Please allow me to apologize in advance if I seem to ramble throughout this entry. That is not my intent. I can’t seem to stay focused on one topic for too long without some other thought fighting to take its place (like crabs in a bucket).
Last week I finally read Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Adichie.
Awesome! Amazing! Inspirational!
The unimaginable magnitude of those words do not deliver enough praise for this emotional story.
I came across Chimamanda Adichie this summer when I was looking for a book by Chinua Achebe, author of Things Fall Apart, and the search engine suggested Purple Hibiscus and The Thing Around Your Neck. Not giving it much attention, I decided to purchase something else. Then a couple of weeks ago, I received a video clip email displaying a remarkable woman telling of her experience being an Nigerian girl coming of age, The Danger of a Single Story. Adichie’s speech had an immediate effect on me and made me question the way I view people from different parts of the world. So I put her book back on my to-read list.
Not having studied Nigeria’s historical roots; Adichie’s words vividly set the stage in describing the complexity of political affairs and family life, I suppose for many Nigerian people during that particular time period (1980’s ?).
From the start, protagonist Kamili wins my heart. A fifteen year-old devout catholic girl whose family is of wealth and privilege works hard to garner her father’s love. Only to have her father scold her with hot tea, brutally beat her and God only knows what else to her mentally.
Most of the native Nigerian’s view Kamili’s father as the “Big Man” or Omelora. In my own opinion he is best characterized as a hypocrite. He undeniably gives large sums of money to the people of Nigeria, but at the same time is a cruel dictator towards his family, including his own father (Papa Nnukwu). Papa Nnukwu’s character is brilliantly fantastic. He definitely reminds me of my own paternal grandfather’s bizarre behavior. Being that he is a talented storyteller and wise man who keeps old traditions alive. You can’t help but to love him.
After much persuasion, Kamili’s father finally agrees to let his children visit his sister and her two children in the town of Nsukka. This is where Kamili’s life starts to transform for the better; however, her father’s ridiculous behavior becomes more outlandish. So outlandish it drives his wife to put poison in his tea.
Ameka is one other character that stood out in the story. Ameka is Kamili’s loud, opinionated, and sharp-mind cousin. Ameka’s upbringing is the total opposite of Kamili’s. Ameka’s mother is a single parent and teaches at the local college. Ameka’s mother is accused of encouraging students to revolt against the unjust practices of the Head of State. She is forced to quit her job and decides to move to America.
Adichie’s use of Igbo language sometimes is not translated well; nonetheless, it does not take away from the contextual meaning of the story. Her ability to create compelling characters is solidly crafted. Purple Hibiscus is a wonderful read.
I could go on forever about this great find, but I invite you to form your own opinion. Soon enough I will discuss in greater detail about how this book has truly helped me to find peace. I now look forward to reading Half a Yellow Sun and The Thing Around Your Neck.
On to other stuff….
I just forced myself to finish reading Maya Angelou’s Letter to My Daughter. Not at all what I expected. The first couple of letters held my attention, but after that it was quite boring. May be I think I know too much or just tired of conventional wisdom for the moment. What ever it is, I hope to gain knowledge from my own experiences.
Right now on my nightstand I have Reinventing the Woman by Patty Rice and What They Found Love on 145th Street, Walter Dean Myers. Neither title is of interest. So I will not ramble on any longer. The perfect song for a beautiful ending.
Working this thing called Life!
