In this post I want to talk about somebody, a person I didn't really pay much attention to until recently. I have always been a science nerd, i am pro-science and most of all I have a real passion for medical science, suffice it to say I wouldn't have much need for literature or let's just say I wouldn't pay much attention to it.
I did read a few books here and there; James Hadley Chase, Agatha Christie, Nora Roberts, John Grisham and a few other writers whose books I enjoyed. I of course only read novels when I was bored or basically had nothing to do but if I were to ever pick a book and start reading I would soon enough find it difficult to drop it until I read the last page, yet, my greatest difficulty remained picking the book in the first place.
After I graduated with a bachelor of science in human physiology i got a job in a hospital in Abuja, Nigeria. This is where the chain of events that would eventually lead to me writing this post began. I met a girl called Amina and soon enough we were really close friends, she is a "novel freak" and is really passionate about books, writing and literature, and it came as no surprise to me when she also wanted me to pick up an interest in novels and the art of writing and tried to persuade me but I wasn't having any of that. One stressful day I caught up with her at work and she was deep in this book called "Half Of a Yellow Sun". I thought to myself
"I know this book, I think"
but then again it never really caught my attention well enough for me to want to read it. She looked at me and said
"hey, how you doing?, I know you don't like novels but please you have to read this one"
I laughed and told her I just wasn't really into novels. Anyways she somehow made me collect the book with the promise of reading it. I took the book home with me and well surprise surprise, I didn't read it, it kept collecting dust on my reading table. Days went by and I believe two weeks after she asked if I had finished the book and wanted to know what I thought about it, she had this glow and there was so much anticipation in her face, it felt almost like a crime to tell her that I hadn't even started it yet so yes, I lied and said
"I've started actually but you know how this our job is, I haven't been able to finish, but as soon as I finish we can talk all about it"
She seemed proud, am guessing largely because she felt she had won over another 'disciple' to literature. I went home that day and went straight for the book, dusted it off and began to read it because well I was committed now and a part of me wanted to know what all her fuss about this book was. The first few pages were read with a bit of distaste and non-interest but soon enough they were replaced with intrigue and a page by page increasing desire to want to know what happens next. For three more days after that I was all about the book, I mean I couldn't stop reading it so much so that I think I rushed the last few pages, not taking my time to 'milk' every word and page for all its glory, intrigue and all round sweetness. It was entertaining, funny and at the same time sad, I enjoyed it so so well.
Half of a Yellow Sun is based on the short-lived nation of Biafra and is set before and partly during the civil war. It received the 2007 Orange Prize for Fiction and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award.
It was written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who was born in Enugu a few decades ago, she had a brief spell studying medicine and pharmacy at the university of Nigeria, Nsukka before studying communication and political science in Drexel University in Philadelphia. She also wrote purple hibiscus which I've also read and Americanah. She has a few short story collections such as " The Thing Around Your Neck" and "We Should All Be Feminists".
Chimamanda talks politics, race and writing at the Johns Hopkins University
She is based mainly in African literature and
She was described in The Times Literary Supplement as
"the most prominent" of a "procession of critically acclaimed young anglophone authors [who] is succeeding in attracting a new generation of readers to African literature".
And that couldn't have been more accurate, I mean she attracted me to African literature and since reading her book an interest for African literature was kindled and I've come to appreciate it. Chimamanda's desire to write about African literature was borne when she noticed the underrepresentation of African cultural differences and felt the only thing most parts of the world knew about Africa was that it's people were poor. She felt the differences in various cultures deserved a lot more representation.
She won her first award in 2002 and hasn't looked back since. She has slowly become a living icon, a feminist with a loud voice and a giant of African literature.
She has done Africa and the world a great service and I just want to say her praises are well deserved.
Pick up an Adichie novel today, read it and you too will become a fan.
