Video: The Danger of a Single Story (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)

While browsing Youtube videos,  I came across this lecture by my new favorite writer, the Nigerian-born Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.  In the lecture, The Danger of a Single Story, she discusses the danger of having a singular view of a country or culture.  She explains how literature must provide multiple views.

Check out the video here:




Chimamanda has an amazing perspective and a great sense of humor. This lecture gave me excellent insight to her point of view as a writer.

Thoughts on Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tells the story of the Biafran War that ravaged Nigeria between 1967 and 1970. The story is told through the lens of five remarkable characters: Olanna, her lover Odenigbo, his houseboy Ugwu, her twin sister Kainene and her lover, Richard. Olanna and Kainene come from a privileged Igbo family.  Odenigbo is a university professor whom Kainene refers to as “the revolutionary.” Richard is a white Englishman who identifies as a Biafran. They each represent the elite. Ugwu, on the other hand comes from a rural village.

What I love about the book is the depth of the characters.  Chimamanda crafts memorable and human characters that make the reader love, feel contempt for and empathize with them all at the same time.  Each of the protagonists is flawed, almost tragically so.  They commit seemingly unforgivable acts, but you never want to write them off. Chimamanda never judges her characters.  They are living in the midst of war; you understand them. War is ugly. It can bring out the worst in people.

I also enjoyed the relationship between the twins, Olanna and Kainene.  Their relationship runs that gamut of emotions.  It starts out tense because they aren’t as close as they once were.   And then it becomes estranged and they don’t speak at all.  But eventually the sisters manage to mend fences and regain their relationship.  As Kainene states: “There are some things that are so unforgivable that they make other things easily forgivable” (435).  

Chimamanda effectively incorporates the Igbo language into the text.  In doing so, she paints a vivid picture of the land during a time of war (a war that ended before her birth).  Chimamanda juxtaposes the sights and sounds before the war with the rigid and bleak conditions during the war.  I felt the pain and suffering of the Biafrans.  Chimamanda presents a history lesson wrapped in a complex and beautiful story.  From reading the book, I learned that the title of Half of a Yellow Sun refers to the Biafran flag that bore the image of the rising sun in the center.

I really love this book.  Because of the upcoming film adaptation it has been on my radar for a while.  I am so glad that I finally took the time to read it. I wholeheartedly recommend that others read it too.  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie  is a rising literary star and I look forward to reading her other novels. You can learn more about the novel at it’s official Half of the Yellow Sun website.  You should also check out  Chimamanda on her website and facebook page.

Video: Hot Off The Press!!! Lola Jaye's By The Time You Read This

Oh how I love YouTube! I just came across a video of Lola Jaye watching her first novel By The Time You Read This come off the printing press. The video was shot in 2008 but the sentiments expressed are timeless and I'm sure something that every aspiring or new writer experiences. I have not read By The Time You Read This yet, but it is at the top of my "to read" list. Enjoy!

Thoughts on Being Lara by Lola Jaye

Being Lara by Lola Jaye tells the story of Lara Reid, a 30 year old woman who was adopted from Nigeria at age 3 by a British couple and raised in the UK.  At her birthday party, Lara comes face to face with the mother who gave her away 27 years prior.  Throughout the course of the novel we journey with Lara as she comes to grips with her past, tries to reconcile it with her present, and builds a solid foundation for her future.

What I love most about the book is that writer Lola Jaye's characterization of Lara is one that I found to be true to life.  Lara is a perfectly flawed, yet likeable character. As a reader, you root for her to find out what it means to be Lara and find a medium between Lara and Omolara (her birth name).  I was excited when she began to embrace her Nigerian roots but I completely understood her loyalty to the parents that raised her.

I also enjoyed the mother/daughter dynamics that were explored in the novel.  The relationship between Lara's mother Pat and her mother as well as the relationship between Lara's birth mother Yomi and her mother provide a rich and layered exploration of two very different mother /daughter relationships. The book shifts between Lara, Pat, and Yomi's stories so you get a well rounded view of the the story as well as the various perspectives of the interracial adoption storyline.

Lola also successfully paints a picture of both 1970/80s Nigeria and Great Britain.  As a southern girl who has not been to either place, I could easily visualize the setting. I also learned a lot about Nigerian culture and food.

Being Lara is a prime example of slow and steady wins the race.  Although it is an easy read, I stretched out my reading of the book over the course of a couple of weeks. I enjoyed the book and genuinely cared about the characters and what happened to them, but I would not call this a "page turner." But it is still a great read. The pace of the book is ideal for someone who doesn't have a lot of time to read each day.  You can pace yourself as you join Lara on her journey.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend that others read it.  Lola Jaye is one of the first contemporary black female British writers that I've had the opportunity to read.  I look forward to reading her other works and following her writing career.You can learn more about Lola on her website , blog , Facebook and/or Twitter page.

Tananarive Due on Writing Speculative Fiction

I LOVE Tananrive Due. I was first introduced to her novel My Soul to Keep about six years ago and I became an instant fan.  I love the world of immortals that she she has created.  I was on YouTube today and came across this video from Blacksci-fi.com and thought I would share. Enjoy!

Erica Kennedy Reads from Feminista

As we mourn the loss of Erica Kennedy, I choose to focus on her enduring literary legacy and overall awesomeness. I found the following clip on YouTube. It is Erica reading from her second novel Feminista at The Flesh Reading Series.

You can hear the joy that her writing elicits in the the response from the crowd.

Check her out:

Gone Too Soon: Erica Kennedy

Today, the world found out about the passing of writer Erica Kennedy.

Erica was the the author of two novels,  Bling (2004) and Feminista (2009) and an renowned blogger.  I first listened to Bling on CD while on a road trip and I loved it.  I immediately ordered the book on amazon.com and reread it.  I felt super lucky because the copy I ordered was signed by Erica.

When I joined Twitter, Erica was one of the first people I looked up.  As a reader, writers were the first "celebs" that I idolized.  Erica was one of those people. Although I never met her in person, Erica was one of the first writers who corresponded with me on Twitter.  I told her that I had written about her for the Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Literature and she thanked me.

 It really sucks to be writing about Erica Kennedy for only the second time and having it be in the past tense.


For those who didn't know of Erica and for those who loved her, the amazing Dr. Goddess has written a wonderful tribute and archived 150 pages of her tweets.  You can check it out on DrGoddess.com.

Erica, you will be forever remembered for your wit and candor and for making it cool to be a smart and bodacious. You will be missed. Rest in peace.