Americanah

AMERICANAH
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

 Award: National Book Critics Circle Winner 2013

 Nominations: Carnegie Finalist 2014, Dublin Finalist 2015, NY Times Finalist 2013, Women's Prize Finalist 2014

 Date Read: December 24, 2014

 Ah, where to begin with this one? I loved this novel with all my heart from the beginning to the end. Americanah is the story of a Nigerian woman, Ifemelu, who travels from Nigeria to the US to attend university. She subsequently falls in love with classmate Obinze, a man she knew in Nigeria. Obinze is denied a visa renewal and is forced to return, where he becomes a successful businessman.

 The aspect of this novel that I found most compelling is the commentary Adichie provides on race in America through Ifemelu's blog with the impossible title, "Raceteenth or Various Observations About American Blacks (Those Formerly Known as Negroes) by a Non-American Black." In this blog Ifemelu discusses the unique experience of learning what it means to be black in America. As a woman from Nigeria, a homogenous country where everyone is the same race, she is rudely introduced to the subtle and overt forms of racism so prevalent in our culture.

 Americanah refers to a Nigerian term bestowed on someone who leaves Nigeria for America and returns Americanized, which is exactly what transpires with Ifemelu. This novel is brilliant in its ability to show the beauty and agony of disparate cultures and an outsider's perspective to American racism, particularly from a female perspective. This novel is wide-reaching and deliciously written. I have recommended this novel to many friends and will definitely revisit this gem. I am surprised it only received one award.

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