Sanchez01:

Chimamanda is an upcoming writer compared to those you paired her with. Truth is, she's a crazy feminist who doesn't hide it. Ironically, she's married, yet, champions a cause that subtly negates marriage.

I stopped reading her materials when I read 'Half of a Yellow Sun'. Other than the fact that writers sometimes use their works to poke at the socio-cultural anomalies plaguing their socities, that of Adichie was birthed on cheap sentiments and her understanding or judgement was obviously inclined. On the issue of sex, there seems to be an aggressive campaign for premarital sex and that it does not bother her bothers me.

I honestly don't expect her to take on the bandwagon route as seen in most writers but one would really get to wonder how the likes of Ngozi Chimamanda Adichie's works negates Buchi Emecheta's.

For those who have read most of Buchi's works, majorly 'The Joy of Motherhood' and 'Second Class Citizen' as opposed to Chimamanda materials, you'd see a great deviation, particularly on how women should be seen or viewed. Truth is, times have changed and one can hardly pick the concept of didactism and sermony from Chimamanda's works. She comes off to me as the Andrew Marvel, John Donne and a host of metaphysical writers we never had.

kaziblake:
You missed a lot...don't mind this op that castigated the book.
It's just 1500,go and get yours

dingbang:
people did club as far back in 1960. What's so new in a random sex? Jeex. What of the girls fela kuti had sex with? U want to tell me now that they were decent? Those girls turned out to be people's mothers/grandmothers who behave so innocent now

jjagz:


But,

is she not stating the reality?

2scorehigh:
No way.

I think you're so far from the truth, Mr. OP.

Those of us who know Adichie know that she was telling her own personal story in that book using the character Ifemelu to present her own personal views on so many issues.

Thus, Ifemelu condemned "sugar daddyism" by not joining in it even when her friends did. If you recall, she even wondered why women will just put themselves into such a situation where men will be fulfilling their materialistic needs in exchange for sex.

Two, Adichie told you the simple truth: American grass is not that green. Even European grass too. Ifemelu had to 'work' as a 'sex worker' with the man who wants sexual massage just to earn a living. Aunty Uju was always busy reading so that she can acquire a certificate to earn a better living in America.

Racism is also still an issue because Ifemelu's life became easier only when she started dating a white boy. Obinze had to fake a marriage to become a British citizen but in the meantime he was using a fake identity to work just to survive... and look at the type of job he was even doing! Before then, Obinze was only good as a babysitter for his cousin. Can you imagine! That's the same obodo oyibo everybody is raving about!

So these thing happen. Trying to deny it or expecting the author who has also lived in America not to highlight such things is not justice.

Thirdly, like someone has already told you Mr. OP, the book is not really about morality. If you want to read a moral book, it's simple, read any publication from our Nigerian pastors or even better still, just write it!

Finally, I don't see how marriage was ridiculed. If anything, I think Adichie was simply promoting the idea that people should always marry the person they love. Simple.

Obinze married his wife who was just available. Wrong move. He was never satisfied in his marriage. Who told you Kosi is the type of woman every man will like to settle down with? C'mon, that Kosi is nothing but a bimbo! To be frank with you, I wouldn't marry Kosi myself because she can never give me what I want in a woman.

She's just a beautiful girl but she seriously lacked the ability to give her husband the type of challenge he wanted - the type his former girlfriend Ifemelu is always presenting to him. Kosi was just like our typical African women who may even be okay with the idea that their husband is having extramarital affairs... as long as he is rich and/or he is still bringing in the money!

Aunty Uju 'prostituted' her life. She chose money over love. Wrong move. Look what she got in the end. She lost her so called security in a jiffy the moment the Army general died. In fact, she had to 'escape' to avoid the wrath coming from the army general family. She also became a single mother for life. Even years later, when she tried to get a 'father' for her son, you will notice that the connection was not there with the man she was in relationship with.

0gbeni:
why not write your own novel ? i thought you were going to critique the book on literary grounds but what do we have here, a load of poo

Right/wrong is relative by the way, don't try to force your opinion(s) on the readers or the writer

0gbeni:
why not write your own novel ? i thought you were going to critique the book on literary grounds but what do we have here, a load of poo

Right/wrong is relative by the way, don't try to force your opinion(s) on the readers or the writer

jjagz:


But,

is she not stating the reality?

dingbang:
people did club as far back in 1960. What's so new in a random sex? Jeex. What of the girls fela kuti had sex with? U want to tell me now that they were decent? Those girls turned out to be people's mothers/grandmothers who behave so innocent now

cococandy:
This is an almost childish review. Did you expect her story to teach you morals? Go to your church for that. A good storyteller tells it as it is. Not as people want it to be.

jjagz:


But,

is she not stating the reality?

