#Classic Things Fall Apart

by Chinua Achebe

Finished: 01.11.2024
Genre: novella (198 pg)
Rating: A
#NovNov24

Good News: I finished the book quickly, the writing flows and the narratives connect seamlessly. Achebe was clear about his purpose, educate his readers about the value of his culture as an African. Mission accomplished.

Bad News: I like to read a book fluently but stumble contantly over the character names. Who’s Who? So it is essential to have a strategy to remember the people in the nine villages where the Umuofia clan live.

Good News: This book has been read and reviewed for more than 60 years. It is obvious that Achebe analyzed Aristotle’s Poetics and created a character (Okonkwo) with a classic tragic flaw: hubris, pride, arrogance. In the course of his life Things Fall Apart. External: British colonizers disrupt his world. Internal: Okonkwo loses his good reputation after making a mistake in judgement….he loses everything.  Okonkwo is one of literature’s most iconic characters. #MustReadClassic

Good News: Strong point in this book was the way Achebe reconstructed the lives of women in Igbo culture: daughter Ezinma, wife Ekwefi, priestess Chielo and a very brave convert, Nneka..who lost so may twins.

Personal: This book was a slow burn for me. It took me days after reading it to appreciate what the book meant. I read one other reviewer mention it is important to read these books as a time capsule. That was the missing link in my thinking. Achebe brings together objects or information that will be preserved for future generations to discover. We must be grateful he did that.