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jeannemixon 's review for:
Americanah
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Ifemelu and Obinze are two Nigerians who are fed up with the kleptocracy running Nigeria -- the scamsters known as 419, the military rule, the civil wars. There are teachers strikes because they aren't being paid which leads to a collapse of the education system. Women are treated like second class citizens. There is a severe class divide. Ifemelu's father loses his job and they are sunk in poverty. Obinze is from a more monied background.
They both have stars in their eyes. They were raised to revere the West, especially America. Ifemelu is accepted into an American college and Obinze finds himself in London.
And here the book takes on a sour undertone while remaining very readable. Ifemelu finds that things are not to her liking in America. First of all -- and this is a little weird -- Nigerians in the book complain that Americans don't hit their children enough. Was this supposed to be a mark against Nigerians or Americans? Adichie doesn't make it clear.
Secondly, and more damningly, there are only two kinds of white Americans -- stupid clueless liberals and vicious straight up racists. The Blacks in the book are allowed to have well defined characters and are differentiated. The whites fall into one of the two categories. Now some are more on the stupid and arrogant side and others more on the simply clueless and sad side. But there is little other distinction among them.
At a dinner party attended by Ifemelu, she is talking to a Black woman who has a white I think it was husband. Ifemelu, who has broken up with her white boyfriend in a weird act of self destruction that turns into even weirder self abasement, says to this woman that no Black woman can ever really be happy in a relationship with a white man. The Black woman is offended and angry, but Ifemelu believes that everyone else at the table agrees with her and she writes in her blog that America will never truly be free of its racist burden because Blacks and whites can never truly love each other. Based on her one relationship, mind you, comes this gem.
Meanwhile Obinze, who is astonished that London does not open all doors to him even though he never had an established plan for what he wanted to do there and in fact is breaking a number of laws working illegally, using an illegal insurance card and even at one point trying to marry someone for a green card. Somehow, because he is nice and smart and well intentioned, he should be entitled to the full rights of a citizen.
Eventually the scales fall from their eyes and they click their heels and return to home sweet home.
There are many worthwhile sentiments in this book and it is, of course, good to have the perspective of an outsider. But there are also a number of misconceptions here, maybe put there because Adichie truly doesn't understand things as well as she thinks she does or because Ifemelu doesn't, it is hard to tell. For example, do not try telling my Jewish husband that he is not white. he will not thank you for that insight. Also, sorry, but that is considered straight up antisemitic. The section of the book where Ifemelu tries to categorize the different kinds of people in America is full of unfortunate comments like that one, although that was the worst.
Also I firmly do not believe that it advances the cause of racial justice to portray well intentioned white liberals as stupid and clueless. I have no problem with Adichie listing the stupid white liberal things she has heard or encountered, but there was not a single likeable white character in the book. If you are trying to educate white people, perhaps a role model of not stupid whiteness would help. Or you could at least give the white people personalities. Maybe white people weren't supposed to read the book at all.
I did learn that Adichie style is not for me. And I certainly didn't need nearly 600 pages to be told that I'm stupid and clueless (I put myself in the liberal category). You can call me stupid in a lot fewer pages than that.
Oh just read from a commenter on Goodreads that Adichie considered this a comedy. Jokes on me I guess. apparently she says Americans just don't get that. I like my comedy a little less vicious.
They both have stars in their eyes. They were raised to revere the West, especially America. Ifemelu is accepted into an American college and Obinze finds himself in London.
And here the book takes on a sour undertone while remaining very readable. Ifemelu finds that things are not to her liking in America. First of all -- and this is a little weird -- Nigerians in the book complain that Americans don't hit their children enough. Was this supposed to be a mark against Nigerians or Americans? Adichie doesn't make it clear.
Secondly, and more damningly, there are only two kinds of white Americans -- stupid clueless liberals and vicious straight up racists. The Blacks in the book are allowed to have well defined characters and are differentiated. The whites fall into one of the two categories. Now some are more on the stupid and arrogant side and others more on the simply clueless and sad side. But there is little other distinction among them.
At a dinner party attended by Ifemelu, she is talking to a Black woman who has a white I think it was husband. Ifemelu, who has broken up with her white boyfriend in a weird act of self destruction that turns into even weirder self abasement, says to this woman that no Black woman can ever really be happy in a relationship with a white man. The Black woman is offended and angry, but Ifemelu believes that everyone else at the table agrees with her and she writes in her blog that America will never truly be free of its racist burden because Blacks and whites can never truly love each other. Based on her one relationship, mind you, comes this gem.
Meanwhile Obinze, who is astonished that London does not open all doors to him even though he never had an established plan for what he wanted to do there and in fact is breaking a number of laws working illegally, using an illegal insurance card and even at one point trying to marry someone for a green card. Somehow, because he is nice and smart and well intentioned, he should be entitled to the full rights of a citizen.
Eventually the scales fall from their eyes and they click their heels and return to home sweet home.
There are many worthwhile sentiments in this book and it is, of course, good to have the perspective of an outsider. But there are also a number of misconceptions here, maybe put there because Adichie truly doesn't understand things as well as she thinks she does or because Ifemelu doesn't, it is hard to tell. For example, do not try telling my Jewish husband that he is not white. he will not thank you for that insight. Also, sorry, but that is considered straight up antisemitic. The section of the book where Ifemelu tries to categorize the different kinds of people in America is full of unfortunate comments like that one, although that was the worst.
Also I firmly do not believe that it advances the cause of racial justice to portray well intentioned white liberals as stupid and clueless. I have no problem with Adichie listing the stupid white liberal things she has heard or encountered, but there was not a single likeable white character in the book. If you are trying to educate white people, perhaps a role model of not stupid whiteness would help. Or you could at least give the white people personalities. Maybe white people weren't supposed to read the book at all.
I did learn that Adichie style is not for me. And I certainly didn't need nearly 600 pages to be told that I'm stupid and clueless (I put myself in the liberal category). You can call me stupid in a lot fewer pages than that.
Oh just read from a commenter on Goodreads that Adichie considered this a comedy. Jokes on me I guess. apparently she says Americans just don't get that. I like my comedy a little less vicious.