A Timely Look at Race Through the Eyes of Compelling Characters

Title: Americanah
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Host: Lois and Vicky at Open Book

Joanne pretty much summed up our response to Americanah when she noted "When something is this good, it's almost hard to discuss it." But discuss it, we did. Adichie took us on a broad exploration of the issues and experience of race, providing a deeply personal experience of what it's like to step into a culture so different from everything one has known, to be treated so differently, to completely lose status on the basis of race and culture. The protagonist, discussing the Nigerian experience, notes " I never felt black until I came to the U.S."

Insights and Opinions

+ Adiche takes her readers to a dinner party, where American whites -- and even middle-class blacks -- claim to understand what would drive refugees escaping from war or desperate privation to leave their homelands. But, like us, it's clear they have no clue about the pain of leaving to find a different life in a place where things are happening and where change is possible, driven by hunger for choice and certainty. The Nigerians we meet in the pages of this book are well fed and watered, and seem to lack for nothing. Except choice. Except certainly. They are looking for a life they can shape to their own wills and desires.

+ We read the Nigerian children's childhood as basically pretty good although dead-ended, even for those with good educations. Adiche expertly shows how even well-educated immigrants to First World countries are ground down by external factors of race and custom.

+ Your scribe (Lois) didn't note who said it, but one of us stated that on page 417, where a writer discusses her planned memoir and the opinion of her editor who says it isn't subtle enough: "When you write about race…you can do precious…or pretentious…you have to make sure it is so lyrical and subtle that the reader who doesn't read between the lines won't even know it's about race…all watery and fuzzy. Adiche's book is neither watery nor fuzzy. She takes it right out there, and we all felt very much as though we were reading about her own life "like a sword to our bones." She puts it all out there, unvarnished, and we love her characters anyway, identifying with aspects of several of them. But we hated that when we grew to love these characters, they all disappeared by part 7.

+ We agreed with so much of what Liz had to say in the email she sent, since she couldn't be with us in person, particularly that Adiche "Spent too much time on one too many boyfriends, working her way through 'types:' the rich American white boyfriend wanting an exotic girlfriend, the educated African American boyfriend 'type,' and the African boyfriend 'type.' While Liz thought the book might benefit from the expungement of about 200 pages and maybe by having the white boyfriend disappear (and some agreed), others thought he and his friends and family brought a richness to the narrative that we'd miss.

           

+ Liz wrote:  “Her considerations of race were fascinating and sometimes hilarious. My particular favorite is her riff on being Hispanic:  “ . .Hispanic, an American category that was, confusingly, both an ethnicity and a race, and she would remember Alma when, years later, she wrote a blog post titled ‘Understanding American for the Non-American Black: What Hispanic Means.'  Hispanic means the frequent companions of American blacks in poverty rankings, Hispanic means a slight step above American blacks in the American race ladder, Hispanic means the chocolate-skinned woman from Peru, Hispanic means the indigenous people from Mexico. Hispanic means the biracial-looking folks from the Dominican Republic. Hispanic means the paler folks from Puerto Rico. Hispanic also means the blond, blue-eyed guy from Argentina. All you need to be is Spanish-speaking but not from Spain and voila, you’re a race called Hispanic.” Liz said she passed this passage along to her “Hispanic” colleague Ruben, who is from Columbia. He found it too perfect for words and promptly posted it to Facebook.”

Thinks we are happy about

+ Vicky's new chapbook What Can Be Saved was published in January by Red Bird Chapbooks. For more information and to purchase, go here. 

+ Book Club food was exceptional this week, with Vicky's cupcakes from Wuollet’s and savory shortbreads from Lois. For those of you who asked for it, here is the recipe.

Savory Shortbread (from Closet Cooking)

INGREDIENTS (base recipe)

1 cup Stilton, gorgonzola, or Parmesan cheese, room temperature and crumbled

Please note the fancy signage

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

1 cup flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Cream together the cheese and butter.

2. Mix in the flour, cornstarch, and salt, as listed below, followed by the nuts and/or herbs

If using gorgonzola:

Add 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, 1/3 cup pistachios, chopped, and 1 teaspoon lemon zest.

If using Stilton:

Add 1/2 teaspoon coarse grain pepper and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

If using Parmesan, add 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

3. Shape into a roll about 1 inch thick. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

4. Slice and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350° oven until shortbreads just starts to turn light golden brown, 8-14 minutes. Remove and let cool. (Note: the shortbread will still be rather soft when it's done, but will crisp up as it cools.)