Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her must read novels

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Enugu, Nigeria in 1977. She spent her early years in Nsukka, in a home where the writer Chinua Achebe once lived. Back then, her father was a professor, and her mother was the first female registrar. Chimamanda first began her medical studies in Nsukka for one year, before moving to the United States at the age of 19 to engage on a new educational path. Years later, Ngozi graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Communication and Political Science, from Eastern Connecticut State University. She has taken a master’s degree in creative writing at John Hopkins University and a Master of Arts degree at Yale in African History.

However, regarding her study background, her accomplishments don’t end at this point.  She was awarded a Hodder fellowship at Princeton University for the 2005-2006 academic year and a fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute of Harvard University for the 2011-2012 academic year. Besides her various awards, achievements, and international recognitions, it is worth mentioning that Chimamanda managed to connect the past and present through her novels while inspiring a broad audience with historic events combined with fiction.

1.         Purple Hibiscus (2003)

This novel was her debut book, and it takes the reader through a journey of love, freedom, and family, set in the 1980s in Nigeria. The story takes place 20 or 30 years after the Nigerian Civil War, under the rule of General Ibrahim Babangida, and is told by Kambili  Achike, a 15 years old girl, daughter of an abusive catholic father. Her life changes when she and her brother temporarily move to their aunt’s home, where she discovers liberty and embraces a new world. However, Kambili faces difficult times, as her mother, a victim of domestic abuse by her father, poisons him, and new challenges emerge for the entire family.

2.         Half of a Yellow Sun (2006)

War is the central theme of this book since it takes place before and during the Nigerian Civil War. Chimamanda invites the reader to witness the events of the Nigerian-Biafran Civil War by following the experiences of the Igbo characters: Olanna, Odenigbo, Kainene, and Ugwu. When interviewed about “Half of a Yellow Sun”, Chimamanda mentioned: “I wrote this novel because I wanted to write about love and war and because I grew up in the shadow of Biafra”.

3.         Americanah (2013)

Americanah is an authentic novel about immigration to the United States. It also deals with evergreen topics such as the American Dream, Love, and racism in its many forms. Its central character, Ifemelu,  is a young Nigerian woman who faces various challenges with identity, race, and love.  If you are now wondering, about the meaning of the word Americanah, Adichie gave her audience a hint in a recent interview, she defines Americanah by describing those who have been to the US and return with American affectations, pretends not to understand their mother tongues any longer, and refuse to eat Nigerian food, making constant reference to their life in America.

So, why not start a novel by Chimamanda for your next read? You will not be disappointed, and you may become restless to read the rest of her literary works.