Tonason:
You have done justice enough to the book. Her western up bringing has influenced her life. Over there divorce is the other of the day. Marriage is not regarded any any thing. Premarital Sex is encouraged. Gold diggers are seen as wise women. They don't have culture. In fact one of my friend then from England told boldly that she wants her father to make love to her, that even her mother is away of it. Can you imagine?

jejemanito:

She didn't glorify no sugar daddies The novel was set in a period where CONNECTION with powers that be was the only realistic way to make it.

Honesty wasn't paying off as we cn see in Obinze's life. Nigga was forming americana with posh personality, until hunger and reality made him loyal and went to Chief with his cap between his hands. Adichie was basically being honest

If a man had to bow to the whims of Godfathers before he could make it, how do you expect the females to cope

Summary: The author told an honest and realistic story.

FakoMaybach1:
Before i start please note that all i opine here are just random thoughts and i post them here not out of mischief or to insult Chimanda

The book Americanah is set in a plot of the military and early democracy era of Nigeria and this is a time that fortunately i am conversant with,
it follows the love story of Ifemelu and Obinze; how they met in secondary school, kicked of the relationship till university till ifemelu went to the united states and lost contact...i wont bore u with a full synopsis so i will go straight to my analysis and support it with passages and quotes

THE GLORIFICATION OF SUGAR DADDIES/ Reading this book you might begin to think that the writer (being adichie) either subtly encourages sugar daddysm or is indifferent to it.
Aunty Uju in the book is a well educated woman, a medical doctor but refuses to settle with any young man in Nigeria but chooses to sleep with a Military man (General) for FREE!!!...the writer presents a scenario that makes it look not to bad for young girls to sleep with old men old enough to be their fathers and not ask for material things.
The writer refused to take into cognizance that highly impressionable young girls could read this book and feel that dating already married men is not so bad. Through out the book there was no subtle condemnation of this act or even an effort to shine light on younger symbiotic relationships. the writer chose to paint young relationships in a very poor taste, in the case of Kimberly and her husband and even obinze and his wife; the writer presented a scenery that depicts women who marry young, successful and handsome men as insecure, paranoid and sad.
Even Ifemelu's friend Rayinudo is also into this sugar daddy runs and the writer goes so far as to show that she was bought a Jeep, if that is not an advertisement of the profitability of sugar daddys then i wonder what else it could be...Chimamnda being a brilliant writer does not pay attention to the social responsibility her work needs to have

Men Are Depicted As A Means To An End The writer made subtle effort to show throughout the book that a man in a relationship must be used to achieve any target and dumped whenever it suited the ladies. This is exactly what i interpreted in the relationship between Ifemelu and Curt, Aunt Uju and Bartholomew, Rayinudo and her sugar daddy, Ifemelu and Blaine ( this one was for her activist and academics side), and so many other instances in the book.
The writer does not see relationships between young couples as a journey, but as an enterprise. Subtly she encourages ladies to go for men who are very rich, and every relationship somebody has to be bringing more or it is balderdash. The book presented men in a light that made me sick to my stomach and i asked myself "so this is where these women place us? as a tool to be used, expired then thrown out" the manner which ifemelu cheated on curt, the way aunt uju divorced Bartholomew after she did not get the child she was looking for showed me a side which i never want to venture, now talking about venture

American Grass is not so Green As a young man with high hopes this book helped to kill any dreams i had about America. i had a friend who always said " After Heaven na US, even e get as u go waka for US u go see God direct"... But this book has put an end to that fantasy.
The writer constantly hammered on racism and black on black segregation that makes one wonder if the thought of greener pastures is worth the stress and strain involved. The English society which i personally thought were to conservative and rigid was painted in a liberal light, and American society painted 50 shades of black. The writer painted a simple solution to race issues in England which is class, your money is ur rank while in america with money u are still second class/ Nigger.

