Things Fall Apart
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- Create Date：2022-08-23 09:57:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Chinua Achebe
- ISBN：0141186887
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Summary
An alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here （2007 Modern Classics edition）。
Okonowo is the greatest warrior alive。 His fame has spread like a bushfire in West Africa and he is one of the most powerful men of his clan。 But he also has a fiery temper。 Determined not to be like his father， he refuses to show weakness to anyone - even if the only way he can master his feelings is with his fists。 When outsiders threaten the traditions of his clan， Okonowo takes violent action。 Will the great man's dangerous pride eventually destroy him？
This edition belongs to the Penguin Modern Classics， 2017 new design。
Okonowo is the greatest warrior alive。 His fame has spread like a bushfire in West Africa and he is one of the most powerful men of his clan。 But he also has a fiery temper。 Determined not to be like his father， he refuses to show weakness to anyone - even if the only way he can master his feelings is with his fists。 When outsiders threaten the traditions of his clan， Okonowo takes violent action。 Will the great man's dangerous pride eventually destroy him？
This edition belongs to the Penguin Modern Classics， 2017 new design。
Reviews
KnygaKuprinėje
，
Knygų klubo "9 puslapis" skaitinys。Jei ne laiko trūkumas， būčiau "suvartojusi" per vakarą ar du， bet gal ir gerai， kad teko skaityti ilgiau， nes galėjau ilgiau pasimėgauti。Tai istorija apie sustyguotą， gal kiek momentais makabrišką， tačiau nusistovėjusią Afrikos genčių tvarką， gyvenimą。 Kurį， netikėtai， pakeičia europiečių - balto žmogaus， įsiveržimas。Tai istorija apie vieną drąsų genties vyrą， kuris visomis išgalėmis stengėsi išlaikyti savo genties tapatybę， tačiau jo kova buvo skaudžiai vieniš Knygų klubo "9 puslapis" skaitinys。Jei ne laiko trūkumas， būčiau "suvartojusi" per vakarą ar du， bet gal ir gerai， kad teko skaityti ilgiau， nes galėjau ilgiau pasimėgauti。Tai istorija apie sustyguotą， gal kiek momentais makabrišką， tačiau nusistovėjusią Afrikos genčių tvarką， gyvenimą。 Kurį， netikėtai， pakeičia europiečių - balto žmogaus， įsiveržimas。Tai istorija apie vieną drąsų genties vyrą， kuris visomis išgalėmis stengėsi išlaikyti savo genties tapatybę， tačiau jo kova buvo skaudžiai vieniša。Labai daug jausmų sukelianti knyga。 Abejonės， ar tikrai reikėjo baltiesiems "gelbėti" Afrikos gyventojus （nors tarp jų tikrai vyravo siaubingi papročiai）， ar tikrai atnešta krikščionybė buvo būtina， ypač taip brutaliai atėjusi。。。daug klausimų， daug įvairiausių išgyvenimų ir kilusių minčių。 Baisus įsikišimas， sugriovęs daugybės žmonių gyvenimus， pakeitęs tų žmonių savastį， autonomiją， pasirinkimus ir galimybę patiems gyventi， be nuolatinės kažkieno duoklės。 Kas nusprendžia koks gyvenimas yra teisingas， o kurį reikia griauti， keisti， kištis？ Tie， kurie įsitikinę， kad tik jų pasirinkimai teisingiausi。Stipri， nestora knyga， tikrai rekomenduoju， labai gerai susiskaitė ir teko ne vieną mintį "pamintyti" net užvertus knygą。 Vienas geresnių skaitinių šiemet。 。。。more
Judelon Ingram
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Like a cup of espresso， short and bitter。 I'll be thinking about this one for a while。 Like a cup of espresso， short and bitter。 I'll be thinking about this one for a while。 。。。more
Noah
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I wish I could come into this with an anthropology degree， there was a lot of symbolism that I was worried I would miss。 I did enjoy this book- it’s quite short- a taut tale of woe with really beautiful moments of poetic imagery。 I will be diving into further analysis of the text to see what I missed。 Happy I was able to get around to reading this。
Ethan
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Shocking and rich in imagery。 A true classic。
John Kinkade
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I can't quite understand how long it took me to read this novel。 Not what I expected either: there's a lot of novel （relatively） before the colonial powers move in。 The prose style was also surprising to me: so terse compared to the way that the speech of the Igbo is presented as so formal and stylized。 Stories about being in the wrong time are especially tragic to me， and this has a case as the most compelling tragic novel ever。 Great stuff。 I can't quite understand how long it took me to read this novel。 Not what I expected either: there's a lot of novel （relatively） before the colonial powers move in。 The prose style was also surprising to me: so terse compared to the way that the speech of the Igbo is presented as so formal and stylized。 Stories about being in the wrong time are especially tragic to me， and this has a case as the most compelling tragic novel ever。 Great stuff。 。。。more
