Things Fall Apart

A Classic Tale.

Things Fall Apart is incredible. Not only is it a story of the encroaching British civilization and how the villagers adapt or do not adapt to the changing ways, Things Fall Apart is about the inner workings of a family. Father and son are very different and very similair at the same time. The father is old school while the son embraces the new way. What is intriguing is the society that is portrayed; a society that is male dominant. However the priestess is not to be disobeyed. Things Fall Apart would make a good reading for students.

7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Story or Documentary?

This book had no plot. Most of the first part had absolutely no relevance to what little storyline there was. The thin plot that finally developed ended up being rushed at the end. The entire thing with the spirits was confusing for me - were they real, or is Okonkwo just crazy? Personally, I hated Okonkwo simply because his story was so boring. I couldn't really care less what happened to him - I was never able to connect with him. I think this story would have done better as a documentary or encyclopedia entry, because that is basically what it is, and it is a plague to high school students everywhere.

5 out of 9 people found this review helpful.

An awful apologetic for a savage culture

This is a story that still believes that the idea of the 'noble savage' is correct. Okonkwo is a sexist angry man who is so hung up on his savage 'traditions.' The missionaries who come are not much better, with their misguided religion. All in all, a very depressing read that tries to make the reader feel sorry for Okonkwo. Instead, you end up hating him. And they give this to high school students.

5 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

school reading

A very uneventful book. My IB advanced Language Arts class was forced to read it during the summer. I am an avid reader and can read a book in a day if I like it. Needless to say it took me a whole three months to finish it and even then I skipped around and read Sparknotes for some of it. I felt like I had to read the same sentence three or four times because my eyes kept getting out of focus and my mind would drift.

3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Things Fall Apart themes, summary, and review...

Things Fall Apart was a great novel to read. This book is about major changes not only happening to one man and his life, but also the village that he lives in. The main character, Okonkwo, is a very determined man that tries to basically do the opposite of his father, which includes being masculine in everything he does and trying to make his son do the same. His father was a scared, lazy man in the village who did virtually nothing productive for himself, his family, or the village. In Things Fall Apart, there is African culture on the verge of change after some newcomers arrive in the village. This book raises the question of whether to accept the new changes or stick to the same old tradition in African culture. Likes/Dislikes - I liked the ironic situations in the book that mixed things up and suprised me a bit. - I disliked that the story did not have a real plot to read about. I feel like it was more of a documentary of African culture. I do recommend this novel to read. This is not only a great way to learn about some of African culture, it is overall a great book to read with ironic situations occuring throughout the book.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Really Very Good

This was a very good book about changes and about the clashes of cultures. It was well written, had a very good plot, and I think that Okonkwo's character led to his responses to all the things that happened in his life, things he could not change if he wanted to, almost like he was cornered and lashing out to preserve whatever values he had towards his culture and family. Also, I had to re-read a couple pages to get who was who, but foreign names is really a shallow factor in deciding whether or not a book is worth reading. If you start a book with that kind of mentality, no wonder you can't get the point, you don't really even want to understand it even a little. That's the entire point of the references in the back, to help you understand what is going on. If you are willing to reread some parts, learn quite a bit about previous cultures, and be open to deeper meanings, this classic book is recommended for you.

2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Required Reading

I ordered this book as required reading for a class I am teaching. The basic story line is easy to understand, but the themes are excellent for discussing in a Senior High School Level class.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Daughter's book report

I have not personally read this book. But my 13 year(s) old daughter has and she liked it a lot. She got this book in a timely fashion (but then all of our orders from here are timely) and read it within the week.

1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

SLA English Class Review - Earth Stream

David Buckholtz 1/27/10
English 3 Homework Book Review

The modern tragedy of Okonkwo who is a Igbo farmer who has been born out of a confusing family by his athletic talents and hard work. His entire life is motivated by a fear of failure, failing like his poor father. The reason why he put so much pressure on his famlily. Okonkwo stated that "Will you give Ezinma some fire to bring to me?" ... often called her Ezigbo, which means "the good one." (5.30-34). Tragic events build each other causing the arrival of white men and the irreversible change of Okonkwo's world. This story is about the life of Okonkwo, an up and coming leader of an Igbo village in Africa. He is willing to do anything to maintain his social status, no matter the suffering that it causes himself and those around him. Everything that Okonkwo holds dear becomes threatened after an accidental shooting. Okonkwo must flee with his family from his beloved village for seven years, losing the life that he worked so hard to gain. He gets through his seven years of exile only to go back home and discover that everything has changed. White missionaries have come to convert Africa to their ways.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

