Review: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

AmericanahAmericanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is amazing because it's tightly focused on the extremely difficult to discuss issue of race and how we all perceive and act on our prejudices, yet the plot, tone, and characters are so engaging, accessible and just plain good natured that you keep on reading.

Ifemelu is a charismatic young Igbo woman who grows up in Nigeria who moves to the US to go to college, and settles here for a while. She starts a popular, almost humorous blog about racial perceptions from an NAB (non-American black) in her new adopted country. Never content to follow the herd, she searches hard for her identity, work, love, and for what feels right for her as an individual. You will love this woman and cheer her on through her struggles.

As a white reader I learned a lot about race perceptions, particularly how race is always an issue for black people in American society. As Ifemelu says, she was never black before she left Nigeria. I have taken some courses for educators about race, and this book extends what I learned there. I was engrossed, challenged, and entertained and highly recommend it to anyone who wants something good to read. If you're looking for a book for students to open the topic of talking about race in America, or want a book for a one book community read, I would highly suggest this, too.


View all my reviews

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Research project reboot: Using Guided Inquiry Design

Image
Are you interested in trying a new instructional framework for your research projects? Have you wanted to collaborate with your librarian but weren't sure how? If you answer yes to either of these questions this post is for you. Before Thanksgiving, English teacher Mike Kelley invited me into the planning process for his 10th grade research project about migrant farm workers. We talked about his wish to make the project engaging and supportive during hybrid learning. I proposed trying Guided Inquiry Design, a framework I learned about a couple of years ago at a workshop sponsored by the Massachusetts Library System. The workshop was led by Dr. Leslie Maniotes, one of the authors of the framework, so I had a solid idea of how it worked and the research behind it.  Mike bravely said yes to Guided Inquiry Design and we worked together to figure out how to put the 8 step (!!) inquiry framework into practice and adapt it to his timeframe and learning goals. This was hours of grappling w
Read more

Review: Neverhome by Laird Hunt

Image
Neverhome by Laird Hunt My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wow. One of the best books I've read in a while. A masterful historical novel about war, gender, memory and how we make sense of our lives and fears. Set during the Civil War, Constance Thompson leaves her farm and husband in Indiana to satisfy her urge to fight for the Union, where she is noted for her bravery, gallantry and good sense and shot (yes, disguised as a man). I know there is a body of powerful Civil War historical fiction--however, I am not familiar with it, so I can't make any comparisons for you. The narrative becomes a phantasmagorical epic told from the first person perspective, with interlacing dreams, and evocative yet beautifully simple language. Meaty symbolism, adventure, suspense, and brief, simple and powerful meditations on meaning and memory make this an excellent choice for readers looking for a challenging and satisfying novel. In addition, the simple language, first person voice, and (mostly) line
Read more

The Magnificent Makerspace

The Maker Lab at Brandeis University Why does a librarian care about makerspaces?  3d printers, laser cutters, and sewing machines? Isn’t that the province of engineering or the home ec department of old? All I can say is, the librarian’s job revolves around technology and inquiry. We spend lots of time helping students with the (sometimes dreaded) printer: Is the printer working? Why is it taking so long for my paper to print? How do I print this bizarre document in a weird format? So, it’s natural (and brave, considering the challenges we have with 2d printing) that librarians would think about 3D printing and makerspaces. Not sure what a makerspace is or why they are a thing? Makerspaces are learning labs in libraries, schools, universities, and shared commercial spaces where people of all ages make things. The things they make vary according to age of the maker and the equipment in the space. Elementary students experiment with rudimentary circuits using Little Bits
Read more