Andrew Pollard
，
Easy to appreciate why this is considered a classic; released against a backdrop of scientific racism and pervading beliefs about tribal savagery， this must've been startling。 Regular and vast passages are given over to drinking in Umuofia's culture and traditions， to the extent that more time is spent covering the ninth instance of the breaking of a kola nut than is used to describe the key event that catalyses the book's entire second section。 So， easy to appreciate but personally not all that Easy to appreciate why this is considered a classic; released against a backdrop of scientific racism and pervading beliefs about tribal savagery， this must've been startling。 Regular and vast passages are given over to drinking in Umuofia's culture and traditions， to the extent that more time is spent covering the ninth instance of the breaking of a kola nut than is used to describe the key event that catalyses the book's entire second section。 So， easy to appreciate but personally not all that compelling。 I'd be lying if I said I was ever eager to get back to reading this。 It's well written and concludes quite powerfully， but I for one can only spend so much time reading about yams and goats。 。。。more
Michelle
，
Excellent insightful and moving
Lupe
，
A great written story。 I love how quick the book is and the way the culture is portrayed。 In reality I was not a fan of Okonkwo he was mean， tough， and just purely a total macho。The way he treated Nowye was horrible he never cared about him and he often times referred to him as "girly"。 One of my personal favorite characters is ikemefuna which was mainly why I continued reading but when he died I thought to myself what's the point。 Until I got to know Ekwefi and let me just say she is AMAZING tr A great written story。 I love how quick the book is and the way the culture is portrayed。 In reality I was not a fan of Okonkwo he was mean， tough， and just purely a total macho。The way he treated Nowye was horrible he never cared about him and he often times referred to him as "girly"。 One of my personal favorite characters is ikemefuna which was mainly why I continued reading but when he died I thought to myself what's the point。 Until I got to know Ekwefi and let me just say she is AMAZING truly inspiring and a true golden mom。 The way she loves her daughter and the fact that she would do anything for her。 Shows that she is a true prize。 。。。more
Lorraine
，
Beautiful layout。 The pace of the story seemed to have aligned with the pace of the way Africa’s fate unfolded。 I was left amazed by the end of the book。 This should be a required reading across Western worlds。
Riches Olusegun
，
colonialism was a mistake。
Sophia
，
I felt very conflicted as I read this book。 I wanted to find beauty and joy in a culture so different from what I am used to， and I wanted to support these people who were being trampled by outsiders coming in to destroy their traditions。 I felt for them as they were being told that they were wrong， and their gods were false。 I felt that it was unfair for strangers to come in and change everything when they didn't know about these people， who had their own lives and families and beliefs。And yet， I felt very conflicted as I read this book。 I wanted to find beauty and joy in a culture so different from what I am used to， and I wanted to support these people who were being trampled by outsiders coming in to destroy their traditions。 I felt for them as they were being told that they were wrong， and their gods were false。 I felt that it was unfair for strangers to come in and change everything when they didn't know about these people， who had their own lives and families and beliefs。And yet， I struggled to see the beauty in what their actual traditions were。 I felt so hurt by their opinions of women and children， by their desire for war and "manliness" and bravery。 I felt that there were so many toxic ideals in their culture that could benefit from more equality， more gentleness， and more love for each other。 However， I am understanding now as I write this， that maybe cultures aren't worthy just because they are beautiful or equal or ideal， but just because they are meaningful to the people who are part of them。 Maybe the women in Okonkwo's culture felt happy to be one of many wives to each of the men。 Maybe they enjoyed being secondary members of the society， and didn't long for anything more。 Just because I do not value the culture does not mean that it has no value to them。It was an interesting book that really challenged my views of the world， of culture， and of peoples different from myself。 All beliefs can have value， and I have no right to tell someone that he or she has to believe as I do。 All I can do is invite and share and love， and expect others to do the same。 。。。more
Val
，
I just couldn't get into this book。 I listened to the entire thing on audiobook but I found it hard to follow and my mind just did not want to stay engaged。 Maybe it's better on paper。 I just couldn't get into this book。 I listened to the entire thing on audiobook but I found it hard to follow and my mind just did not want to stay engaged。 Maybe it's better on paper。 。。。more
Amber
，
A heartbreaking tale of the loss of culture due to colonization from the point of view of the colonized。
Sophie
，
I thought this book was very slow and not so worth the read。 It didn’t get interesting till 2/3 of the way。 I will say that it opened my eyes to a new perspective。
Dan Macha
，
41st book of 2022We live in a colonized world。 And as a white male living in the U。S。， I carry that legacy of colonists living on colonized land with me。 I’ve always belonged to the dominant culture。 Colonization seems like something that belongs to the past， something that was only done by white male sailing ships and overtaking native populations， but colonization is alive and well with narratives of white American supremacy operating within American culture and within Americans’ understanding 41st book of 2022We live in a colonized world。 And as a white male living in the U。S。， I carry that legacy of colonists living on colonized land with me。 I’ve always belonged to the dominant culture。 Colonization seems like something that belongs to the past， something that was only done by white male sailing ships and overtaking native populations， but colonization is alive and well with narratives of white American supremacy operating within American culture and within Americans’ understanding of their position in the world。 And what stories are we telling about Africa？ Well， we’re not telling any， and reading Chinua Achebe really demonstrates that point。 We’re not telling any stories that uplift the culture， identities， and complexity of African people。 Instead， we think of Africa as this desolate， poor， & primitive continent without recognizing that European colonists， the white saviors we imagine ourselves to be， were the ones who disbanded African governments， stole their resources， and created the economic conditions they’re trying to solve today。 I watched The Lion King recently， and not to be that guy， but for a movie set in Africa， the directors - two white guys - adapted a European story using only animals。 We would never consider making an adaptation of an African story that is set in England’s primitive landscape and uses only animals because， well， that just seems ridiculous。 All of this is to say that we are telling the wrong stories about Africa， and I acknowledge that I participate in that culture。 And the problem with colonization is that one cannot simply undo the colonizing。 It doesn’t work like that。 The work of Achebe is set within this postcolonial discourse that attempts to revitalize and rediscover colonized cultures， and Achebe’s work is one of the first to introduce the African perspective to the Western world， which makes him the father of African literature - at least as far as us Westerners are concerned。 Things Fall Apart wasn’t what I thought it was going to be。 It’s one of those stories that nearly everyone in a university literature course has read， so I’d heard a lot about the book but never read it。 And if I’m honest， I put off reading it for a long time because of the assumption that African stories aren’t interesting， complex， or relevant。 But I think that’s one thing that is so powerful about Things Fall Apart is that it is directly relevant to the Westerner， to anyone who believes or assumes that the Western way is the only way。 Because within Things Fall Apart， you see that the people of Umuofia are content with their ways & cultures。 Even more， you see that the cultures & ways of the people of Umuofia are directly applicable to the life & environment in which they live。 It helps them orient their lives to survive within the environment they are within， and once the Christian missionaries arrive， Igbo culture seems like the more logical， applicable， and personal option because it’s geared towards the environment in which they are living。 To understand the African perspective of colonialism， you have to see how colonialism disrupts the tranquility and logic of African customs， and Things Fall Apart does that so well。 It’s the gradual loss of identity， culture， autonomy， and way of life of an entire group of people at the hands of white men who arrive unannounced & uninvited and make no effort to learn the language， customs， & culture of the people whose ways they denounce as wrong & inhuman。 。。。more
Amanda Momah
，
As an Igbo girl I feel like it was important for me to read this book。 Honestly some parts were a little triggering so I had to pause but overall it was a good read and really informative for me。
Barbara （The Bibliophage）
，
