Americanah

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The writer has put  part of her own story in describing  the main character of this book :

like her, Ifemelu is Nigerian, from upper middle class origin, highly educated,  determined, feminist,  who migrated to the US, settled there and has become famous.

It is also a  story about love  and  missed opportunities.

« Americanah » this is  how the Nigerians call those  who have been to the States and have come back home, changed.

When we think about Nigeria, we think about rich oil companies , poverty, extremist Islam, corruption…

But what do we really know about the Nigerian society itself ?

We all agreed that this is the merit of the book : it is  packed with reflections about identity, the diaspora, discrimination, prejudice, frustrations, contradictions, humiliations in the black community  itself and in the States.

How do white people look at American Blacks / Black Americans  and conversely ?

The idea of Ifemelu writing a blog to convey her ideas about race,multiculturalism, the American dream…  is very clever. Starting a blog was « a comedy of manners, a mild satire about a world that was anything but mild ».

At the same time, the book is full of tenderness and  sometimes scathing humour. « Race is a brew best served mild, tempered with other liquids, otherwise white folks can’t swallow it ».

We noticed the importance of hairdoes and beauty salons for black women  « Ifemelu has grown up in the shadow of her mother’s hair… Her father called  it a crown of glory ».  and the impact of Obama ‘s election at the time.

The weak part of the book : we found ourselves a bit lost in the last part : suddenly there are too many characters and the end of the story doesn’t sound credible.

But, on the whole, a very good book.

Anne Van Calster