by Edith Charles
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie published this in 2018; however, originally it was an written as a personal email to a friend, who was pregnant and wanted Adichie's advice on how to raise her daughter as a feminist and thus give her a fairer life. Over 66 pages (short book, long email), Adichie offers suggestions on the values to instil in her friend's daughter.
For example, the first suggestion is "Be a full person"; another is "Teach her to question language". I think this book is so important for everyone to read and, though Adichie is writing for her friend's daughter, she has emphasised the importance of men being feminists (which she also emphasised in her interview with Trevor Noah - see below):
The tone of the book is (as you would expect from an email to a friend) amiable and flexible. She is realistic and this makes it really refreshing. Adichie acknowledges that blue and pink binary stereotypes still exist and that it is unlikely that the "girls section" will sell supermen toys.
I think it's a book that everyone will interpret differently, at different stages of their lives. Even though, obviously, I'm not a mother, I still find it very helpful, as Adichie's attitude to equality is so applicable to everyday life. If I read it again five years, it will mean something totally different but equally relevant. That's what I really like about this book. I have just started her novel, Purple Hibiscus and I am also planning to read the novel, Another Country, written by African-American author James Baldwin in 1962; it sounds like the sort of book that is fun to read: like watching a really colourful film with a great soundtrack.
I also like listening to podcasts and recently found 'A Brief History of Seven Killings' by Marlon James fascinating; I've never heard someone so articulate and intelligent as he is. I would love to read his books, including A Brief History of Seven Killings (which won the Man Booker Prize in 2015) and Black Leopard. Red Wolf (2019).
For example, the first suggestion is "Be a full person"; another is "Teach her to question language". I think this book is so important for everyone to read and, though Adichie is writing for her friend's daughter, she has emphasised the importance of men being feminists (which she also emphasised in her interview with Trevor Noah - see below):
The tone of the book is (as you would expect from an email to a friend) amiable and flexible. She is realistic and this makes it really refreshing. Adichie acknowledges that blue and pink binary stereotypes still exist and that it is unlikely that the "girls section" will sell supermen toys.
I think it's a book that everyone will interpret differently, at different stages of their lives. Even though, obviously, I'm not a mother, I still find it very helpful, as Adichie's attitude to equality is so applicable to everyday life. If I read it again five years, it will mean something totally different but equally relevant. That's what I really like about this book. I have just started her novel, Purple Hibiscus and I am also planning to read the novel, Another Country, written by African-American author James Baldwin in 1962; it sounds like the sort of book that is fun to read: like watching a really colourful film with a great soundtrack.
I also like listening to podcasts and recently found 'A Brief History of Seven Killings' by Marlon James fascinating; I've never heard someone so articulate and intelligent as he is. I would love to read his books, including A Brief History of Seven Killings (which won the Man Booker Prize in 2015) and Black Leopard. Red Wolf (2019).
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