Audiobook Review: Americanah by Chimamamda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah by Chimamamda Ngozi Adichie (narrated by Adjoa Andoh; 17 hours and 28 minutes) tackles many big themes - immigration, race and class - in a story about a young couple who are separated when they both leave military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Ifemelu and Obinze meet in school in Nigeria and quickly fall for each but with their homeland under dictatorship they, like many of their peers, decide they must leave Nigeria. Ifemelu departs for the US where she has some family and Obinze initially intends to follow her but then is not allowed to enter the US and he goes to London. The book follows each of their stories as emigrants separately until they both return to Nigeria and reconnect. At that point, the book follows them together again as they face returning to a Nigeria they left and the realization that their lives have become more complicated.

When Ifemelu arrives in the US, she faces racism for the first time and in addition to adjusting to a new country, she also struggles with learning about "American blacks" (AB) and "non American blacks" (NAB). With the benefit of an outsider's perspective who is also a member of the race facing discrimination, Ifemelu's observations on the topic are incisive. She begins writing a blog about her experiences which is popular but controversial. Ifemelu is conflicted about her life in the US - on one hand, she welcomes the freedom and the bounty of options available in the US but, on the other hand, she does not understand the constant optimism and apparent lack of grit she finds in her new home. 

Obinze's immigration takes a different route when he ultimately ends up living illegally in London. This educated, self-assured man is relegated to poorly paying jobs and living on the fringes of society. He enters into an agreement for an arranged marriage that will guarantee his British citizenship. Although he thinks of Ifemelu frequently, Obinze does not reach out to her and continues to live a lie in his new homeland. Ultimately, he is deported to Nigeria where he marries a woman and becomes a successful businessman. He continues to think of Ifemelu and is reunited with her when she returns to Nigeria from the States.

My Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found myself stopping often on walks to consider the beauty of the sentences created by the author. I wish I also read this book in print so that I could underline passages and quotes because they so perfectly expressed a concept. This book is about Ifemelu and Obinze but their stories, individually and together, are really just a vehicle for the themes the author addresses in this wide ranging novel - themes of immigration, race and class.  It certainly has given me much to consider and months later I find myself reflecting on  the book and its characters. This is the first audiobook I have listened to by narrator Adjoa Andoh (others may be familiar with her as the narrator of Alexander McCall Smith's No.1 Ladies Detective Agency) - her British accent tinged with an African twang is perfect for this novel and its main characters although her narration of American characters sounded a bit generic.  Overall, I recommend this audiobook and also recommend the print version to better enjoy the excellent writing.

Review: The Girl Who Married An Eagle by Tamar Myers

In The Girl Who Married An Eagle, Tamar Myers draws on her childhood lived in the Belgian Congo for this final book in her Belgian Congo series. Born to missionaries, the author lived in the Belgian Congo and that is also the setting for this book with the main character, Julie, arriving in the Congo from Ohio to start her work at the mission. While there, she leads a school for girls and meets Buakane who has recently been sold by her parents to Chief Eagle for a sum of goats and chickens - she will be the Chief's 23rd wife. Julie tries to save Buakane from this fate but that is no easy feat.

Julie is enthralled when she learns about the missions at her church in Ohio and in a step of rebelliousness, more than selflessness, she heads to the Congo. Shortly after arriving, she meets young Clementine, a precocious young girl who was born to the children on missionaries in the Congo. She is both Julie's guide to life in the village and her charge - she is soon tasked with keeping Clementine under control. Meanwhile Buakane has eavesdropped on her parent's conversation and learned that they plan to sell her to Chief Eagle for a sum of goats and chickens. Buakane is a beautiful young girl (barely a teen) and will become the 23rd wife of Chief Eagle. Some of the Chief's wives have met with terrible fortunes so Buakane is justifiably nervous about this deal struck by her parents. Furthermore, the last wife of a Chief gets buried alive with the Chief when he dies and Buakane fears she could meet that fate. The story alternates between Buakane's story and that of Clementine who we soon learn has suffered quite a bit for a young girl. The story of the Belgian Congo and the customs of colonialism and tribal culture are weaved throughout as Julie learns about her new home.

My Thoughts
Although this is the final book in the author's Belgian Congo series, it ably stands on its own.  I had not read the previous three books and did not feel like I had missed anything - I believe the setting of the Congo is what unifies the series but the characters are unique to each book. The book is billed as a mystery but I found it light on mystery. In my opinion, it is much more a cultural anthropology set in a novel. I loved reading about the Congo and the customs of the tribal culture. Novels are often my favorite way of discovering new cultures or times in history - this book is especially good in that department because, although not non-fiction, the author writes from her own personal experience so there is authenticity to her setting.

This book definitely got me thinking about the exploitation of women in some third world nations and in certain cultures. Without much of a thought, Buakane's parents sold her off to the Chief knowing that she would be buried alive with him if he died while she was still his most recent wife. By selling her, they guaranteed their own security and also Buakane's as she would be fed and cared for as the wife of the Chief. It struck me that these are the types of decisions some people must make and how those circumstances doom many women to arranged marriages where they are given few choices and even put into danger.  So, although light on mystery, this books definitely gave me something to think about and, through and enjoyable story, allowed me to learn about life in a Belgian mission in the 1950's. It was a great way to spend a long flight.

I review this book as part of the TLC Book Tour - you can see other reviews on the tour schedule.