The Nature of Things

This brief - less than 100 pages - treatise by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an adaptation of a very popular TED talk that she gave by the same name. It is an insightful exploration of what it means and doesn't mean to be a feminist. She explores her topic with humor and eloquence and without pressuring her listener/reader to agree with her. Still, her argument is very persuasive and it is hard to see how any person with a clear and open mind could possibly disagree.  The writer speaks of her experience with sexism primarily in regard to her growing up in Nigeria. She reveals how that has shaped her and affected her life. Even though her experience was Nigerian in origin, I can easily visualize women right around the world nodding as they read her descriptions of what happened to her. Adichie goes on to discuss misconceptions about feminism and not just misconceptions but outright lies promulgated by misogynists in an attempt to discredit the whole idea of feminism. Some of the more ...

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie My rating: 5 of 5 stars Why did people ask "What is it about?" as if a novel had to be about only one thing. - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in Americanah Americanah does in fact seem to be about several things. On one level, it is simply a love story, but, more significantly, it is about the immigrant experience. It is also about the black experience - the experience of American-Africans as opposed to that of African-Americans or of Africans. More deeply still, it delineates the complexities of national identities and ways of thinking. Much of this is accomplished through an exploration of the everyday issue of hair care. Kinky African hair is fragile, the author tells us, and it requires special handling. Products made for white people's hair simply won't do the trick. Much of Americanah is taken up with detailing the Nigerian-born heroine, Ifemelu's, quest for hair care. We see her spending long hours getting her hair braid...