Americanah

About the book

Ifemelu and Obinze are young lovers in military-ruled Nigeria who depart the country for different hemispheres. Ifemelu travels to the United States, where she navigates the specific social hierarchy of race, eventually documenting her observations on the distinctions between American Blacks and non-American Blacks in a popular blog. Meanwhile, Obinze’s attempts to secure legal status in London fail, leading to his deportation. Years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, grappling with their altered identities and the complications of their shared romantic history.

Readers of contemporary literary realism choose this book to understand the intersection of migration, national identity, and social class. It provides a detailed look at how African immigrants internalize and react to Western racial categories that do not exist in their home countries. The reader finishes the text with a clear perspective on the internal friction experienced by the "returnee" who must reconcile their original culture with the foreign habits acquired during years of living abroad.

Details

Published

1969

Language

EN