November 2020: Chinua Achebe

This month we'll be reading works by author Chinua Achebe. Feel free to join the discussion with any books you've already read or those you plan to read this month.

FWIW, there are two books by Achebe on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list:
Things Fall Apart
Arrow of God

edited to fix touchstones

I read Things Fall Apart twice, and got something out of each reading (once for a class, once for a book club).

Not sure what I'll read this time...off to check what my public library owns...

ETA: He's published at least 2 essay collections; I'll probably choose one of those.

Not excited about this one~ I have two friends who said Things Fall Apart was the most boring book they had read in a long time. Also, I have read 150 books on the 1001 list, and only enjoyed about a half a dozen of them. Still, I will give it a try. I will get whatever my library has in ebook or audiobook form.

>3 Tess_W: oh that's a bummer. I heard good things about Things Fall Apart and was planning to read that. I find the 1001 list a bit hit or miss. There aren't many that I really DISliked but there were a bunch that was I kind of "meh" about -- okay enough, but nothing I would say is "must read."

>4 sweetiegherkin: I enjoyed Things Fall Apart more the second time I read it. There is some adjustment to make because it is a completely different culture, which was easier for me on a second reading. It's a relatively short book (about 200 pages) about a tragic hero.

>5 kac522: Hmm, okay. We'll see. I'm probably still going to read it as my November choice.

Unbelievably, it is already November! (A week in already at that!). What is everyone reading this month?

I am slightly sidetracked and have been reading the YA The Winterhouse series by Ben Guterson. On the thrid and final book so then I can get back to other things. A great series.

Achebe's The Education of a British-Protected Child: Essays just came in from the library, so I will be starting these soon.

I will also be reading The Education of a British-Protected Child. Looking forward to reading his essays. I've read two of his novels before. I truly loved Things Fall Apart and would unequivocally recommend it to anyone.

I finished The Education of a British-Protected Child, which I found engaging and interesting. The essays and lectures included are from 1988 through 2009, and cover a wide variety of topics, but almost always come back to Africa and its place in the world and in Achebe's life. He was a thoughtful man and these essays gave me insight into his writing.

Ditto >11 kac522: I too have finished The Education of a British-protected Child and found it to be quite insightful. Some of the essays are autobiographical in nature. Others focus on African literature and the politics thereof. I personally found the latter category to be most engaging and educational. While I found it interesting to read about his relationships with his father and his daughters, I'm not sure these essays were too memorable. By contrast, I will always remember his contribution in "Politics of Language in African Literature" to the debate of people writing novels in native languages versus English.

>12 sparemethecensor: Yes, that was very interesting and felt very personal. I also liked the one about Teaching Things Fall Apart. And his views on Albert Schweitzer vs. Stanley Diamond--important historical perspectives that need to be heard.

I read There Was A Country: A Personal History of Biafra a few years ago -- and found it very uneven (or at least so weirdly composed that it did not work for me). Review if someone is interested.

I had been meaning to read some of his other books - so will see what my library has.

Just finished Arrow of God which follows Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The former, of course, is his masterwork, a true classic. Arrow of God doesn't quite reach the same level but I think it's a great novel nonetheless. It presents the encroachment of British colonialism on two small Igbo villages.

>15 sparemethecensor: Is it a follow-up book to Things Fall Apart or just the next book he published?

>17 sparemethecensor: a follow up book in the same village.

>17 sparemethecensor: Oh okay, cool, I didn't realize there was a follow-up one. Thanks for the info! :)