Chinua Achebe

The contemporary African writer's classic novel depicting the destruction of traditional tribal life by the white man

Things Fall Apart

This expanded edition of Chinua Achebe's first novel portrays the collision of African and European cultures in an Igbo village. Okonkwo, a great man in Igbo traditional society, cannot adapt to the profound changes brought by the British conquest of Nigeria. Yet, as in classic tragedy, Okonkwo's character as well as external forces contribute to his downfall. This expanded edition includes new illustrations, maps, additional essays on history, culture,and literature, and reference material to help readers see Achebe's classic novel in social and historical context, and to understand its place in world literature.

Uel Immer Aberia

Whenever you see a toad jumping in broad daylight, then know that something is after its life.

As he lay on his bamboo bed he thought about the treatment he had received in the white man's court, and he swore vengeance. 

 Nobody else spoke, but they noticed the long stripes on Okonkwo's back where the warder's whip had cut into his Flesh.

 He carried a strong stick, and he hit each man a few blows on the head and back. Okonkwo was choked with hate.

“ Ekwefi broke into a run as though to stop them. As she stood gazing at the circular darkness which had swallowed them, tears gushed from her eyes, and she swore within her that if she heard Ezinma cry she would rush into the cave to defend her against all the gods in the world. She would die with her.”

“It is not bravery when a man fights with a woman." 

“to beg his wife to return she will do so on the understanding that if he ever beats her again we shall cut off his genitals for him" 

 "is it true that when people are grown up, fire does not burn them?" 

"Yes," replied Ekwefi, too busy to argue. Her daughter Nwoye's

A proud heart can survive a general failure because such a failure does not prick its pride. It is more difficult and more bitter when a man fails alone.

The lizard that jumped from the high iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did.

A toad does not run in the daytime for nothing." 

"You have offended neither the gods nor your fathers. And when a man is at peace with his gods and his ancestors, his harvest will be good or bad according to the strength of his arm. 

 And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion-to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved. One of those things was gentle- ness and another was idleness. 

"When the moon is shining the cripple becomes hungry for a walk." 

Age was respected among his people, but achievement was revered. As the elders said, if a child washed his hands he could eat with the kings

Stephan Happe

Autor Christlich -- Somit auf Weiter der Missionare? Ambivalent

Ambivalenz zur eigenen Herkunft. But it would be...

Destruction and creation of identity through rise and fall of British rule. Was bleibt 

Nigeria encounter with colonialism in three generations. Aufgeteilt 

Quick reread - even better than I remembered 

Emily Lucie

So i spent the first half of the book kind of trying to understand what the book was about, and the second half questioning the same thing. It’s not until literally the last page that it becomes evident. Really it’s just an old african boomer that won’t change his ideals. A tale as old as time my dude. Frankly, i don’t have time for that shit anymore. Times change, some people don’t, bad things happen to them because they’re salty and negative. Basically use that last line and put it in a setting in nigeria during what i imagine are the late 1700s. That’s your novel. Given it’s a work of fiction, i’m not actually sure where it falls on the reality spectrum, so won’t even go quoting tribes or cultural learnings to my friends down the pub. 

Is it entertaining, mildly. Is it a different style of writing to the usual, kind of. Did it make me feel good/bad/or something, not really. would i recommend it, nah. Will i review it in this very limitedly user review app, duh. 

connor arnette

So i spent the first half of the book kind of trying to understand what the book was about, and the second half questioning the same thing. It’s not until literally the last page that it becomes evident. Really it’s just an old african boomer that won’t change his ideals. A tale as old as time my dude. Frankly, i don’t have time for that shit anymore. Times change, some people don’t, bad things happen to them because they’re salty and negative. Basically use that last line and put it in a setting in nigeria during what i imagine are the late 1700s. That’s your novel. Given it’s a work of fiction, i’m not actually sure where it falls on the reality spectrum, so won’t even go quoting tribes or cultural learnings to my friends down the pub. 

Is it entertaining, mildly. Is it a different style of writing to the usual, kind of. Did it make me feel good/bad/or something, not really. would i recommend it, nah. Will i review it in this very limitedly user review app, duh. 

Skip it  

Maureen

"He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart."

***

My first venture into African literature! I appreciate how the author included a glossary at the end.
The Ibo society is well-painted by Achebe, and readers will be fully immersed in their culture thanks to the vivid descriptions. The title is fitting for the events that take place in the latter part of the story.

I had only read about the spread of religion, but I've never come across such an in-depth account of colonialism under the guise of spreading religion. Especially through the eyes of the protagonist, Okonkwo—it was made very personal.

THINGS FALL APART tells two overlapping, intertwining stories, both of which center around Okonkwo, a “strong man” of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first of these stories traces Okonkwo's fall from grace with the tribal world in which he lives, and in its classical purity of line and economical beauty it provides us with a powerful fable about the immemorial conflict between the individual and society. The second story, which is as modern as the first is ancient, and which elevates the book to a tragic plane, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo's world through the arrival of aggressive, proselytizing European missionaries. These twin dramas are perfectly harmonized, and they are modulated by an awareness capable of encompassing at once the life of nature, human history, and the mysterious compulsions of the soul. THINGS FALL APART is the most illuminating and permanent monument we have to the modern African experience as seen from within. From the Hardcover edition.

anjali

Bleak, depressing, and ultimately tragic, this book can be quite the difficult read. The concept of the Tragic Hero is brought out perfectly. Very sad, though.

Sarah Sammis

trezaa

Had to read this for my degree but it really was gripping. Highly recommend.

tali

I’m literally shocked with how this story ended. Indeed a Page turning book with the themes of gender, culture & tradition, religion & politics, and how Igbo men faced white men’s buttocks. 

