The Bookhive List: 'Americanah' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

January 29, 2015 Natalie Morath

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has absolutely exploded in popularity in the past year due to a little ditty by one Beyonce Gisele Knowles Carter called 'Flawless.' If you're unfamiliar with it, I'm not sure what you're doing here...? Anyway, the song features an excerpt from Chimamanda's extraordinarily important and influential TedTalk from a while back (which is how I came to know of her). To hear someone articulate the meaning of feminism so clearly and beautifully was striking, and the fact that the speaker was young and gorgeous and very fashionable resonated with so many young women who had previously felt that Feminism had no room for them.

Meanwhile, as her definition of Feminism became part of a pop cultural anthem, Chimamanda published her third novel to universal praise; most people had never heard of her before 'Flawless' but in the publishing world, Chimamanda was a talented young writer whose first two novels had set high career expectations for her (and 'Half of a Yellow Sun' is truly, truly excellent, but one of the toughest books on war I've ever read. I cried so much while reading it. It is criminally underrated, and I haven't read a better, more insightful narrative of the moral ambiguities of warfare).

I read 'Americanah' immediately after it was published, and for me it was very directly linked to a conscious effort on my part to read more contemporary fiction, especially by women. It was a good choice in that sense because it feels so modern (not Modern). I would liken it to something by Zadie Smith, but with less stylized prose, although that's not to say the prose is not stylish because every sentence is perfect and beautiful. It all comes across so effortlessly, and if you're a writer she will make you very jealous. It is also a really genuine, human love story and at no point does it indulge in any kind of sentimentality or emotional shorthand. The two central characters fall in love and grow apart and evolve and meet again and it all feels so organic and real. As if that weren't enough of an accomplishment, it is also a novel that fearlessly and insightfully takes on race and succeeds. It is certainly one of the best novels in the recent past and I feel certain it will become a Classic.

The Bookhive List is a weekly recommendation of my all-time favorite, must-read books.

This Week in Books Jane and Elizabeth Have a Cage Match

January 23, 2015 Natalie Morath

Because The Toast is the most excellent source of original content and writing on the Internet, they've naturally begun a new series of "Literary Ladies Cage Fights," with the first face-off between Elizabeth Benett and Jane Eyre. Round One is division into Harry Potter houses, because of course it is. FYI, the new Sleater-Kinney album makes a good soundtrack while you read it.

The National Book Critics Circle Awards finalists for 2014 were just announced, and the list is incredibly solid. Is is just me or was 2014 a fantastic year for writing? I'm especially happy to see Saeed Jones' Prelude to Bruise on the list, as well as a lot of books from independent publishers.

Everyone is apparently hosting gigantic book clubs now, and NPR's Morning Edition is the latest to jump on the bandwagon, although I can already say they are doing it better than so many others. The first selection was made by author and bookstore owner Ann Patchett, and she chose (National Book Critics Circle Awards finalist1) Deep Dark Down by Hector Tobar, a true account of the 2010 rescue of 33 Chilean miners. David Green hosted Patchett and Tobar in a discussion that included audience questions from Twitter, and it was a really nice treat on my morning commute. I definitely want to read the book now, and to find out what they'll be reading next.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has a short story available on the Medium. This requires no further explanation.

Finally, Rachel Kushner, author of the excellent novel The Flamethrowers, has an essay over at the London Review of Books on the Costa Concordia wreck. Not particularly "literary," or newsworthy, just a great essay from a great writer

The Better Beach Read

August 20, 2014 Natalie Morath

I have always hated the phrase "beach read," and the notion it represents, that somehow your vacation is the only appropriate time for pleasure reading or genre fiction. It seems like the kind of unrealistic trope that is exacerbated by magazines, like you should buy some sunglasses based on your "face shape" and a swim suit that emphasizes your "small bust" and get a "beach read" for your vacation. I have a tendency to bring on vacation any book on my TBR list that is compact and lightweight, i.e. paperback, and there is usually no rhyme or reason to it. That said, I can concede that people often want good books for vacation time with the implication being that they'll be sitting in a hammock, on a beach, or poolside for long stretches of time and need a book that they can really disappear into. Thus, the following, my recommendations for beach books this summer:

What I'm Reading: 'Half of a Yellow Sun' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

June 16, 2014 Natalie Morath

I have such a crush on this book. Normally I hate it when people talk about a book's ability to grab them from the first sentence/paragraph/page/chapter, because it is so cliche and seems to miss the point of a truly excellent novel, which is the entire journey through the narrative. That said, Half of a Yellow Sun really did charm me from the very beginning through very deliberate and masterful character development. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the type of author who makes writing seem so effortless, and a reader has to take constant pauses to marvel at her prose. And I feel I can wax poetic about Half of a Yellow Sun and it's ability to hook a reader early because I can already sense the very deliberate and effective pacing that progresses the rest of the story.

This Week in Books: 'Half of a Yellow Sun,' Edward St. Aubyn and Beyonce

May 23, 2014 Natalie Morath

This is very appropriately-timed given my post on Americanah earlier this week. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's second novel Half of a Yellow Sun got a movie adaptation that premieres this summer, and the trailer dropped earlier this week. Half is about the Biafra War, so prepare yourself for lots of Mad Men-era fashions and tears. I just started the book recently and I'm already in love with it.

Edward St. Aubyn has been everywhere this week, promoting his new book Lost for Words. This is the only interview you need to bother with, and Terry Gross is terrific as ever.

Enhanced Reading: 'Americanah' by Chimamanda Ngzoi Adichie

May 21, 2014 Natalie Morath

At this point, you really shouldn’t need my recommendation to get a copy of Americanah by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The 2013 novel has reached a level of cultural saturation that includes endorsements from such tastemakers as Beyonce and Lupita Nyong’o (People Magazine’s Most Beautiful for 2012 and 2014, respectively), as well as critical acclaim from the usual suspects (National Book Critics Circle Award Winner, New York Times Book Review 10 Best of 2013, and Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction).