Book Report: Chimamanda Ngozi Adachie's Americanah (2013)

Book Report: Chimamanda Ngozi Adachie's Americanah (2013)

Americanah is a book that is written so well that after the first few pages I already wanted to never try to write anything again because I knew I’d never be as good. I felt similarly with Adichie’s other books (Purple Hibiscus and Half of a Yellow Sun), but while I loved those books too, Americanah somehow surpasses them in its scope, talent, characterization and sheer emotional impact. I literally cried at the end of this book and while I’m certainly no “tough guy”, not many books manage that. It both deals with race politics in different countries, but at the same time a difficult but authentic love story. Ifemelu and Obinze seem to be meant for each other and still get torn apart and until the ambiguous ending, Adichie never falls for easy answers and romance clichés. Every decision they make seems tough, their flaws feel real and their relationship is not governed by the plot, but only by them as characters. The politics are really thought-provoking, though, and not just window-dressing. Both romance and politics play an equal role and mastering that challenge is impressive all by itself. Adichie has so much to say about race, class, our image of Africa, relationships, regret and pain that I’d say everyone can find something in this book to like. Yes, the book is by a Nigerian author, partly set in Nigeria, but it’s not a “Nigerian” book. In the spirit of truly great novels it’s about everything and everyone.

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Book Report: Dave Eggers' The Circle (2013)

Book Report: Dave Eggers' The Circle (2013)

(no real spoilers)

Dave Eggers’ The Circle is a fascinating book that takes a topic that you think you thought about a lot already and makes you think even more and in a different way about it. The topic is the internet in general and social media and privacy specifically. Eggers is always a brilliant writer and his versatility is simply impressive. But still I wouldn’t have expected this book from him, not because of its quality, but because of its themes. It’s a highly enjoyable but at the same time incredibly thought-provoking book that makes you reflect on your attitude towards social media. Sure, you could argue that he is overdoing it a little in depicting the future and the consequences, but then again, who knows? Together with Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin’s The Private Eye, the question of how far are we willing to go and are we aware what it means is really prevalent.

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Book Report: David Levithan's Every Day (2012)

Book Report: David Levithan's Every Day (2012)

(no spoilers!)

David Levithan’s Every Day has a central idea that is so simple and brilliant, that it’s hard to believe no one else has written that book already. It’s the story of A, who wakes up in a new body every day, for one day, since his (or her, there’s no definite gender) birth. He doesn’t get involved too much and just follows along the person’s normal routine until he jumps into the next person. That alone would make an interesting book. He’s sixteen when we meet him and just reading about him observing the people whose lives he joins is interesting enough. But then he falls in love for the first time, with a girl called Rhiannon and suddenly he has to live actively if he wants to enjoy this love. This is where the book becomes really interesting. It’s a really good book, well-written and with one of the best endings I could imagine because until the very end, it’s hard to see it coming. It plays with our expectations and I really enjoyed that. I try to keep it short because I do not want to spoil the book in any way, as I think it’s really worth reading.

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Book Report: Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go (2005)

Book Report: Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go (2005)

(spoilers ahead)

Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go is a tricky novel. It seems almost innocent in describing the lives of its three main characters which live an uneventful life in a boarding school and how they grow up. But beneath that unexciting surface lurks a dark story about rearing children in ignorance, teaching them to pretend and making them believe in authority at all times. Yes, the book also deals with cloning and what makes us human, but this has been dealt with in enough other books and movies. What fascinates me about that book is the way it portrays education and society but also the way it incorporates the three things I tell my students too often about: ignorance, authority and pretense. I just finished reading the book in my main class and was happy to see it was received (mostly) well, because I wasn’t sure students would find it appealing. But now I know that I would read it again and while working on it, I was surprised how much the novel has to offer and how thought-provoking it is. It has a lot of aspects to discuss and I want to try to get at most of what I deem important, which will still be a lot. For structure’s sake, I will follow the three-part division of the book.

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