Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe



Things Fall Apart was required reading for my English class, therefore it was not a book that I chose to read of my free will. As required reading, I found it to be enjoyable and easy to follow. The writing was easy to interpret and I was able to relate to the characters. Reading this book on my own, I probably would have written it off as a pointless book. But after doing like a million “Guided Reading Questions” and participating in class discussions, as well as studying the Scramble to Africa in my World History class, I enjoyed it and appreciated the way that Achebe wrote so that I, as a Western reader, could get a more African point of view about this historical time, rather than the shallow “white man” view that we are often taught in school. This book literally opened my eyes and helped me destroy the stereotypes I had in my head, helped me become more culturally aware, and influenced me to think about different points of views when it comes to history lessons like this. Things Fall Apart probably isn’t a book I would recommend for pleasure reading, but as for classroom reading, it’s not all that bad. 3.5 of of 5 stars.