Chimamanda in the New Yorker...


She writes so well it almost brings one to tears...my goal is to read both "purple hibiscus," and "half of a yellow sun" this christmas (as I have heard excellent reviews abt these two books). I just need to get them in my collection somehow. I was reading her narrative about life during the war in the New Yorker, and she killed it...

This is only an excerpt:

At first, he wrote excited letters, and sent pictures of himself in camouflage holding a long, gleaming gun. He took special pride in his boots and wrote about how he polished them with Kiwi polish, the way he had polished the shoes my father wore to his lectures. His handwriting was barely legible and his English was comic. “Hungry is killing me,” he said. He wrote about the poor state of the barracks. He wrote about not being paid. Slowly, the letters cooled. Then, in a hasty letter, he wrote that he might be sent to Liberia, as part of the Nigerian Peacekeeping Force. Civil war was raging there. People were being skinned alive, he wrote. People were being dragged to their deaths.
“He won’t go to Liberia,” my father said. “He’ll be fine.”


Fide did not go to Liberia. Months later, a military coup took place in Sierra Leone. And General Sani Abacha, who routinely killed activists, who routinely shut down the media, who routinely jailed opponents, decided to send in Nigerian troops to restore democracy.
When my parents told me that Fide had died—he was blown up by a land mine in Sierra Leone, on September 3, 1997—I stared at them for a while and then started to smile because I knew that they were wrong.


“Which Fide?” I asked, as if he were not the only Fide we knew.
“Our own Fide,” my mother said, and those words will never leave me, because even as grief enveloped me I realized how lovely they were. Our own Fide. He was our own.


To read the story, go to: http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/060612fa_fact3

7 comments:

♥♫♪nyemoni♫♪♥ said...

Girlfriend, where have you been?
;-) You haven't read them books??? M/w which book is this one now? I guess it's going to be her next right?
You will definitely enjoy Purple Hibiscus this christmas, I guarantee.. I got it as a christmas gift in '04.. Merry Christmas!

Anthony Arojojoye said...

Purple hibiscus is a classic, any day any time.

It means u're gonna have a wonderful xmas then.

Meery xmas & happy new year in advance.

Vera Ezimora said...

Jaycee, what's up? Don't feel alone - I have not read her books either. Shame right? I know.

Either way sha, Chimamanda is an inspiration to all....especially me.

Nilla said...

Longest time!

I haven't read her books either oh!..looking forward to doing so though..that and "Beast of no nation" by Uzodinma Iweala.

Miguel said...

Great Blog! Will hound this blog daily. keep it up!

Jennifer A. said...

yayyy...thanks guys...been having too much fun this christmas...from doing sleep-overs to girls night out, I'm still rolling from one fabulous day to another...will update my blog soon.

The poets voice ~~~ said...

She is an awesome writer...Another symbol of excellence and creativity to emerge from NIgeria!