Originally published on my book blog， TheBibliophage。com。3。5 stars rounded upThe late writer Chinua Achebe originally published his remarkable book， Things Fall Apart， in 1959。 That it still lands on “best books ever” lists is a testament to its lasting effect on readers。 Late to the party， I just read it for the first time this year。The book follows the life of an Igbo warrior named Okonkwo and is set in the late 1800s。 It’s a narrative about transitional times when the colonial presence of Eur Originally published on my book blog， TheBibliophage。com。3。5 stars rounded upThe late writer Chinua Achebe originally published his remarkable book， Things Fall Apart， in 1959。 That it still lands on “best books ever” lists is a testament to its lasting effect on readers。 Late to the party， I just read it for the first time this year。The book follows the life of an Igbo warrior named Okonkwo and is set in the late 1800s。 It’s a narrative about transitional times when the colonial presence of Europeans begins to be felt in places like Okonkwo’s home， Umoufia。Okonkwo is also a wealthy farmer， but he makes some mistakes。 And although he suffers consequences for those mistakes， his family still supports him。 Achebe uses Okonkwo’s life as an illustration of life among the Igbo。 It’s fascinating and sometimes jarring。 But nothing is as tragic as watching the interactions between indigenous people and the European missionary settlers。My conclusionsThe arrival of colonialists changes everything about Igbo life。 While most tribe members attempt to retain their traditions and beliefs， other family and friends accept the missionaries’ Christian beliefs。 And once you give up the fundamental values of your community， everything falls apart。Achebe quotes W。B。 Yeats’ poem The Second Coming in his epigraph:Turning and turning in the widening gyreThe falcon cannot hear the falconer;Things fall apart， the center cannot hold，Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world。Using a European poet’s words to illustrate an African man’s experiences and tribe is ironic。 But perhaps it also describes what Okonkwo’s people lost—their homes， traditions， stories， history， and more。 Achebe recaptures the essence of the time before and during this transition。This is a classic work of historical fiction and holds as much meaning today as when Achebe penned it。 Understanding colonialism from the perspective of the oppressed is a vital endeavor。 I heartily recommend this book。Pair with The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh for a perspective on Asian colonialism。 。。。more
Rosi Phillips
，
I remind myself this book was written in the 50s’ and keep that in mind as I read it。 The cyclical story telling is reminiscent of my own Igbo father and upbringing， however the near constant gendering isn’t。 As a 1st generation child， I realize I read this from a Western viewpoint， even as I was raised in a Nigerian household。 While I can mimic an accent （sometimes slipping into something akin to an Irish or Indian accent） I have， in fact， not had the experiences I read about。 Though that’s the I remind myself this book was written in the 50s’ and keep that in mind as I read it。 The cyclical story telling is reminiscent of my own Igbo father and upbringing， however the near constant gendering isn’t。 As a 1st generation child， I realize I read this from a Western viewpoint， even as I was raised in a Nigerian household。 While I can mimic an accent （sometimes slipping into something akin to an Irish or Indian accent） I have， in fact， not had the experiences I read about。 Though that’s the power of books， to give you a different lens on people。I do not believe that is what this book did。 The story， simply， is about the life of a man and his male pain。 It is about the pain （female denoted） that he was born with because of his （female afflicted） father and the man that he carries to be as male as possible which sees him in several unfavorable situations。 Whether this is from a cultural standpoint （I cannot say female was ever so starkly negative in my household nor did I feel a pining from my father for me to be male） or this characters， what is apparent throughout the book is the demonization of the feminine， the female。 So overtly as to make me， a woman， feel bad for being a woman。The ending （which I won’t spoil） is not surprising or unexpected。 What it is is the biggest “f*ck you” that our protagonist can give to his village。 I didn’t find it out of character or selfish but rather exactly the type of thing this chapter would do。 While I recommend this point on the style of writing and the cultural depictions， it is， quite simply， male pain that I have read before。 。。。more
Elise
，
Love the spare， vivid language， but I was far more interested in Ezinma than Okonkwo。
Marta Rodrigues
，
the necessary perspective
Inma Ercoreca
，
