Great African Reads discussion

Our March selection of contemporary literature written by a woman is Half of a Yellow Sun.

I had such great expectations of this book, especially after falling in love with Americanah earlier this year. However, it took the greater part of the book until I was truly hooked. I found the characters flat and un-engaging (for my mind). The recount of the Biafra war, on the other hand, was excellent! The war truly came to live through the fates of the characters.

I loved this book sooooo much! I even signed up as a volunteer on World Book Night a few years ago so I could stand outside my local tube station and hand out free copies of it to strangers. As an Igbo woman, it truly opened my eyes to what happened during the Biafran war (my parents confirmed the accuracy of a lot of it because they lived through it). We don't get taught about it in Nigerian schools (or at least we didn't when I was at school two decades ago) so it really was a revelation to me.

Kenechi, that is great to hear! We don't learn about it at all either (what we learn in the US about the rest of the world is...not much!)
I was sort of aware of the war only because a punk rock singer took the name Jello Biafra because of it...I thought, "what the heck is Biafra?"
But it wasn't until I read this book that I really grasped the importance of the war in Nigerian history and social relations. I think that war still has an effect on how people relate to each other, no?

Marieke wrote: "Kenechi, that is great to hear! We don't learn about it at all either (what we learn in the US about the rest of the world is...not much!)
I was sort of aware of the war only because a punk rock si..."

It definitely does. There is still a lot of anger and resentment about the war in Nigeria, even though it is masked very well and people mostly get along. The movie was temporarily banned/delayed from cinemas in Nigeria because they thought it might incite violence. Shocking, right?

Kenechi wrote: "...The movie was temporarily banned/delayed from cinemas in Nigeria because they thought it might incite violence. Shocking, right?"

i still have not watched the adaptation of the book - actually, i am glad you mentioned it, kenechi. thank you. was the film eventually released for viewing in nigeria? have you seen it?

i did like this novel, but it's been a few years since i read it now, so my memory is not the best on the smaller details.

In another thread, I think the Adichie thread in our Nigeria 2015 project, this came up. I think someone said the film focused on the romance aspect and cut out the war :/

oh. hmm. :/

Yeah. I'm still wanting to see the film though!

Kenechi wrote: "Marieke wrote: "Kenechi, that is great to hear! We don't learn about it at all either (what we learn in the US about the rest of the world is...not much!)
I was sort of aware of the war only becaus..."

Kenechi, Thank you for your comments. Half of a Yellow Sun was right on about the war. I was in Nigeria during the lead-up to and the beginning of the war. It brought up many memories I had forgotten. By the way, the movie adaption was a mess. To anyone not familiar with the details of the war, it is a total confusion. The book, however was superb.

Jennifer wrote: "Kenechi wrote: "...The movie was temporarily banned/delayed from cinemas in Nigeria because they thought it might incite violence. Shocking, right?"

i still have not watched the adaptation of the ..."

It was finally screened in Nigeria last year but the damage had been done by then. I haven't seen it yet, partly because its release in the UK wasn't widespread either. I hope to watch it this year though.

Larry wrote: "Kenechi wrote: "Marieke wrote: "Kenechi, that is great to hear! We don't learn about it at all either (what we learn in the US about the rest of the world is...not much!)
I was sort of aware of the..."

Marieke/Larry, I heard similar comments about the movie being a bit all over the place and more of a romance but I still want to see it...let's be honest though, not a lot of adaptations live up to the book versions

That is very true, Kenechi! But I'm glad I know this before seeing the film. I also feel badly for Adichie and all the filmmakers.
I'm excited to see the cinematography/scenery :)

i also still want to see it, but definitely appreciate knowing ahead of time that there is more play up on the romance aspect. like you, marieke, i am hoping for some stunning visuals! :)

The copy I have has a really hokey cover with images from the film on it that are actually spoilers!

(Also I think it's ridiculous that Thandie Newton was cast as Olanna, who is described as dark skinned, rounded, curvy. I've got nothing against Newton of course, but she doesn't fit. Definitely not tempted by the film)

I really appreciate the fact that the first part of the story, before the war, is so compelling and interesting - I wanted to know how those stories went on, what happened to the characters - and the war tore that away from me, I mourned for my own loss

Here's my review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I really loved this book; months after reading it, it's still vivid in my mind. The movie, OTOH, was like a sparse outline of the book; I wouldn't have known what was going on if I hadn't read it.

Marcy, You are right about that. The movie was a pale and confusing re-telling of the book.

I enjoyed this book, but probably not as much as others based on its many ratings. It is an interesting look at the war and how people lived through it. However, there are certain aspects about the relationships and the characters that were not my cup of tea, which made me feel less interest in the characters.