Things Fall Apart
Books | Fiction / General
3.8
(2.7K)
Chinua Achebe
This expanded edition of Chinua Achebe's first novel portrays the collision of African and European cultures in an Igbo village. Okonkwo, a great man in Igbo traditional society, cannot adapt to the profound changes brought by the British conquest of Nigeria. Yet, as in classic tragedy, Okonkwo's character as well as external forces contribute to his downfall. This expanded edition includes new illustrations, maps, additional essays on history, culture,and literature, and reference material to help readers see Achebe's classic novel in social and historical context, and to understand its place in world literature.
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More Details:
Author
Chinua Achebe
Pages
148
Publisher
Heinemann
Published Date
1996
ISBN
0435905252 9780435905255
Ratings
Google: 3.5
Community ReviewsSee all
"This novel was difficult to get into at first because of the cultural differences and the characters way of expressing themselves. However, once I pushed myself to continue reading, I came to appreciate their lifestyle for what it was without inflicting my experiences and perception of the world upon the individuals. This was necessary in order to better reflect on how the tribes evolved due to colonialism. "
"It was a good book. I had to read it for school. I love how Achebe really described the culture of the Igbo. It fought the view of the single story of colonization. We see how detrimental it truly is to these cultures. There were a lot of emotional moments and the ending is CRAZY!! I probably wouldn’t have read this on my own but i’m glad I did because it was a really beautiful book. "
"The ending was really powerful and full circle for me! The DC only thinking to at most give Okonkwo a chapter in his book, as we, the readers, have learned about his life and culture through this entire read. That which he calls “superfluous” and emphasizing the need to “cut out details” is exactly what this story refused to do. They will never tell our story, and stories are a rich and deep part of the Igbo- and I’d also say many other African countries- fabric. It also highlighted the lifestyle prior to this ‘takeover’ when many stories focus on the changes itself, this one takes its time to show what was, with this ‘takeover’ really only appearing towards the end, I’d even say only still just showing the beginning of the history we know to come. I’m glad the focus was the culture and values which are shown through Okonkwo. You wouldn’t know that something was taken unless you already knew what was! This book definitely emphasizes what was."