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A review by mitskacir
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
4.0
Mostly what I knew about this book going in was that it used to be required by my high school but they'd changed the curriculum by the time I got there because students complained it was just about yams.
Yes, the beginning had a lot of yams, and I did think this would be a challenging book for high schoolers since it doesn't have the same narrative structure as most western books and doesn't have a gripping plotline. So I'm glad I read it as an adult, although I think I would get a lot more out of it examining it in an academic setting. Even having a brief discussion about it with my partner who did read it in high school gave me a much greater appreciation for it.
The ending shocked me with its startling events and abrupt change in perspective. It really reframes how you think about the rest of the book, in a similar way that The Importance of Being Earnest did for me (although certainly with a different tone). I also reflected a lot on my judgments, reactions, feelings, and loyalties throughout the book and how they shifted from Okonkwo to the colonizers. It made me think about what outsiders would judge harshly in my own culture, and how righting perceived wrongs can perpetuate further wrongs if done without understanding and humility.
Yes, the beginning had a lot of yams, and I did think this would be a challenging book for high schoolers since it doesn't have the same narrative structure as most western books and doesn't have a gripping plotline. So I'm glad I read it as an adult, although I think I would get a lot more out of it examining it in an academic setting. Even having a brief discussion about it with my partner who did read it in high school gave me a much greater appreciation for it.
The ending shocked me with its startling events and abrupt change in perspective. It really reframes how you think about the rest of the book, in a similar way that The Importance of Being Earnest did for me (although certainly with a different tone). I also reflected a lot on my judgments, reactions, feelings, and loyalties throughout the book and how they shifted from Okonkwo to the colonizers. It made me think about what outsiders would judge harshly in my own culture, and how righting perceived wrongs can perpetuate further wrongs if done without understanding and humility.