1. In the beginning of Americanah, one of Ifemelu friends states, “She’ll come back and be a serious Americanah…” (65). How is “Americanah” defined within the novel? Does Ifemelu become an Americanah? If so, how?
2. Within Americanah, Adichie is careful to portray the cultures of each country. How do racial identities shift from country to country?
3. In her blog, Ifemelu carefully categorizes differences amongst members of the African Diaspora: Africans, African Americans, Afro-Caribbean Americans. She does not make these distinctions in Nigeria. What observations does Ifemelu make, and why does she make them in America, rather than Nigeria?
Readings:
“Americanah: A Novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
If you are not familiar with this novel, you can use this as a summary:
https://www.litcharts.com/lit/americanah
An interview with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on Americanah.
In this interview, Adichie discusses the issues of identity, the legacy of colonialism, and race in Americanah and her thought process that informed her writing of the novel.
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