It has happened again. I started to read a book and I was enchanted. As with Russian novels, I had to write down all the names of people and places. Since I was reading on Kindle I could not write on the book itself.
Ifemelu: the main female character, brave, impulsive, curious, successful blogger. She used to blog about race, blogs about life in the happy end.
Princeton: the American University town where the book starts.
Aunty Uju: near friend and relative of Ifemelu, we meet her as a medical doctor in US, later on we learn that she has been the mistress of a killed Nigerian general.
Ginika: Ifemelu’s friend from Nigeria. She helps Ifemelu to settle down when she first arrives in US.
Blaine: ifemelu’s boyfriend of her last three years in Us. University professor at Princeton.
Obinze: second main character. Ifemelu’s first and last boyfriend of the book. He represents her country and her life love or love to life. Also called The Zed by friends and Ceiling by Ifemelu.
Dike: Ifemelu’s cousin, son of Aunty Uju and the general.
Ranyunudo: Ifemelu’s girl friend through life.
Igbo: People of South-East Nigeria
Kosi: Obinze’s wife.
Buchi: Obinze’s daughter.
Nsukka: Nigerian town.
Lagos: Nigerian city, capital until 1991.
Curt: Ifemelu’s boyfriend during her early days in US. He helps her to become an American citizen.
Americanah jumps on top of my own book range, before Anna Karenina and Knausgård Min Kamp. Reading this book I went inside my own never ending longing and integration process; I learned about Nigeria and its growing middle class I did not know anything about before; I read an exquisite English text that was perfect for somebody like me who has and always will have English as a second or third language.
.ps the book inspired me to add a donate button to this blog, mainly to explore new ways to support research and dissemination

.pps added 18.01 youtube video TED talk