undergoes his own journey before one day reuniting with Ifemelu. The ending is more or less presented at the beginning, but it is the journey from start to finish that makes the stakes feel so important.
“The world was wrapped in gauze, she could see the shapes of things but not clearly enough, never enough.”
What really sets Adichie’s writing style apart as something truly noteworthy, is her use of perspective. Almost every character’s life is denoted by serious hardships and extreme luck. These elements ultimately shape very distinct world views; we can see how experience crystalizes into identity for each of these characters. People are ultimately the sum of their choices, but everyone is frustratingly limited to the choices available to them. It is the balancing act that kept me on my toes as I progressed through each page.
The best part of the novel though, is Ifemelu herself. She is smart, caring, and ridiculously funny. Obinze honestly feels like a lackluster, mere mortal compared to her. When Ifemelu comes to America, she eventually starts writing a blog that centers on her perspective as a black immigrant living in the United States. Her observations from this framework, fuel a number of great exchanges. For instance, in the middle of a dinner party conversation, Ifemulu is confronted with the argument that Barack Obama’s election as the Democratic nominee in 2008 signaled the “end of racism” in the United States. Her response is everything:
“The only reason you say that race was not an issue is because you wish it was not. We all wish is was not. But it’s a lie. I came from a country where race was not an issue; I did not think myself as black and I only became black when I came to America. When you are black in America and you fall in love with a white person, race doesn’t matter when you’re alone together because it’s just you and your love. But the minute you step outside, race matters. But we don’t talk about it. We don’t even tell our white partners small things that piss us off and the things we wish they understood better, because we’re worried they will say we’re overreacting, or we’re being too sensitive. And we don’t want them to say, Look how far we’ve come, just forty years ago it would have been illegal for us to even be a couple blah blah blah, because you know what we’re thinking when they say that? We’re thinking why the fuck should it ever have been illegal anyway? But we don’t say any of this stuff. We let it pile up inside our heads and when we come to nice liberal dinners like this, we say that race doesn’t matter because that’s what we’re supposed to say, to keep our nice liberal friends comfortable. It’s true. I speak from experience.”
I am from a mixed immigrant family, and this rant pretty much summarizes every frustration I’ve ever felt in polite company when the conversation turns to the topic of “race in America.” Overall, this book is truly great, and I am officially a huge fan of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Americanah is a novel worth reading.
Rating: 4.5 stars