Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe

Finished: Fall 2006

Okonkwo, an Igbo, is a decorated leader in the Umuofia tribe in a group of 9 villages in Nigeria. He tries to be a strong man, overcompensating for his lazy father, both physically and emotionally. After an accident, Okonkwo is exiled from the village. After 7 years, he returns to find white men who have set up a church nearby and are reaching out to the local Igbo villages to convert his people to Christianity. The novel examines the effects of colonialism on African tribes and shows exactly how it was done, deliberately, step-by-step. 

This is my personal favourite out of any books I have read. It was truly awakening to see how countries used religion to disenfranchise the strong tribes in undeveloped countries. They took apart their culture, piece by piece, one person at a time before the tribes even knew what happened. They used brainwashing and propaganda to effectively overpower and divide traditionally strong and united groups of people for the purpose of slavery and land acquisition. This book is the best description of colonialism and imperialism there is, told from the perspective of an African writer. This was also one of the first critically acclaimed books written by an African (in English). Achebe went on to win many awards for his writing and remains one of the most important African writers of our time.