Reviews with content warning for Xenophobia - Americanah

In many ways, I feel that Americancanah is a mirror of Homer's The Oddesy. Not in the literal sense, it is not a mimicry or retelling of the Greek classic; but in that the story of Ifemelu and Obinze starts as a journey of their departure from home, from childhood and an innocent love, as well as their journey back home, back to one anther, only to find themselves changed. The novel depicts an oddesy of the immigrant and black experience. I found that it was insightful, compelling and compassionate - a necessary and powerful read, a modern classic even. Adiche writes about intimacy in a way that is beautiful in its mundanity and common-place: the comparisons of sex with food, or the descriptions of small movements, observations about ones lover, made everything suddenly magical, rendered with colour and spice. The people she wrote about breathed on the page, became a part of me, and I could see through their eyes - understood what they loved about a person, and how at the same time they hated them. She has the same effect while writing about environment, but it was her particularly earnest portrayal of characters and their relationships that has struck me as the most profound and enjoyable to read.

It would be too simplistic, I think, to say that Americancanah is just a love story. Yes, it is ultimately a story about love - but it is not singularly about romantic love. It is also about the love of your home, the love of community. The book is long, and there is an almost malaise feeling halfway through, as you see the years of the protagonists lives melt past, and there is a revolving door of minor characters, names and faces which pass by too quickly for you to remember. However, I was certainly never bored, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Adichie's prose. The length of the story is a part of its art: this is a story about a person's life, and so we endure it alongside them, as they blink and find themselves so far away from where they had started, we too share this feeling. I think it's important to understand this aspect of the book, as it makes all the more clearer Adichie's overarching analysis of the African-black experience of race in the modern West, specifically America, and what this says about the state of racism in the world. I highly recommend this book, as it was a rewarding read.

Content Warnings

m4rtt4's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I'm so glad I have finally finished this thick-ass gigantic masterpiece of a book — once again it reminded me why Adichie was, is, and will be one of my favourite authors. So many important things so creatively and credibly — incredibly — told, and as someone who is neither Black or African or American I learned a lot from reading this. I'd like to give an example quote to convince y'all reading my review to find the courage to grab this book, but honestly I'd have to cite every other sentence (and that alone should convince you :)
Yes, it's thick, serious and emotional, BUT every single page is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY (and I'm craving to read so much more).

Content Warnings

mildlypretentiousreader's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“Racism should never have happened and so you don’t get a cookie for reducing it.”

“Relaxing your hair is like being in prison. You’re caged in.”

Americanah chronologies the lives of Nigerian immigrants, Ifemelu and Obinze, an engaged couple. Ifemelu legally enters the United States of America, while Obinze swiftly becomes an undocumented immigrant in London, England. The couple is soon separated by unforeseen circumstances and must rely on themselves to adjust to their new lives. Wrapped in the romance of the two main characters, the readers are thrown into the lives of numerous African immigrants as they navigate America and the UK.

An impressive number of issues are touched upon in Americanah. We watch the African immigrants grapple with the foreign concept of race and adjust and adapt their thinking towards other black ethnic groups in America and the UK. We watch how the pressures placed on immigrant teens can wreak havoc on their personal lives, resulting in suicide attempts. We witness the devaluation and degradation of black men and the over-sexualization of black women. We read about the victims of colorism and the constant and insistent hold texurism has on white society. All of these discussions are handled with nuance and grace.

I was not too drawn in by the plot of romance between Ifemelu and Obinze. I found it uninteresting and rather predictable. I also found that almost all the characters sucked, one way or another. Many lacked intersectionality and could not look past their own opinions. Others were habitual cheaters who lacked empathy. I was more into the political aspect of the Americanah than anything.

If I recall correctly, there were also mentions of Asian people that appeared to uphold the “model minority myth.” This rubbed me the wrong.

Content Warnings

vas_17's review against another edition

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challenging emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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samarakroeger's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

hated the ending but loved most of the book

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riverofpages's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Just a masterpiece. A dialogue between the diaspora that needs to continue. It feels like a “choose your own adventure” book where many options are possible because it very much resembles real life, except you always wind up choosing what the author writes anyway. I’m now going to devour everything she writes.

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justovereherereading's review

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This was a great read. I loved learning a little more about Nigerian culture and then seeing American and British culture from an African perspective. It challenged my views on race throughout the book, and learnt even more about white privilege.
I really enjoyed seeing the two main characters grow and loved there deep connection.
I’ve read a few books this year where race is a main theme and it’s been eye opening. Thank you for opening my eyes to things that I haven’t see before.

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valentia's review

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emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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