Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is a poignant novel about home, identity, and race. The story follows two young lovers from Nigeria, Ifemelu and Obinze, and their struggles to forge identity and find a home in America and in post-colonial Nigeria. Ifemelu moves to the United States for college and experiences the difficulties of being an African immigrant as she dives into the culture and faces racism. Obinze moves to England, where different obstacles and pressures arise, before returning to his home country of Nigeria. Inchronically switching between America and Nigeria, Americanah explores race, identity, loyalty, and longing.Adichie expertly blends realism, wit, and the emotions of the characters to explore inter-cultural relationships, social injustice, and gender roles in modern society. As Ifemelu begins to write a blog series about race and identity, readers learn much about the immigrant experience and the way we navigate our home countries and cultures while also attempting to fit in with the new ones. Throughout the novel, Adichie interweaves multiple perspectives that question traditionally held ideas about identity, race, and home.Ultimately, Adichie’s Americanah sheds light on global issues without delivering a moralizing message. Rather, it emphasizes how we all belong within global community and how our experiences can not only change us but serve to connect us as well. By exploring themes of identity, culture, and race, Adichie offers a powerful, thought-provoking novel about what it really means to create a home.
Add missing EndorsementBarack Obama (Former USA President) As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved. It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors – some who are household names and others who you may not have heard of before. Here’s my best of 2018 list.
A very funny, very warm and moving intergenerational epic that confirms Adichie’s virtuosity, boundless empathy and searing social acuity.
Stories of women who have two feet in the 1900s, or one in the following century.
Julia Enthoven (Co-Founder/Kapwing) For non-business, I’ve loved so many different books that it’s hard to pick a favorite. Recently, I’ve enjoyed The Art of Fielding and Americanah, and I love classics like A Farewell to Arms and Lord of the Flies.