Reviews with content warning for Religious bigotry - Under the Udala Trees

Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

47 reviews

laurareads87's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? No

5.0

Under the Udala Trees is an extraordinary novel spanning decades -- from the Nigerian-Biafran war of the late 1960s to the 1990s -- following Ijeoma, who grows from a young girl to an adult over the course of the book. From a young age and through her school years, Ijeoma finds herself attracted to her female friend in a country where same-sex relationships are not accepted. The novel explores the ways that Ijeoma is pushed into conforming to heteronormative expectations -- including marrying a man -- not only by her mother, who tries to pray her sexuality away, but by her own self-doubts, fears, and internal struggles. At the same time, the book explores ethnic and class dynamics, women's roles, generational tensions, and the struggles of articulating one's identity so thoughtfully, and incorporates intertextual references and multiple languages so well. Beautifully written, Under the Udala Trees will stay with me a long time.

Content Warnings

bookswithgeorgia's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

caitlinattemptstoread's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.0

It wasn’t a bad book, but I have a low tolerance for tragedy these days. This was sad, horrifying, violent, and depressing. (It’s about a civil war and a lesbian Nigerian girl growing up in Africa’s second most religious country.) I appreciate that there was a hopeful ending, but it was not a happy one.

The book reflects reality and maybe I’m rating it so low because I can’t stomach our reality anymore. We spend so much time looking at the past and allowing it to dictate our present. I’d rather continue to envision a better future than continue to draw on the grief and pain of the past.

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nytephoenyx's review against another edition

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emotional sad 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? No

4.75

Under the Udala Trees made me feel an extreme range of emotions. At times, there was joy for fresh young love. At others, there was anger at an unjust world. The strongest emotion I remember this book evoking is fear. Near the middle to end of the book, a once neutral relationship deteriorates into an extremely emotionally and sexually abusive one, and it is the imprint of those scenes that have left me with a raw, unsafe echo of a feeling in my chest. It’s not my favorite emotion to carry with me after I finished reading a book, but it means that the book made an impression.

And how could it not?

Ijeoma’s story is one of heartbreak and denial. Growing up during and after the Nigerian Civil War, Ijeoma remembers the pain of her country. A similar turmoil lives within herself as she fights to love freely in a society that would rather stone her to death than abide a same-sex relationship. Through Under the Udala Trees, we watch as Ijeoma discovers her sexuality and falls in love only to have her heart broken time and again. We watch as those closest to her try to cast the devil out, and those she once trusted betray her in the worst ways. We also watch as she loves, dances, and thrives within the quiet moments of her personal joy. I wish I could say Under the Udala Trees is a well-balanced book of joy and sorrow, but I would be lying. There is a lot more hardship in this book than there are triumphs, but it’s Ijeoma’s strength that impressed me through the entire novel.

This is a character-driven book, which means there was no particular plot but instead we follow Ijeoma as she grows up. As such, the pacing could be a bit slow at times. Okparanta’s writing never falters, and I found she has an intense ability to dunk the reader into a trough of emotions. Okparanta does an excellent job of stringing the world together in the background and still bringing it vividly to life. It was easy to become engrossed in Under the Udala Trees, and I was surprised how quickly I finished it. I spent so much time feeling a mixture of fear, regret, and foolish hope that the book flew past.

Unfortunately, acceptance of a variety of sexual identities is still not recognized in certain countries, including Nigeria where this book takes place. Situations identical to Ijeoma’s remain common. It is important to be educated and to fight for the rights of members of the community in countries that are less understanding. From an American perspective it’s easy to forgot that other countries are less excepting of members of the Pride community here, and even in our own culture, we still fight so many homophobic people. Under the Udala Trees reminded me to be grateful for the freedom I have to be a member of the LGBTQIAP+ community without fear prosecution.

This book overwhelmed me with emotion, although I really appreciated it’s scholarly approaches as well. If you have a chance to pick up a copy, I recommend reading Under the Udala Trees some lazy August afternoon. While it is by no means a “feel good“ book, I’m glad I read it once.

Content Warnings

leweylibrary's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Truly such a powerful and beautifully written book

Quotes

"I'm looking for my mother," A small voice now came crying, distinct from all the rest, a girl's, 4 or 5 years old. Something Mama used to say: If you were looking for something, chances are you will find it in the last place you think to look. I wondered if the girl would find her mother in the graveyard. (15)
And as for eggs, they were a thing like peace of mind, like calm, even like a smile. They were a thing we had begun to have only once in a while. (22)
Why was it that these questions never came up at church? Why was it that people never asked any questions at church? Instead, everyone nodded, and cried "Amen" after everything father Godfrey said, and clapped, no one asking him to explain anything... I wondered what father God free would say if I can fronted him with these questions. Would he even know the answers? How much did pastors pretend to know? (81)
Her grasp was tight, painfully even. Loosen up, I imagine saying to her, to her fingers. Loosen up. And I imagine the reply something like this: This is anger. It does as it pleases. (129)
If you set off on a witch hunt, you will find a witch. When you find her, she will be dressed like any other person. But to you, her skin will glow and stripes of white and black. You will see her broom, and you will hear her witch cry, and you will feel the effects of her spells on you. No matter how unlike a which she is, there she will be, a witch, before your eyes. (196)
"My point is that business is the reason for things like doctrines. Business is the reason for words like 'abomination.' bottom line is, take your abomination with a grain of salt. My sense of it is that some things are called abominations that really aren't." (232)
I suppose it's the way we are, humans that we are. Always finding it easier to make ourselves the victim in someone else's tragedy. Though it is true, too, that sometimes it is hard to know to whom the tragedy really belongs. (320)