As the book for my last pleasure reading class ever I decided to choose something that would draw me in instantly — something I wouldn’t feel pressured into reading just for the sake of completing the assignment. After talking to my best friend about the book she was currently reading, I felt the urge to pick up that book too and share with her all the emotions and thoughts the book would evoke.
That book is the all-famous “Americanah” written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I’d had little knowledge about it previously, but I knew it was a great book. Judging by my best friend’s impressions, it seemed to me like a pleasant and relatively easy read about the life of an international student doing a Master’s in the U.S. Something that I instantly felt I could relate to. Boy, was I wrong!..
I’d love to start with the author because her background and her story amaze me. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian author, feminist, and social activist. She is widely regarded as one of the most prominent contemporary African writers. This woman holds multiple degrees from top American universities and has published several critically acclaimed books, which received numerous awards. She has also given a couple of popular TED Talks, including “The Danger of a Single Story” and “We Should All Be Feminists.” I even remember discussing the last TED Talk in my Popular American Culture class at WVU, so this name is not so unfamiliar to me! Overall, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a powerful and influential voice in contemporary literature and activism and definitely a person to look up to.
From the very first page of her “Americanah,” the reader is immersed in an unjust world full of prejudice, hatred, surprises, and love. The novel tells the story of a young Nigerian woman who immigrates to the United States for education. Ifemelu attends Princeton and has an anonymous blog. However, the overarching theme of her posts is her perception of American black people from the point of view of a non-American black. The blog itself is called “Raceteenth or Various Observations About American Blacks (Those Formerly Known as Negroes) by a Non-American Black.”
The compelling narrative allows the reader to feel the depth of the racial issues Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie raises. However, apart from that, she is also right on the money about some typical American traits or behaviors. Having read the first chapter, I was really shocked by the precision with which she captured little things Americans do subconsciously, like talking to a stranger after sharing a disappointment, especially the disappointment of a public service, or the pervasive “I know” which many Russian speakers never use for some reason but which is such a natural way of reacting to literally any comment (as the author put it, “a peculiar American expression that professed agreement rather than knowledge”).
The novel also explores the problems of body image. Before coming to the U.S., she had never found the word “fat” offensive, yet it still triggered her when somebody called her fat when she was buying Tostitos. Additionally, this book involves a love story, which I can’t help but relate to. I have highlighted some of the quotes that made me feel something I’d been struggling with expressing for a few months now. And this is what makes this book so wonderful — it is full of life, which is not always picture-perfect.
Apart from that, the main character shares with us the reality of being a first immigrant. Ifemelu’s experiences in America led her to grapple with questions of race and to confront the ways in which it shapes social interactions and experiences, both in the United States and in Nigeria.
The cultural component definitely plays an important role in the narrative. Throughout the book, there will be multiple Nigerian words and Nigerian realias, which add to the authenticity of the book. I haven’t stumbled upon them yet, but I will make sure to talk about them in my next post.
So far I’ve noticed that even though the book is written in the third-person narrative, you still feel as though you were listening to the main character’s inner monolog. Dialogs are less frequent here, so it makes sense to convey Ifemelu’s thoughts and feelings that way.
All in all, I would say that “Americanah” is a powerful exploration of the complexities of race, identity, and belonging and a poignant portrait of the immigrant experience. Though I’m still in the first half of the book, I can already say that this novel won’t leave me indifferent, and I’m more than excited to continue reading it.
