Things Fall Apart

HAPPY END OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH!!!! I had this really cool post for black history about John Lewis's book "March", but i accidentally deleted it. Oops. So here is my 2nd best on the classic book: Things Fall Apart. Just remember black history is 365 days a year (same for other people of color).

Now on to the book review:





Things Fall Apart
209 pages
Chinua Achebe

Summary: Amazon.com ("Robot Check." Robot Check. Web. 2 Mar. 2015. <http://www.amazon.com/Things-Fall-Apart-Chinua-Achebe/dp/0385474547>.)

Things Fall Apart tells two intertwining stories, both centering on Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first, a powerful fable of the immemorial conflict between the individual and society, traces Okonkwo’s fall from grace with the tribal world. The second, as modern as the first is ancient, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo's world with the arrival of aggressive European missionaries. These perfectly harmonized twin dramas are informed by an awareness capable of encompassing at once the life of nature, human history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul.

My Opinion:

*Start Rant*
This is another school reading book. I wonder who decides what high schooler's should read. Wouldn't it be important to take their tastes and interests into consideration plus can they read the books before they make us read them.
*End Rant*

I really didn't like this book. Maybe because of the historical accuracy and the characters' demeaning perspective roles on women during that time. Okonkwo was not a person, I would admire or even say was the smartest. He made the dummiest decisions and was very impulsive. Everything else, the character backstories especially, was on point. It was a fascinating look into the times before and during European imperialism. I loved learning about the Ibo culture more. Interesting fact is that we are learning about European imperialism in AP World History. After a while, around the times the Europeans (British) came and started converting the Ibo people, I began to appreciate the book, though that still doesn't mean I like it. The ending I tell you is most surprising. Actually the entire book is just pages of surprises. I can see why it is regarded as a classic, but it will not be a book I highly recommend to others.

P.S. Please leave a comment below. Tell me how I am doing with this book review business. Am I helpful or not? Ciao for now!