Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

This novel is more complex than it seems on the surface. Set in Nigeria, it describes tribal (Ibo) lifestyles at the turn of the century – just as they began to encounter colonialism and Christianity. Many shocking Ibo traditions are described in detail, such as the practice of abandoning twin babies in the woods and mutilating the bodies of babies whose mothers have lost many children. (It was believed that these children somehow returned to the womb and caused continual suffering for the mother with their repeated deaths.) However, the clan does have several traditions and laws designed to protect each other from harm and to honor their ancestors as well as their gods. When European cultures begin to settle there and missionaries start to convert tribal members, much of the beauty of their culture is lost, which is why the novel’s hero ends up completely dismayed and destroyed. This would definitely be an interesting text to use in a book club discussion. Favorite Quote: “His life had been ruled by a great passion – to become one of the lords of the clan . . . And he had all but achieved it. Then everything had been broken. He had been cast out . . . Clearly his personal god or chi was not made for great things. A man could not rise beyond the destiny of his chi.”