Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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Web ID: 16079297Amazing book about immigration, race, and love
"There was a stripped-down quality to her life, a kindling starkness, without parents and friends and home, the familiar landmarks that made her who she was". How does one cope with going to a place where they know no one? Where their name has yet no resemblance or meaning, where people by their side do not speak their language or do not understand the message that they want to convey because only a person with the same cultural background as them could understand? How does one cope with the feeling of being in a better place but yet miss being in the worse place because that is where their home is, where their life is, where they, themselves, should be? Americanah is about immigrating to the United States and going through all these feelings and questions that only an immigrant knows how it is, and people who have not experienced this before will never completely understand or believe it. It is also about first love and being black in America. Chimamanda does and incredible job at analyzing the United States: its citizens, mixture of culture and race, and preciousness. There were so many things throughout the book that I could relate to, being an immigrant myself. The almost obsessive behavior with the United States by the Nigerians, the perfectionist idea created abroad of America and the clear contrast of actually living here, the feeling of deeply missing your home (there is a Portuguese word for this emotion that does not exist in English: it is "saudade"), and the sudden new ability to recognize accents, races, and cultures that before were so "blurred" to you. The plot was very entertaining and I loved the characters of Ifemelu and Obinze. Chimamanda's writing is amazing (and, by the way, I strongly recommend her TED Talks). I just loved the book!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Great Books
I love story about people and culture and self.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A wonderful read!
I really loved this story and the characters. There were many friends and family introduced throughout that made you really have to pay attention to everyone's role but Ifemelu and Obinze were the heart and soul of this book. A journey across the world and time you saw them weave their lives and the struggles they faced on their own and together. I especially loved Ifemelu's blog posts. My only complaint is that it wasn't longer - I wasn't ready to leave their story behind.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com