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Apr 24, 2021april_guitar10 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The novel, Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe details a fictional African society set in Nigeria. This historically accurate fictional book relays European conquest in Africa. Okonkwo, the main character, is a headstrong alpha male who views women and cowardly men as weak, and undeserving. Coming from humble beginnings, and from having a father figure who he deemed as lazy, Okonkwo was determined to set a better life for himself. He became victorious as the best wrestler in all the villages and earned extreme respect as a result. Eventually, Okonkwo got a large yam farm and established a family with his multiple wives in their polygamous society. Much like the title, things fell apart as a wild turn of events, and the arrival of European colonizers ruined Okonkwo’s utopia. Studying World History myself, I found it extremely interesting to make connections from the book to real historical events like the Scramble for Africa. Achebe does a fabulous job capturing aspects of history in a well-written novel. Not only did I learn more about African culture and customs, but reading fictional (yet accurate) accounts of European colonialism educated me in its cruelties. In my opinion, part 1 of the novel seemed mostly uneventful, except for one or two occurrences. However, if you stick around, you sure won’t be disappointed. Overall, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe was a stellar novel. I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested in historical fiction as it presents factually accurate situations in an enthralling manner.