Morality and Lack of it For a book that is not a romance novel or a james hardely chase soft porn; this book has a very low standard in the setting of morals. premarital sex was not frowned on even underage sex was treated with kid gloves. Ifemelu and obinze's escapade in obinze's house was made to look cool as if young people like that could keep things under check; if i hear.
The writer saw nothing wrong with ladies having sex with married men, not once was the consequences of such folly exposed: even when aunt uju got pregnant for "The General" the writer created a scenario of All is well that ends well, the general owning up to the child and taking responsibility....this is bad and any girl reading this might be conned to thinking it is applicable (we all know how young girls are easily influenced by books they read)...HIV, Gonorrhea and other STD's were hardly mentioned, i began to wonder if in that world they didnt exist.
i dont know if it is Adichie's western upbringing that caused this but i have read the Soyinkas, the Achebes, the Elechi Amadis, the cyprain ekwensis, and there was a thin code of conduct observed by this great literary icons, sex was not "cool" to this men and they spelt it out in black and white. Obviously Adichie does not think in african lines little wonder the book was titled Americanah.

Now to the issue that vexed me the most

The Ridicule Of The Institution Of Marriage Adichie made sure she downplayed marriage to the best of her ability, only ifemelus parents were the couple she really wrote on and she presented them as poor, the father a sycophant and the mother a bordering fanatic. If she had anything against marriage she should have said so.... Obinze's wife Kosi is a God sent babe any man could pray for. A girl that started with him when he had nothing, was patient, dutiful, beautiful, well mannered, cultured etc; and how did Adichie treat this character? she made sure Kosi lost out to the rude, childish, condescending, ill mannered Ifemelu. Adichie threw out the notion that one can grow to love someone she replaced it with in her own words "Feeling of responsibility". Adichie made single motherhood look Hip,cases of Aunt uju, obinze's mum comes to mind and surely Adichie made sure she blocked out the longing, loneliness and insecurity these women pass through daily.
In all i can say i am just getting to know Adichie having read two of her works that is Half of a yellow sun and this Americanah....i will go for purple hibiscus and see what she penned there...i really need to know other new generation authors we have please mods if i made an error move it to the right section cc Obinnau copy lalasiclala

cococandy:
This is an almost childish review. Did you expect her story to teach you morals? Go to your church for that. A good storyteller tells it as it is. Not as people want it to be.

armadeo:
Op if you call James hardly chase soft porn then I can as well disregard very other thing you have said.


My opinion.

ayosmiles:
Actuallly, there is something deeply wrong with that book even though its my most interesting chinamanda book.

I find the personality of Ifemelu deeply disturbing; no morals, no conscience even snatching another womans husband. She is also very arrogant and childish. Remember that creative writing is a form of media, u are always passing across a message. Anti adichie is telling our young ladies that look up to her that its ok to use men and dump them, its ok to be selfish and date married men and that there is no end to racism.

Ifemelu is also obsessed with pleasure, whatever gives her pleasure, doesnt matter if it hurts anybody, stupid brat. Chai! I hate that girl, but i love the book.

DONGOYARO1:
Chimamanda Adichie is an overated storyteller

Deeboiy:
That woman has issues,she is taking this feminism matter too far

ayosmiles:
Actuallly, there is something deeply wrong with that book even though its my most interesting chinamanda book.

I find the personality of Ifemelu deeply disturbing; no morals, no conscience even snatching another womans husband. She is also very arrogant and childish. Remember that creative writing is a form of media, u are always passing across a message. Anti adichie is telling our young ladies that look up to her that its ok to use men and dump them, its ok to be selfish and date married men and that there is no end to racism.

Ifemelu is also obsessed with pleasure, whatever gives her pleasure, doesnt matter if it hurts anybody, stupid brat. Chai! I hate that girl, but i love the book.

awakeuche:
bro forget what the op says, he seems to forget that writing a book does not necessarily mean everything must be black and white, the book was set in a colonial era where you either had to make great sacrifices to survive or have connections.
I feel the book honestly depicts exactly what educated women went through during that period in question... As for the societal african values the op opined she downplayed i would agree with him, the book wasn't written to sugarcoat or showcase morals in any form, it simply explains things like they are and let it be which is exactly what makes it one of the most interesting reads......
I totally enjoyed ifemelu's experiences in america, it was part funny and phenomenal. Finally i think morals were downplayed in the book and emphasis giving to the fact that life is not a bed of roses to some no matter how kind and good you may be in the case of kosi, you can still lose out.....
Sometimes bad things happen to good people too........... And yes chimamanda is also one of those writers who always want to paint Christians in overzealous light. Just read the book, you will totally enjoy it

ZoneBslayer:

you obviously don't get the OP..it isn't about reality, the question is, should that reality continue? we're trying to build a better world for the next generation not glamorizing the ills in our current reality...the op clearly admitted it was a reality, but his point (which he kept harking on) was that the writer made it look cool and without consequences...