Reading a Book by a Nigerian Author Changed My Life — Here Are 6 Others That Might Change Yours

The first time I picked up a book by a Nigerian author, I was in college, sifting through my understanding of what it meant to be black. The book was Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and it’s safe to say it changed my life.

The main character, Ifemelu, is forced to contend with her own blackness for the first time when she moves to America — a process that is foreign to someone whose race is thrust upon them the moment they enter the world. Before Adichie, I was well-versed in the imaginings of blackness through the American lens — both black and white. I understood the deafening cloud of oppression and the persistent struggle that weaves its way through every narrative. I understood that blackness, even when unmentioned, always lurked quietly in the background — easily called up when a new character crossed the page.

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