El autor， con su magistral y sencilla forma de narrar nos lleva a conocer los diferentes aspectos de la vida de la tribu Igbo en el periodo anterior a la colonización para después exponer como ésta se llevó a cabo por el hombre blanco。 Ello hace que el libro sea muy interesante y de ágil lectura; el esfuerzo está dirigido principalmente a empatizar con las tradiciones， las creencias y la forma de vida de la tribu。 Es un esfuerzo de aceptación de que las cosas no son únicamente de la manera en qu El autor， con su magistral y sencilla forma de narrar nos lleva a conocer los diferentes aspectos de la vida de la tribu Igbo en el periodo anterior a la colonización para después exponer como ésta se llevó a cabo por el hombre blanco。 Ello hace que el libro sea muy interesante y de ágil lectura; el esfuerzo está dirigido principalmente a empatizar con las tradiciones， las creencias y la forma de vida de la tribu。 Es un esfuerzo de aceptación de que las cosas no son únicamente de la manera en que un individuo o una sociedad las ven， incluso las personas y las sociedades evolucionan con el paso del tiempo。 Lo único que no me ha terminado de convencer ha sido el precipitado final。A parte de la narración de la vida de la tribu y la colonización， el libro contiene un excepcional prólogo que os animo a leer， pero que contiene importantes spoilers， y por lo tanto， recomendaría leerlo al final de la lectura; y no sólo el prólogo， sino también la sinopsis。 Como siempre， la gran diferencia ha venido marcada por los cometarios de los participantes en @empiezaporleer。clubliterario 。。。more
Michele
，
Picks up in part 2。 A story of a man overcompensating for what he views to be his father's shortcomings against a backdrop of a changing society。 Okonkwo is a bitter man with something to prove and no one left to prove it to。 Picks up in part 2。 A story of a man overcompensating for what he views to be his father's shortcomings against a backdrop of a changing society。 Okonkwo is a bitter man with something to prove and no one left to prove it to。 。。。more
Will Stanard
，
One thing to take away as a Christian is that the gospel has NOTHING to do with imperialism and great effort should be made to promote one and not the other。The gospel brought dignity to the “worthless” people of Okonkwo’s village， imperialism asserted that his society should be violently remade in a European image。
harper
，
fuck u ms higgins
Ashley Olson
，
I know this isn't cool to say about a timeless highschool read but。。。。 I didn't have a ton of fun reading this。 I know this isn't cool to say about a timeless highschool read but。。。。 I didn't have a ton of fun reading this。 。。。more
Brooklyn
，
A classic - you can’t argue that。 Sad and groundbreaking in its day 1958 （and still）。 I can’t say the writing was particularly riveting - but solid， detailed - an elegy to a lost world。
bookswithsarahl
，
Read this for a literature class。 3。5*
Gilbert
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Okonkwo is a warrior who beats his wives and murders his son。 Hardly the enlightened traditional leader a lesser author might have chosen to contrast with the cynicism and corruption of colonialism。 The flawed protagonist lends balance and brings realism to a story that otherwise could have read like a naive myth of Igbo tribal life before it was ruined by the first white settlers。 Tribal life is far from utopian。 It was highly participatory， but many， especially women and children， suffered。 Cu Okonkwo is a warrior who beats his wives and murders his son。 Hardly the enlightened traditional leader a lesser author might have chosen to contrast with the cynicism and corruption of colonialism。 The flawed protagonist lends balance and brings realism to a story that otherwise could have read like a naive myth of Igbo tribal life before it was ruined by the first white settlers。 Tribal life is far from utopian。 It was highly participatory， but many， especially women and children， suffered。 Cultural boundaries mostly curtailed the worst in men like Okonkwo。 These were destroyed when the significantly more oppressive and undemocratic system of christianity and capitalism arrived。 。。。more
Lia
，
i had to read this for english but it was interesting to see how the Igbo society slowly changing from traditional into society influenced by Europeans once they arrived there。 there was definitely a huge change from the first part of the book to the end like the introduction of the church changing and influencing many members of the tribe
Ayelet
，
I don't remember the book but it was assigned reading before freshman year of college。 I don't remember the book but it was assigned reading before freshman year of college。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Things Fall Apart
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Things Fall Apart&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Things Fall Apart&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0