Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories.
Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her
authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single
story about another person or country, we risk a critical
misunderstanding.
Inspired by Nigerian history and tragedies all but forgotten by recent generations of westerners, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novels and stories are jewels in the crown of diasporan literature.
In Nigeria, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel Half of a Yellow Sun has helped inspire new, cross-generational communication about the Biafran war. In this and in her other works, she seeks to instill dignity into the finest details of each character, whether poor, middle class or rich, exposing along the way the deep scars of colonialism in the African landscape.
Adichie's newest book, The Thing Around Your Neck, is a brilliant collection of stories about Nigerians struggling to cope with a corrupted context in their home country, and about the Nigerian immigrant experience.
Adichie builds on the literary tradition of Igbo literary giant Chinua Achebe—and when she found out that Achebe liked Half of a Yellow Sun, she says she cried for a whole day. What he said about her rings true: “We do not usually associate wisdom with beginners, but here is a new writer endowed with the gift of ancient storytellers.”
"When she turned 10 and read Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, about the clash between Igbo tradition and the British colonial way of life, everything changed: ‘I realized that people who looked like me could live in books.’ She has been writing about Africa ever since." -- Washington Post
Which is your favorite Psalm Sandy? I used to like Psalm 92 ... My grandmother made it mine in a dream of hers when I was a child ... and she insisted I read it at bedtime and on risising in the morning ... now I can recite with little thought ... Psalm 23 was her favorite ... haven't thought of this in decades ... thanks for bringing to mind a good memory Sandy ...
I have heard about her....but I dont like to read books...but she will convince me to start ready her books....because I always ..worried about Africa....And wish someday to win one million and bring the half to Africa...by myself.(Dream)
You never read out loud Sandy ... I do all the time, its like am hearing it twice and I have better recall ... especially if its prose or poetry ... am seduced by words ... an aphrodisiac for me ...
I like her English because I can understand almost every single word only by listening - and that's not automatic for me. Do you know, which accent or style of English it is?
this is very good work, I admire her. I love those thoughts and I can say I was taught to them and that's why I live by them. 5 stars and nodding my head