Title: Things Fall Apart

Author: Chinua Achebe  

Genre: Classics     

Publisher: Anchor Canada   

Format: Paperback

Pages: 209

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

THINGS FALL APART tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first of these stories traces Okonkwo’s fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives, and in its classical purity of line and economical beauty it provides us with a powerful fable about the immemorial conflict between the individual and society.

The second story, which is as modern as the first is ancient, and which elevates the book to a tragic plane, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo’s world through the arrival of aggressive, proselytizing European missionaries. These twin dramas are perfectly harmonized, and they are modulated by an awareness capable of encompassing at once the life of nature, human history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul. THINGS FALL APART is the most illuminating and permanent monument we have to the modern African experience as seen from within.

Review:

I picked this one up to buddy read with a friend and it was a great idea! This book is also on the list of Diverse Classics I found, so I’m glad to cross this one off the list!

The book is about a man in a village in Africa before the Europeans came! I really liked how the book described the day to day life of the villagers, using Okonkwo as the main character and lens to see how life was. He is a very hard working man with three wives, and definitely believes he is the most important person in the family. The way he treated his wives drove me crazy! He’s so rude to them and treats them so badly, but I guess that’s the way it was back in the day in many different societies and cultures! –

The book also highlights what happened when the Europeans arrived and how they got to work building a church and converting the people. I found it interesting to read how this really divided the villagers; some thought it great, while others looked at it as defying the ancestors.

Overall, I felt like I learned a lot about Ibo culture in Nigeria and I really enjoyed it!

Happy reading!