Purple Hibiscus

After I finished the second load of Easter dishes, I settled in to finish reading Purple Hibiscus. The book was Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s first novel. Because Ms. Adichie is delivering one of the keynotes at a conference I’m attending later this month in Michigan, I wanted to read something she had written, and the conference recommended this one.

 

Kimbili, the point-of-view character, lives in postcolonial Nigeria during a time of great upheaval. Her father is somewhat of a national hero, a devout Catholic who is generous to the poor and stands up for injustice in his country. But at home he is violent and spiritually abusive. When Kimbili and her brother go to visit their father's sister, who embodies grace and encourages honest questioning, the teens experience for the first time the sort of nurture that one would hope a parent would provide.  

Adichie tells beautifully a beautiful story, rich with truth. I highly recommend this literary treasure. And if you have some time to enrich your life, listen to what she has to say in this twenty-minute TED talk about the danger of a single story.