Adult Book of the Month
Half of a yellow sun
by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Published by Harper Perennial in 2007
Set in Nigeria in the 1960s against a backdrop of war and conflict, this book portrays a very human side to cultural differences and provides a fascinating insight into the establishment of Biafra as an independent country. Ugwu, is a simple farm boy who goes to live as houseboy to Odenigbo, a radical university lecturer. While in his employ, he encounters a wide spectrum of colourful and interesting people who populate the lecturer’s life and give voice to all the momentous events which eventually lead from unrest to open conflict to war and the establishment of a new country. All the human emotions are tested and there is artistry within which the history of Nigeria, the effects of colonization and national pride are portrayed by the author. This is at times a challenging read but very rewarding and you come away with a sense of enlightenment and knowledge about a period in Nigeria’s history which may well be forgotten by the Western world.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was born in Nigeria in 1977 and attended college in the United States. Half of a Yellow Sun was the winner of the 2007 Orange Prize for Fiction. Her first novel, Purple Hibiscus, was short-listed for the Orange Prize and long-listed for the Booker Prize. She divides her time between the United States and Nigeria.
By the same author
Purple Hibiscus
The Thing Around Your Neck
