Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Things Fall Apart
Book Review: Very accessible entree into African literature
Summary: 4 Stars
Speaking as someone with a minimal exposure to non-Western literature, I was surprised that this book was as easy to read and understand as it was. The story is timeless. The perspective on a traditional African society was fascinating and full of detail.Book Review: Things Fall Apart details colonialism in relation to Nigeria
Summary: 5 Stars
Chinua Achebe writes this novel to inform the reader about the various struggles African culture had to endure in order to avoid total destruction. Not only did the culture survive but the people as well. They continued practicing their own beliefs until death. This was not the case with every person in the Ibo tribe though. Alot of people converted because of the harsh treatment they would be subjected to if they refused accept Christianity. They were taught that their culture and rituals were wrong and uncivilized. They were systematically stripped of any type pride and dignity. Then they were brainwashed with European teachings and ideologies. The novels main character is a man named Onkonkwo. Onkonwko experiences several inner and outer struggles which are symbolic in the novel. Reading this novel will help one understand the power struggle Africans experienced with the introduction of colonialism into Africa.Book Review: Universal story
Summary: 5 Stars
"Things Fall Apart" is not just a story about African natives, it could be about anyone. Okonkwo, the protagonist is caught up in the massive social turmoil brought on by the British invasion, but that is nothing compared to the inner turmoil he faces within himself. The physical world that he knows falls apart despite his herculean efforts to stop it, and his weaknesses and failings cannot allow him to live in the new world.Book Review: Feminist Implications
Summary: 5 Stars
This novel could be analyzed and discussed from any of several vantages. I won't re-write the reasons for what everyone else has said - that this is a timeless classic - although that is true. I instead want to recommend this book for any student of women's issues, particularly any African-American student of women's issues, because I am surprised at the lack of discourse on this novel from a feminist point-of-view. As I am using the word, feminist merely means "from a female vantage." This novel is chock full of material which should stimulate discussion on this basisBook Review: Complexity in simplicity
Summary: 4 Stars
The language is simple but the ideas and themes conveyed are complex. Achebe is indeed a master of imagery. The rich African culture is highlighted in this novel, the many rituals, festivals and customs compell readers. This book can be read on two levels, firstly for it's simple story, secondly for it's underlying depiction on the harms of European colonisation