Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by _askthebookbug
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
5.0
Half of a yellow sun.
~
"Red was the blood of the siblings massacred in the North, black was for mourning them, green was for the prosperity Biafra would have, and, finally, the half of a yellow sun stood for the glorious future." - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
~
Yet another masterpiece by Chimamanda and I'm not surprised. Every time I pick up her book, I just know that it's going to be a glorious one. Half of a yellow sun is a lengthy novel about Biafra and the terrible wars between Huasa Muslims and Igbo Christians in the mid 60s. Thousands of innocents were killed under the name of religion, homes were destroyed, women were raped and young boys were forced to join the armies. There was so much I wasn't aware of before I read this book but now with all the knowledge, my heart aches for all the people who perished.
~
The story mainly focusses on the wars by giving a glimpse of one family in particular. Ugwu, the houseboy who comes to work for a revolutionary teacher Odenigbo slowly becomes part of his family over the years. Olanna, a young woman with a degree from London belonging to an affluent family in Nigeria, chooses to leave her wealth behind when she marries Odenigbo. Their cause is to see a free Biafra. The third protagonist is a white man Richard who comes to Nigeria to write his book and falls in love with Olanna's twin sister, Kaninene.
~
The story talks about how many wealthy families lost their money during the war and had to move to the slums. It reminded me of the pictures of Nigerian kids with huge bellies and stick like legs, not really sure about what it's called. Now I know the word - Kwashiorkor. This book gave me goosebumps and made me shudder just by thinking how horrible it must have been for people to fight for food and medicines to save their families. A truly educational novel which I surely will re-read multiple times.
~
Rating - 5/5.
~
"Red was the blood of the siblings massacred in the North, black was for mourning them, green was for the prosperity Biafra would have, and, finally, the half of a yellow sun stood for the glorious future." - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
~
Yet another masterpiece by Chimamanda and I'm not surprised. Every time I pick up her book, I just know that it's going to be a glorious one. Half of a yellow sun is a lengthy novel about Biafra and the terrible wars between Huasa Muslims and Igbo Christians in the mid 60s. Thousands of innocents were killed under the name of religion, homes were destroyed, women were raped and young boys were forced to join the armies. There was so much I wasn't aware of before I read this book but now with all the knowledge, my heart aches for all the people who perished.
~
The story mainly focusses on the wars by giving a glimpse of one family in particular. Ugwu, the houseboy who comes to work for a revolutionary teacher Odenigbo slowly becomes part of his family over the years. Olanna, a young woman with a degree from London belonging to an affluent family in Nigeria, chooses to leave her wealth behind when she marries Odenigbo. Their cause is to see a free Biafra. The third protagonist is a white man Richard who comes to Nigeria to write his book and falls in love with Olanna's twin sister, Kaninene.
~
The story talks about how many wealthy families lost their money during the war and had to move to the slums. It reminded me of the pictures of Nigerian kids with huge bellies and stick like legs, not really sure about what it's called. Now I know the word - Kwashiorkor. This book gave me goosebumps and made me shudder just by thinking how horrible it must have been for people to fight for food and medicines to save their families. A truly educational novel which I surely will re-read multiple times.
~
Rating - 5/5.