I’ve been making an effort to read more African American literature, and also to select books that fit our CMLE 2018 Reading Challenge! Americanah fulfills both these requirements, and I’m finding it incredibly interesting. I appreciate the opportunity to learn more about Nigerian culture and also more about the immigrant experience. The writing is really witty and observant, so I’m enjoying this one so far!
From Goodreads: “As teenagers in Lagos, Ifemelu and Obinze fall in love. Their Nigeria is under military dictatorship, and people are fleeing the country if they can. The self-assured Ifemelu departs for America. There she suffers defeats and triumphs, finds and loses relationships, all the while feeling the weight of something she never thought of back home: race. Obinze had hoped to join her, but post-9/11 America will not let him in, and he plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London.
Thirteen years later, Obinze is a wealthy man in a newly democratic Nigeria, while Ifemelu has achieved success as a blogger. But after so long apart and so many changes, will they find the courage to meet again, face to face?
Fearless, gripping, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story of love and expectation set in today’s globalized world.”