Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe
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Book Reviews of Things Fall Apart
Book Review: Things Fall Apart
Summary: 4 Stars
Things Fall Apart is by Chinua Achebe on an Ibo/s Clan in Africa. It was all based on the main character of the book, Okonkwo. He lived in Umuofia with his family and all his fellow clansmen. He was a great man and respected by many people. Okonkwo wanted to achieve lots of fame and wealth, which he has, so that he doesn't turn out like his father Unoka. During the book Okonkwo and his family prepare like they always do every year for the time of rains and for the harvesting of the yams. But these next few years were filled with many changes. For one thing a new member was added to Okonkwos household, this young man was called Ikemefuna. At first Ikemefuna was just another person filled with work by Okonkwo. He later was admired by Okonkwos children and even became Okonkwos "adopted son." But due to the order of the High Priestess he was sent to his death. Even with this tragic moment the story goes on. The harvesting came and went as the time went by. One day Okonkwo broke the rules of the Clan and was exiled along with his family! It was a bad time for Okonkwo because it destroyed most of his plans for gaining more titles. Okonkwo and his family left Umuofia to their "motherland" Mbanta. Here they began their lives again. With the help of Okonkwos family they built a compound and planted yams. Time went by and Okonkwo and his family couldn't go back to their "fatherland" until the time of seven years have passed. During those times in Mbanta the whitemen came to Africa. The Catholic Missionaries went from city to city spreading their faith and preaching of God. The clan was being split in two, converts went with the whitemen and their way of life and faith, and the other half made up of the still standing clansmen from this "invasion". Laws were made to support the life of the newcomers and the clan's couldn't do much else. This is the type of land Okonkwo and his family returned to, the once great Umuofia feared by other clans, was now becoming just like "women". Okonkwo was a man of war and only wanted to rid his land by force! But his clan didn't support him, so enraged with anger Okonkwo killed an official and then it lead to his own suicide. I personally enjoyed this book! It was interesting to read of African Culture and their way of life before it was changed. It was an in depth book and was something I couldn't stop reading until I reached the end! It's a must read!
Book Review: A Lesson On The Clash Of Cultures
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was recommended to me while I was visiting Africa. I subsequently found out that it is widely used in highschools, colleges and universitites. I have to admit that ordering the Cliff Notes along with the book was a wise decision and you can note from my many other reviews on Amazon that I am a sophisticated reader. THINGS FALL APART is not always easy to follow. Reading the Cliff Notes along with the book helped me with some of the underlying meanings and also verified that I had to correct understanding of some of the situations.
I believe that if there is one major theme in the book, its the clash of cultures. We as westerners always identify with the westerners who make first contact with people of other cultures. As a result it hard to identify with other cultures. THINGS FALL APART gives you that chance to understand other religions and how other people life. But it also gives you the opportunity to think about basic concepts of right and wrong. While the book takes place in Africa, the situations can be compared to other religions and other clashes of culture.
At first glance we think it absurd for the tribe to blindly follow the word of the oracles. But then think of situations in other religions and other times when people blindly followed the directions of a dictator or religious leaders. The bottom line is that there is much room for discussion in this book.
It is unfortunate that a few students wrote reviews of this book panning it. Apparently they did only did a superficial reading of the book. Or possibly did not get a good background lecture from their teachers.
This would be a great book for discussion in a book club. It is for the serious reader. It makes the reader reflect on his or her own life and culture and wonder what decisions you would make if faced with the same situation. Are there basic concepts of right and wrong that go beyond the demands of culture? Did Okonkwo's failure come about as a result of his going against those basic conflicts? Read the book and make up your own mind.
Although this is a book about early contact between Europeans and primitive African peoples it is not about first contact. You will note that Okonkwo, has a gun which he obviously got from a European. That gun contributes significantly to his down fall. A good topic for discussion is the influence of guns in the story.
Book Review: Attack on colonialism cannot make a Great Book
Summary: 4 Stars
Like some of the other writers here have commented, the first part of the novel is a little boring. The deadpan style of writing was a little too simple if you can say that about someone's writing. That plus the difficulty of sounding the African words made me a little irritated when I read it. I wondered what simpleton had written this text. But then I read a critcism of "Heart of Darkness" written by Chinua Achebe. (In it he says that Europeans have often used Africa as a "foil" to make their own accomplishments seem grander.) Anyway, this essay was obviously the work of a learned scholar. Why would such a sophisticated writer parody the Ernest Hemingway style with far-too-simple declarative sentences?I will admit that this book is a good work of literature but I question whether it is a Great Book. How many of it's 100,000 U.S. sales annually arise because students are compelled by their teachers to read it. Is the real reason this book is widely read that it attacks European culture, colonialism, and church missionaries? After all, attacks on the majority by the minority, such as "Why the Caged Bird Sings", have elevated writers of mediocre talent, write: "Alice Walker", to international acclaim. (Toni Morrison is not a mediocre talent so say the critics with which I usually agree. I have yet to read her work but look forward to doing so.)
