Hair (Kinky) Today, Gone Tomorrow.
Americanah is the dream of poor people all over the world. There the streets are paved with gold. Education is free and of high quality. How many poor and oppressed have given up family, all their cash and belongings, their language, culture and identity, and even their names to travel in steerage, illegally stowed in trucks, in caskets, over hidden paths through the desert, rafts in open seas and on student visas, etc. just to be Americanah. If these immigrants are"lucky" they stay and build the U. S. If they are unlucky, they remain hidden in the shadows or are deported, with nothing but the scars of their dreams which have exploded.
Adichie, herself a Nigerian immigrant, has written beautifully and critically about the reality for those without working papers. The travails of finding employment and apartments without a driver's license and a"history" are arduous and dangerous. She opens a window and let's us see that usually the streets are narrow alleys which lead to cramped apartments. There's a reason that rice is so popular. Women, sometimes, are driven into the sex trade in order to buy that rice. She also shows us that hair, like "Hair" comes in all shapes and varieties, but "imprisons" women, especially women of African descent. Hair can be a stepping stone to acceptance in the U S. It can also be a sign of exotica. It can also seem to be a disfigurement , a lack of acceptance by others and by one's self.
Adichie, herself a Nigerian immigrant, has written beautifully and critically about the reality for those without working papers. The travails of finding employment and apartments without a driver's license and a"history" are arduous and dangerous. She opens a window and let's us see that usually the streets are narrow alleys which lead to cramped apartments. There's a reason that rice is so popular. Women, sometimes, are driven into the sex trade in order to buy that rice. She also shows us that hair, like "Hair" comes in all shapes and varieties, but "imprisons" women, especially women of African descent. Hair can be a stepping stone to acceptance in the U S. It can also be a sign of exotica. It can also seem to be a disfigurement , a lack of acceptance by others and by one's self.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/21/us/politics/armys-ban-on-some-popular-hairstyles-raises-ire-of-black-female-soldiers.html?_r=0
Adichie's commentary on race, class, African and African-American pride in Obama's election in 2008, big business and corrupt politics, and the erosion of commitment in marriage in both the U. S. and Nigeria is both accurate and clever. She accurately observes that foreign born Blacks are treated more seriously by both Whites and Blacks in the U S and in Nigeria. Cell phones, bling and property are the international values of the wealthy and the wannabes. There is very little pride in craftsmanship, only in profit, worldwide. Women, Ifal , her aunt, and her friends in Nigeria and her boss, succeed when they are attached to rich men. Lastly, Obama's election was not only important for Americans, but for the entire world. It said that if the U S could get over the race thing, anything could happen.
These elements made me enjoy the experience. Who doesn't love a "rags to riches" story of an immigrant? The fact that she shows the poverty and the hollow 10 carat side of both countries is important. But, and I hate to say BUT, the "love story is a distraction. I hate to compare it to Wuthering Heights, because in many ways, that, moved me.
Ifel, the observant,attractive Nigerian, not only has dumped her childhood,Nigerian lover (Heathcliff) for no reason but also dumps her White and Black wealthy lovers (Linton x 2). In my book, Ifel just isn't Kathy and Obinze isn't Heathcliff. No, I haven't spoiled the end. Adiche did that on her own.
That said, I really enjoyed her writing, observations and commentary. The story, was just a story. I will read some of her earlier work and look forward to her new work.
Adichie's commentary on race, class, African and African-American pride in Obama's election in 2008, big business and corrupt politics, and the erosion of commitment in marriage in both the U. S. and Nigeria is both accurate and clever. She accurately observes that foreign born Blacks are treated more seriously by both Whites and Blacks in the U S and in Nigeria. Cell phones, bling and property are the international values of the wealthy and the wannabes. There is very little pride in craftsmanship, only in profit, worldwide. Women, Ifal , her aunt, and her friends in Nigeria and her boss, succeed when they are attached to rich men. Lastly, Obama's election was not only important for Americans, but for the entire world. It said that if the U S could get over the race thing, anything could happen.
These elements made me enjoy the experience. Who doesn't love a "rags to riches" story of an immigrant? The fact that she shows the poverty and the hollow 10 carat side of both countries is important. But, and I hate to say BUT, the "love story is a distraction. I hate to compare it to Wuthering Heights, because in many ways, that, moved me.
Ifel, the observant,attractive Nigerian, not only has dumped her childhood,Nigerian lover (Heathcliff) for no reason but also dumps her White and Black wealthy lovers (Linton x 2). In my book, Ifel just isn't Kathy and Obinze isn't Heathcliff. No, I haven't spoiled the end. Adiche did that on her own.
That said, I really enjoyed her writing, observations and commentary. The story, was just a story. I will read some of her earlier work and look forward to her new work.
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