Book Updates

Well, I finished reading Purple Hibsicus. It will not be on my reading list for my upcoming ethnic literature course. There wasn't anything terribly wrong with it, just a little redundant in thematic concerns. The narrator of the story is a teenage Nigerian girl named Kambili and tells of her travails growing up with a father who is blindly engrossed in the Catholic faith. His blind belief in Catholicism damages Kambili's family life. Along with her brother, Jaja, Kambili gains freedom and a new outlook on life through their Aunt Ifeoma and cousins during a brief summer visit. The book really explores religion and familial relationships. While this is the primary thematic concerns, the author also explores the development of a voice of identity for both Kambili and Jaja. Overall, a good read, but not one I think students would enjoy talking about for an extended period of time.