As the review posted at Amazon.com says, Achebe does not get carried away and gloss over the brutal nature of African village culure. He describes the warfare between tribes and implicitly attacks the pride that the villagers have in being great warriors. He describes how twins are thrown away at birth. (It was not clear to me if they killed them and then buried them in the Evil Forest.)
But Chinua Achebe himself is a product of the colonial, meaning British, culture that he attacks. Brought up on English literature and short-listed for the Booker prize he owes much to the Victorian Era. Had there been no colonials there would be no "Things Fall Apart".
Not all books that kids in school have read for many years are great books. For example, Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" is a good book. But why do so many schools assign it as if it was a great book? And I think that "Things Fall Apart" would probably be good to assign to highschoolers. But let's not call a work of literature great simply because it attacks western civilization.
Book Review: it's all good
Summary: 5 Stars
March 2, 2000The overall summary of, " Things Fall Apart", by Chinua Achebe, is that it's focused on imperialism and the reforms of Africa by European settlers, particularly concerning the Igbo people. European settlers had come to Africa to make it a modern society, but the Igbo's were far from the stereotypical view of them as being savages that had no morals or laws. This was because they are in a land, which the Europeans thought was a place to expand Calvinist ideas, survival of the fittest. The Igbo people were not like this, they had ways of dealting with their problems, they had a justice system, a currency system, and also having an economy that relied on agriculture. Another problem arose from the problem with religion. The reformers, besides wanting to make Africa modern, wanted to spread their religion to the Igbo, Christianity, but the Igbo already had their own faith. These reasons would then cause disputes and ultimately war between the two societies. Some exciting points in the book were when the Feast of the New Yam had arrived. This feast meant that there were going to be many festivities and exciting events that were going to take place. All the people in the village, besides Okonkwo, were invigorated by this event. One of the events that were going to take place was wrestling matches. The Wrestling matches are somewhat important because that was how Okon- kwo met his second wife, Ekwefi. Ekwefi fell in love with Okonkwo when he defeated Amalinze, also called "Cat", in a wrestling match. Another exciting point in the book was when Okonkwo and his family had to go to Mbata for 7 years because Okonkwo had accidentally killed Ezeudes' son. During that time, Okonkwo's village was burned and someone had sold all of his yams. This book, in my opinion, is an excellent book because it describes what was taking place in Africa during its reformation by European settlers. The story is first person narrative of what the Umouifio tribe and certain main characters were going through. These kind of stories are usually about how the settlers came and modernized Africa and very little was said of how it affected the people. "Things Fall Apart" is a perfect book because it describes the customs of the people and how they were affected by the changes that were going around them and also, how were they were handled.
Book Review: A Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
While collecting works concerning the nature of man, I stumbled upon Chinua Acebe's THINGS FALL APART. This work, in one word, is a masterpiece.THINGS FALL APART incorporates several elements. First, the setting, rural Nigeria, reveals a sense of the traditional, dynamic cultures of this region. One would expect that these native peoples are simple in respect to government, economics, social customs, and savage in religion. However, Mr. Achebe presents the truth of these peoples. Their cultures are actually very complex and rival the operations of Western Civilizations. The author goes so far as to demonstrate Africa's superiority over the Western habits of missionaries and colonists.
The story also operates upon another premise that every intellectual will appreciate. Many who claim to have resolved the question concerning the nature of man cite examples and then make their conclusions from these situations. However, Chinua Achebe indirectly resolves the debate over human nature by describing the behavior of the main character, Okonkwo, during moments of sadness, anger, vengence, loss, and joy. From this he leave the reader to make their own conclusion. Essentially, Mr. Achebe's tale can be manipulated such that the story itself is the proof to any astute conclusion about the nature of man that the reader ascertains.
From the perspective of literary value, I can see why the College Board often uses this work in their AP English (Literature) tests. It is apparent that Mr. Achebe's style conveys every emotion with such energy that it is uncommon not to understand the character's feelings. The writing style makes the reader comfortable while emersing himself in a foreign situation--I doubt many people identify with a tale from Africa before they read this book. The book teaches a lesson: troubles to the Queen of England are the same in magnitude and emotion as to a native of Africa.
I was merely disappointed with the multitude of characters whose names, being foreign and difficult to pronounce, were often easy to confuse and forget after each chapter. This, however, does not at all diminish the essence and message of the story.
For this book to operate on so many levels compells me to rate THINGS FALL APART as a five-star masterpiece that is certainly an asset to literature and a window to our own human nature.