Wednesday 10 October 2007

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe


One of the best books I have read in a long time – and I’m offering it to one lucky person in a lottery draw!

Written in 1958, it tells the story of a man called Okonkwo, who lived in what is now known as Nigeria. Apart from being a fascinating account of how the Ibo people lived, it is not so much about the man or his family, as about the way the first missionaries and other colonials imposed their views on Africa, and written entirely from an African point of view. At the same time it didn’t try to idealise life in Africa at that time: the brutality resulting from some of their beliefs isn’t hidden.

It’s a short book at 176 pages and I found it easy to read. You can see some Amazon reviews here.

It was BAFAB week last week (Buy a Friend a Book), so, all right I’m a little late but does it really matter? If you are interested in reading it (and are OK with emailing me your address) just leave a comment below. If more than one person comments, I'll pick names out of a hat. I'm happy to post it to you wherever you live. Closing date a week from now.

8 comments:

  1. ooh that will lure me out of lurkdom! Please enter my name
    Jen x

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  2. Don't know where Jen lives, but I'd probably be willing to collect! [Don't know if you have Scottish or Belgian blood, but am appealing to your radinerie ;-)] Mother dearest is wondering why no-one's interested in publishing her account of "educating savages" as a Missionary in W.Africa. I sent her the Poisonwood Bible, but it wasn't greatly appreciated.
    j

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  3. Have you come across Half of a Yellow Sun, covering the Igbo (or Ibo) people during the Nigerian war, and demonstrating Britain's usual callous indiference to people when it impinged on their political (and usually monetary needs)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'd love to be in the queue for this - always on the scout for new books with the Newtown Mums book club over here ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ok - Ok -
    I think I understand - Africa, as written in this book.
    What about--- +???
    The Midnight Children; who wrote that book?

    Read Knut Hamsun - Nobel Prize winner - the best storyteller ever so far - and so misunderstood by his natives after WW2. That's a shame.

    Read f.i. Hunger - if you have not--- you'll become hungry

    And Victoria and and and and

    ReplyDelete
  6. It seems toraa listed a set of books...

    Mid night children by Salman Rushdie...

    Lots of stuff in the book i suppose. I would like to enroll my name here A.....

    ReplyDelete
  7. BHOOOOO!

    Blog warming party tomorrow Friday 12th of Otober.

    Welcome to wee my new look..... if you dare....

    Spread the word!

    *ghost giggles*

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  8. j, I loved the Poisonwood Bible and it's still on my list of all time favourites, even if it did go on too long. I can see why your mother might not have liked it.

    Elaine, yes, it's sitting here waiting for its turn. I read her earlier book, Purple Hibiscus, quite a while ago.

    Tor, Midnight's Children is, as rajkingme say, by Salman Rushdie. It's about India. I enjoyed it too but it wasn't the easiest read. Intersting though. I don't know the other ones you mention so I'll go in search.

    j, aka'raquel and rajkingme, I'll add you all to the draw :)

    ReplyDelete

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