Americanah

Yesterday I participated in my first on-line book club.  Our book was Americanah by Chimamanda Ngoze.  The book was interesting and it was fun to think about people all over the country reading the same book to discuss.  But when it came to discussion time, I couldn't get a word in.  We were discussing via the comments on the book club leader's blog. I would write a comment, click yes when I was ready to post, type in the box the words or numbers that I saw and then be asked to click yes if I wanted to post - an endless cycle that got me nowhere.  None of my comments ever got published.  I spent so much time trying to publish a comment the whole group was two questions ahead so my comment would not have made sense anyway.  The leader says she will change the way the comments are posted next month.  This book was about a woman who was born in Nigeria and her experiences in the United States in her 20's and 30's.  She ends up going back to Nigeria.  The woman's name is Ifemulu.  Isn't that just a most beautiful name?  Ifemulu.  I love it.  But she's a hard woman this Ifemulu.  She is harsh, judgmental, and critical.  And very sensitive. She can dish it out but she can't take it from others.  She holds herself a little distant from all the situations she experiences.  She blogs about race issues in America.  Ifemulu is an interesting character and through her experience, we learn what it is to be a Nigerian immigrant.