This is the story of a man named Okonkwo who is apart of an African tribe living in a village called Umuofia. It's a tragedy, really. The time setting is just when white men are appearing in Africa, evangelising, preaching and setting up their courts in the African villages.

Reading and reflecting. You may especially want to read it if you are interested in African culture and customs. It's not an education book per say, but you do learn a lot about this particular tribe.

The way the author (Chinua Achebe) told this story. He describes terribly violent ceromonies the tribe carries out, but he doesn't describe them in a gory, bloody way. He states the facts and then moves on. The whole book is written like that: he said this, they replied this, this action was taken and here's the result. It's very straight-forward.

read more from Chinua Achebe. I've always been fascinated by Africa, and if he has more African litterature, I for one definitely want to read it.

A lot of conflicting emotions. The author managed to get me to sympathize with Okonkwo, the main character, despite his cutthroat, cold-blooded "manliness." In a way it was like a was rooting for the character who stands against the things I believe in. Yet I could understand why he was so infuriated with white men, because I'd been given a glimpse of his religion. A very stimulating book!

It's a powerful story that gives you plenty to think about. It may be written in a simple manner, but there are some deep and complex issues brought to light in the writing.

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Created Jul 30, 2005 at 2:46am • Submit your own review...