Things Fall Apart tells two intertwining stories about Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first, a powerful fable of the immemorial conflict between the individual and society, traces Okonkwo’s fall from grace with the tribal world. The second, as modern as the first is ancient, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo’s world with the arrival of aggressive European missionaries. These perfectly harmonized twin dramas are informed by an awareness capable of encompassing nature’s life, human history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul.

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My first exposure to the author, Chinua Achebe, was during my first-year lit class in college. Unfortunately, there were far and few books from authors like Chinua available at my high school. I thank the Ethnic Studies Prof for the experience and will always think of Chinua Achebe, as a pioneering African writer, government critic, and advocate for African storytelling. His books, are filled with great imagery of a place I know is a part of my ancestry but will never visit …  I may not agree with or like some of the practices of some sub-cultures, but this book gives the reader a better understanding of traditions, trials, and tribulations of the times

~ Nativegrl77