Things Fall Apart
Books | Fiction / General
3.8
(2.7K)
Chinua Achebe
THINGS FALL APART tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a "strong man" of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first of these stories traces Okonkwo's fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives, and in its classical purity of line and economical beauty it provides us with a powerful fable about the immemorial conflict between the individual and society. The second story, which is as modern as the first is ancient, and which elevates the book to a tragic plane, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo's world through the arrival of aggressive, proselytizing European missionaries. These twin dramas are perfectly harmonized, and they are modulated by an awareness capable of encompassing at once the life of nature, human history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul. THINGS FALL APART is the most illuminating and permanent monument we have to the modern African experience as seen from within.
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More Details:
Author
Chinua Achebe
Pages
148
Publisher
Heinemann
Published Date
1996
ISBN
0435905252 9780435905255
Ratings
Google: 3.5
Community ReviewsSee all
"A story about a small town in Nigeria pre-colonialism showing how they lived their lives expressing their beliefs and cultural traditions and then what happens to them when Europe comes to colonize them. "
Sandy Lopez
"I didnt enjoyed it as much"
rreads
"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"
A Broke Book Buyer
"May 2024"
Unknown
"This novel was difficult to get into at first because of the cultural differences and the characters way of expressing themselves. However, once I pushed myself to continue reading, I came to appreciate their lifestyle for what it was without inflicting my experiences and perception of the world upon the individuals. This was necessary in order to better reflect on how the tribes evolved due to colonialism. "
Bella Coulter
"It was a good book. I had to read it for school. I love how Achebe really described the culture of the Igbo. It fought the view of the single story of colonization. We see how detrimental it truly is to these cultures. There were a lot of emotional moments and the ending is CRAZY!! I probably wouldn’t have read this on my own but i’m glad I did because it was a really beautiful book. "
Skylar
"Interesting"
C
Chrissy
"This book is amazing "
Victoria Osayande
"Bro things really do fall apart"
Reykjavik Randelle Salvador
"The ending was really powerful and full circle for me! The DC only thinking to at most give Okonkwo a chapter in his book, as we, the readers, have learned about his life and culture through this entire read. That which he calls “superfluous” and emphasizing the need to “cut out details” is exactly what this story refused to do. They will never tell our story, and stories are a rich and deep part of the Igbo- and I’d also say many other African countries- fabric. It also highlighted the lifestyle prior to this ‘takeover’ when many stories focus on the changes itself, this one takes its time to show what was, with this ‘takeover’ really only appearing towards the end, I’d even say only still just showing the beginning of the history we know to come. I’m glad the focus was the culture and values which are shown through Okonkwo. You wouldn’t know that something was taken unless you already knew what was! This book definitely emphasizes what was."
nelle☆