Americanah: A Novel

• Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (website/facebook)
• Publisher & Date: Anchor Books, 2013
• Pages: 588
• Intended Audience: Adults
• Genre: Fiction, Cultural Fiction, Romance, Controversial Issues,
• Goodreads Rating: 4.18/5.0 
• Sneak Peak by Jess: 

   The "American Dream" is within an arm's reach for the two young, Nigerian lovers, Ifemelu and Obinze. The plan is laid out, no if's, and's, or but's about it. But even the most thorough of people often forget that life holds no promises. Now, with a Visa in hand, Ifemelu sets out across land and sea, to find herself in an unforgiving American state, without the one person she truly needs by her side. 

"Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today’s globalized world..." -Goodreads.com

   I have to admit that I was completely and utterly captivated by the writing in this novel. Adichie does the unthinkable, confronts the many flaws of our beloved nation and American history, but in an almost poetic way. So, this romance novel is just that- a story of two long-distance lovers trapped in the wake of an unfortunate breakup and forced to pave the way for their new lives in two separate foreign countries, but embedded within the love and heartache of the characters, are far more difficult topics of conversation. Controversy at its finest.  

  First and foremost, we watch Ifem grow into this fabulous and talented blogger who blogs about none other than the race issues that she observes during her time in America. Being a native of Mississippi, I found this to be incredibly uncomfortable to read at times. Adichie does no tip-toeing around the subject, as people often do in my South; she attacks it head-on, but in a mother-means-best kind of way. Sure, I didn't agree with everything she had to say, but at the same time, she means no harm and offers her readers a chance to state their claim, agree and/or disagree with her, if you will. 

    The second issue that she brings up multiple times is our American culture and the way we raise our children. Basically, the immigrants in the novel moved to America to take advantage of the endless opportunities and what- not but refused to allow their own children to have an American-styled upbringing. This really made me think... I'm a teacher, so children are my passion. And there are times when I have questioned a child's behavior- good or bad-  and often wanted to credit it to how the child was raised. But that surely cannot always be the case of course. So I guess my question is- what is so wrong with the way we raise our kids in America? What could we be doing better? Have we given the reigns over to our children? I spent some time in England teaching Year 5. Before I went, I had this naiive idea that the children were going to be SO smart and SO polite and just SO downright perfect. Imagine my surprise when I realized that kids are just kids... UK or US, they are still going to mouth-off to their elders, they are still going to do things that you tell them not to do while you aren't looking, and they are still going to ignore the instructions that are so very clearly written right in front of them and make preventable mistakes. But, regardless, my host family refused to let their youngest child watch American TV, the Disney Channel of all stations, because the children were too outspoken and unruly. So, I'm still at a loss... Maybe they both have a point?

  All in all, Americanah is powerful, witty, and well-deserving of its many accolades. As a reader, I was dropped feet-first onto the soil of the countries she traversed, and I witnessed with my own eyes the terrifying and even joyous situations she found herself in. That is how phenomenal Adichie's writing truly is.

   

•  Favorite Quotes:

-"Princeton, in the summer, smelled of nothing, and although Ifemelu liked the tranquil greeness of the many trees, the clean streets and stately homes, the delicately overpriced shops, and the quiet, abiding air of earned grace, it was this, the lack of smell, that most appealed to her, perhaps because the other American cities she knew had all smelled distinctly. Philadelphia had the musty scent of history. New Haven smelled of neglect. Baltimore smelled of brine, and Brooklyn of sun-warmed garbage. But Princeton had no smell."
-"Not the kind of safe, shallow love where the objective is that both people remain comfortable. But real deep romantic love, the kind that twists you and wrings you out and makes you breathe through the nostrils of your beloved."
-"How could a string of words make a person ache for a place he did not know? But in those weeks when she discovered the rows and rows of books with their leathery smell and their promise of pleasures unknown, when she sat, knees tucked underneath her, on an armchair in the lower level or at a table upstairs with the fluorescent light reflecting off the book's pages, she finally understood."
-"And yet she wanted to leave Aunty Uju's apartment and begin a life in which she alone determined the margins."

  I'm not sure we will ever find the answers to the problems that surface in Adichie's novel, but I am always all ears.

Little Treasures One Finds at Book Sales

   I mentioned in my last post that I attended a book sale and giveaway at my local library this past week. Well, what I have not shared is the super awesome, super old, super rare, and super fragile little treasure that I stumbled upon. (To be completely honest, my loving boyfriend stumbled upon it for me, and for that, I owe him the biggest box of Pandamonia that I can buy!) 

   So, without further adieu... I purchased my first collectible book for a whopping $1.00. A copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin circa 1899. It's in decent condition; the binding still working wonders, and the pages are perfectly legible. But what is even more remarkable are the notes left behind by the many hands it's passed through. Some messages were inked in as far back as 1900; precious pieces of history that I can now call my own.

   That's what I have always loved about the written word. It's so permanent when so much of what we have on this planet is so temporary. 

Signed by Harry Kloppenburg, Oct. 26, 1900

For the Love of Books II

   I have been absent from Blogdom for a while it seems -since December 4th to be exact- but I am back and ready to dish out my thoughts on a variety of good reads that have found their way into my possession. Be it the will of my CU Heroines Book Club, or the downright EXTRAORDINARY Free Book Giveaway at the Urbana Free Library. (It's true. I may have discovered the most amazing three day event that I have ever witnessed. For all of my local book-lovers, the Urbana Free Library happens to host these sacred events a total of three times a year!) 

   But getting back to business, I would like to start out with another "At-a-Glance" post. Twisted, futuristic-styled fairytales, heart-wrenching memoirs, and thought provoking novels that make you question things you've always considered as fact, will all be discussed in the upcoming months. Feel free to join me if you please! 

March Reviews

This month, I would like to introduce one of my recently acquired, but all-time favorite authors, nonetheless, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She is who people refer to when they speak of "true artists."

April Reviews

This book is not your typical fairytale, but without a doubt Disney inspired. I will fill you in on my reaction to Cinder, book one of The Lunar Chronicles, by Marissa Meyer.

May Reviews

I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins. I'm afraid that if I don't read this bad boy soon, my friends are going to ruin it for me. Said to be one of the biggest books of 2015! And in addition to that, I also plan to explore The History of Love, by Nicole Krauss.

I urge you to grab your Kindle, or if you're like me, you like holding onto the real deal, but whether it is by touchscreen or by page, I urge you to follow me along for the ride! You certainly won't regret it.