Half of a Yellow Sun is a stunning exploration of life in Africa during a time of Civil War.
Written over a period of four years by the Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun is one of the most engaging and surprising reads I have come across for some time. Based on the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War of 1967-70, this stunning novel is an exploration of the unexpected and avoidable collapse of an affluent African society and the ensuing catalogue of destruction, leaving issues which remain unresolved in Nigeria today.
It follows the lives of two sisters Olanna and Kainene and their very differing life experiences in middle-class Biafra. Adichie drew heavily on the experiences of her parents who lived through this war and who wanted her to know that what mattered most, was not what they went through, but that they survived. In a story when so few did survive, the very act of survival was a most precious gift.
I am often asked to recommend books which look at war from a different perspective to the usual so often studied in British schools, namely the 1st and 2nd World War. Well this definitely fits the bills! It is an accessible yet challenging read, and I would strongly encourage readers of all ages to take the plunge. It sat on my bookshelf for fifteen years before I finally got round to reading it. Sometimes the best things come to he who waits!
Click here to read more about this author, and titles which include Purple Hibiscus, Americanah and The Thing Around Your Neck.
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