Read it for school but loved reading a non white non Asian book. Loved learning about the Ibo Culture without western opinions but that ending threw me off

Anushree Taparia

Cody Degen

After ten years I can finally put my mind at ease that when Childish Gambino rapped “Ain't you read the fuckin' book Things Fall Apart” it didn’t actually mean anything, he just wanted to rhyme something with “heart”

maybe i didn't like this book entirely but its ending was remarkable + impactful. it was heavy, sad, ironic, piteous, and incendiary. as someone who's seen a history of imperialism in my own country, i relatively sympathize with this book. i wish i enjoyed and understood this as much as other people did but yea . . . good read.

isa/bella

incredible.. no words for the love & heartbreak.. im genuinely upset that i had very fleeting interest in engaging w this when we studied it in high school because our teacher had inundated us w/ these ridiculous cheat sheets saturated w hard & lengthy definitions of ibo terms & customs and character studies that focused i think disproportionately on the missionaries. i dont think this should be treated like some anthropological case study. achebe literally makes a mockery of this approach in the book's final paragraph. i even think the less active analysis u approach this with the better.. it's SO honest and human that the story really will speak very loudly for itself and THAT mode of empathetic understanding across (and within) cultures is the only one that endures

Laura Mauler

It reminded me of Roots in the way that description of tribal life takes more space than plot (although this book is much more exaggerated in this count). Was this a literary device to give the reader the feeling that ancient tribal ways were destroyed quickly and fairly easily by Europeans? Or did the author simply run out of steam? In either case I enjoyed the book but would have enjoyed a more balanced and active version.

Stan D

Unsure at the beginning but great ending. Things do fall apart.

Lara Engle

Beautiful, enraging, frustrating, interesting, and heartbreaking

Gavin

You don't see the opinion "tribal feudalism was bad, colonialism was worse" much. Nor here.

Prashanth Srivatsa

While Things Fall Apart belongs to our own world, there is a feeling of seclusion about it, a distance from where we are, in customs, culture, faith and even in words. What remains intact is humanity, our resistance to change, and our eventual capitulation. When the missionaries walk in among the tribe, you feel the sadness of a people who, despite all their differences, had an identity, which was now in doldrums. This shift of a nation, weak as seen from outside but strong as imagined from within, is where Achebe pulls his modest strings, teaching the world about the beauty of Africa.

Okonowo is the greatest warrior alive. His fame has spread like a bushfire in West Africa and he is one of the most powerful men of his clan.

But he also has a fiery temper. Determined not to be like his father, he refuses to show weakness to anyone - even if the only way he can master his feelings is with his fists. When outsiders threaten the traditions of his clan, Okonowo takes violent action. Will the great man's dangerous pride eventually destroy him?.
(back cover)

Eliot Hertenstein

An important part of African Literature, and for good reason.

What a brilliant and enraging ending. I have a feeling it will stick with me for a long time.

Madi

Phillip Santiago

Well, I had a lot more appreciation for the power of this book as a 32-year-old than I did as a 15-year-old navigating the world with cultural blinders.

Sara

This book has so many strengths. The writing is beyond amazing, and the combination of traditional African storytelling and English storytelling is *chef's kiss* immaculate.

I really have no complaints. The characterization of Okonkwo was masterful, and the gradual destruction of his society juxtaposed with his own personal downfall was enthralling to read. I found the motifs of traditional masculinity and femininity extremely compelling, and loved how it added context to Okonkwo's view of the world. 

Many people dislike Okonkwo, which I think is valid. However, Okonkwo does not need to be likeable or a good man to be a compelling and richly complex main character. In many ways, I feel that Okonkwo could be seen as an Aristotelian tragic hero. He begins the novel as a tribal noble, causes his own downfall in the eyes of the tribe, and while in exile comes to the realization that he has done a great wrong. Okonkwo never apologizes for his actions, but he does recognize that he made mistakes, and understands he must suffer the punishments for them. Okonkwo is a deeply flawed man, but that is what makes him so interesting to read.

I think this book will resonate with anyone who comes from a culture or background where their people were colonized and whitewashed. The fact that this book, about the colonization of Africa, was written during the decolonization of Africa and the American Civil Rights Movement gives the story much more depth and more layers. Additionally, Achebe has stated that his motivation for writing Things Fall Apart was partly in response to Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, in which Africans are portrayed as unintelligent cannibals who only serve to add to the "a dark atmosphere" of the story, and to further the character development of Marlow, the white protagonist. Achebe wanted to write a story in which the rich culture and complex social structures of African tribes are celebrated, and to show how the colonization of Africa destroyed this. He wanted a story about Africa from the point-of-view of an African, not a white colonizer. Things Fall Apart did all of this and so much more. I wish I could put into words how much this book impacted me and how much I absolutely loved every single page. The diction and attention to detail in the writing was superb. The PoV shift at the end gave me chills and left me, for lack of a better word, hella shook. 

I could go on and on about how much I loved this book. 5 stars. We stan the king yams.

Nicole Dykeman

I've read worse things as a class assignment. Just not really my type of genre/style.

A textbook reader for young adults features Chinua Achebe's "Things Fall Apart," plus short stories, poems, and essays designed to build reading comprehension.

And Related Readings

Avani Pandya

This one is by far the most tedious and boring book I've ever picked up. It was a struggle to go through it. Had to drop it midway after giving it several fresh starts.

While I get where it comes from and what it intends to convey, it was extremely hard to relate to any of the characters that maneuver through an uninteresting, slow and dull plot. The struggle of the Igbo community, as painful as it was, did not evoke any emotion in me for the most part. The language, with untranslated words and confusing character names made it all the more difficult to keep track of what was happening. 

There's no point in vilifying the book or the writing. It's just not for me.

Things Fall Apart

Reviews

Highlights