Discussion of Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Americanah is the first book I’ve read about a immigrant coming to America and returning home. Ifemelu becomes Americanized and even dates interracially.  The story is unfamiliar because I don’t ready many stories about immigrants. Ifemelu’s blog about race relations is hilarious because she exists in a world that is unapologetically Nigerian and not black, but in America it is often about your color whether you accept it or not.

Ifemelu and other Nigerians adore American and European culture. They read American novels and people want to send their children to British and French schools, but so many of the characters want to return to Nigeria after staying abroad. Ifemelu even achieves success in America and still finds something lacking. In reality the immigrants are looking for the American dream, but once they have it they return home because it wasn’t what they really wanted. Americanah is a great dive into an immigrant world and the dangers and changes they face becoming American.