THings Fall Apart Review

Things Fall Apart is a great novel written by Chinua Achebe. This book is about a Nigerian warrior, clansman, farmer, and family provider extraordinaire named Okonkwo from the Umufia clan. It is known to be the lowest clan among nine villages. He is the son of the desist Unoka, who has left him many debts to deal with. Okonkwo is married to several wives Ekwefi and Ojiugo, and has a son named Nwoye, and daughter Ezinma to name a few. Okonkwo's tribe wins a boy from another tribe named Ikemefuna, after claiming him as a son for years Okonkwo is told to kill the boy. This has a big affect on Okonkwo.
Okonkwo is one the main characters in the book. He known is very bold, violent, strong. The reason for this is because Okonkwo wanted to be the complete opposite from his father. His father was a cowardly type man, and was known as gentle. He wanted to be better than his father. Ogbuefi Ezeudu is the villages' oldest man. He is described as very wise. This is because he is old, old people known more and has experienced more. He was known to be a good warrior of his time. He warns Okonkwo about Ikemefuna, and tells him to kill Ikemefuna. Another character that is brave is confident, and brave is Ezinma. The reason that she is this way is because she the way she stands up to her father. She tends to approach her father in a masculine manner.
"Does the white man understand our custom about land?" "How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us?'
This is a conversation between Obierika and Okonkwo, This is discussing the arrival of the white taking over their village. This quote is important because it talks about the purpose of the village falling apart. Also this is the main idea of the novel. It is like the conflict of the novel. This quote gives you an idea of what the storyline maybe like.
I believe that this is a good book because it shows you the way that people in Africa were living. This shows how they have to deal with outsiders. It shows how back in that time how Europeans invaded African villages and try to convert people all over Africa. This book was written very well. I thought it was bad that the take an enemy's child a there's and raise them. I thought it was weird how people of the village wee actually converting, and this was shown as being weak. Overall this is a great book, it really captures how they lived in the Nigerian villages.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

not for everyone

This book was very interesting. It gave me the chance to look at another persons life and how another culture works. The main character was very confused to me because he wanted to be the total opposite of his father. He loved his daughter but didn't want to show it. I guess in his tribe the women are to care for the girls and and men are to help the boys to become men. They have to be tough and provide for the family. This book was mostly about Okonkwo and his manly ego being protected.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Amazing!

This book if not just taken at face value is amazing. You must read deeply into it and see the imagery, irony, and symbolism in it.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Terrible

This book expresses TERRIBLE reading ideas and i would not reccomend this book to anyone. It was a terrible book.

1 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

If the book is about white man's takeover of Western Africa, then why does the book have to have anything about Okonkwo's anger and fear of laziness? It would make more sense if he was a nobler man, one who embodied all that was good about his clan, and not characterestics like physical rage and stubbornness. It made him appear weak to us. It was as if Achebe was trying to show that neither the white man nor Okonkwo and his people were the, as a kid would put it, 'good guys,' which doesn't make sense considering what Achebe seems to be trying to portray. This makes it very hard to choose a side. Also, the plot develops very late in the book, around the middle, and when it does develop, it is weak to begin with. In addition, near the end, it is resolved almost too quickly, leaving the reader, yep, you guessed it, even MORE confused. To compare this to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, it would be as if Harry isn't told that he's a wizard until halfway through the book, up to which point Dudley and his parents continue to make Harry's life miserable - and making the book much more boring. If you want a good book that illustrates what Achebe apparently tried to show, read Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton. It is both more interesting and much more well developed. Take it from a high school student.

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

I thought that this book was cleverly written. The omniscient point of view gave the reader a chance to understand what was going on outside of the main character and sometimes gave an inside look at the minds of the characters that were not the main focus. The development of the book gave subtle hints of the not so shocking (to me at least) ending. I greatly enjoyed reading the book and I hope that others have an opportunity to pick it up as well.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Despite (or because of) embarrassment about his father’s l

Despite (or because of) embarrassment about his father’s laziness, Okonkwo works hard to be a respected farmer and warrior in his Nigerian village of Umuofia. When Christian Missionaries bring their strange religion and customs and laws, Okonkwo and his fellow villagers are first amused, then frustrated. In this heart-rending masterpiece, Achebe brings to life a powerful, though flawed, protagonist who fights for what he believes is right.

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Its ok

It goes from ok to kinda good

Great book...read in high school many yrs ago. Picked this up by

Great book...read in high school many yrs ago. Picked this up by accident in a museum in DC on a high school field trip!!!

Excellent

Im Nigerian so this my favorite book.