Book Review: Americanah.

via Goodreads.

Americanah

By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

4 stars.

"You should never ever let the boy be in charge of your own protection. If he does not want to use it, then he does not care enough about you and you should not be there." -Adichie

Ifemelu is a Nigerian woman who moves to America in order to get a better college education than she can get in Nigeria. She realizes how different and difficult life in is America for immigrants, and after building a successful platform for herself decides to move back to her hometown in Nigeria.

This book is really great. Adichie is a fantastic author, and I was really excited to start this book after I read The Thing Around Your Neck last year. This book is sort of autobiographical, as it parallels Adichie's life in a sense. 

Looking at race and immigration in American through the lens of someone that isn't my own was so eye-opening. I am a white woman who was born in the United States, so I have no idea of the experiences that happen to others unlike me. It's really great to see all of that through Adichie's eyes.

One thing that was rocky with me in the story was the way that divorce and marital affairs are discussed in the book. While I could see the reason behind the situation, I also felt uncomfortable with the narrator expecting her love interest to just leave his wife and small child behind to be with her. 

Overall, I really liked this book. It's extremely insightful, and the writing is fantastic. I recommend it to everyone, especially if you haven't read a lot of African authors and you want to reach more into that genre. 

"It terrified her, to be unable to visualize tomorrow"- Adichie.

Thanks for reading! I'll see you all next week with my review of Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan.