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Product Description
Review
Third class, really, since Adah Obi is both a black and a woman. Buchi Emecheta's autobiographical novel traces her personal development from a little Nigerian "tigress" determined to go to the exclusive Methodist girls' school to the events following her arrival in the United Kingdom, the land of her dreams, where she's sent husband Francis ahead to study accounting. But Francis, whom she was obliged to marry to escape her family, turns out to be a loafer who gives her sermons, beatings and children (four by the time she's 21, plus another on the way) while taking her librarian's wages and sleeping around with other women. Meanwhile she can't find a landlord who will let to "coloureds," her son contracts meningitis from the sluttish but state-approved babysitter, and Francis takes to burning her passport and marriage license as well as the manuscript of her novel. At her worst moment, Adah encounters a fellow Ibo who advises her, by their tribal laws, to beseech her husband for "forgiveness." Her story is a harsh, un-self-pitying struggle; and even though the appearance of this, her second novel, is an indication of her resourcefulness, you have to grieve for all the shame and degradation that her ambitious intelligence has imposed on her. (Kirkus Reviews)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Adah's desire to write is pitted against the forces of an egotistical and unfeeling husband and a largely indifferent white society.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
'Second-Class Citizen' is an excellent portrayal of one woman's journey from Africa to London. The problems that she faces both in Africa and in Britain are intense and Emecheta makes the reader really feel what's going on. This is an important book for anyone to read and it goes a long way towards me (as a white, British male) understanding how racism and sexism affects others. I defy anyone to read this book and not be affected by it and the fact that it is at least partly autobiographical makes it's contents even more harrowing. 'Second-Class Citizen' ranks alongside Chinua Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart' in that it takes the situation of colonial rule in Africa and takes it one stage further. An excellent and important read.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I came across this book recently whilst studying an Open University course that had used an extract from it in its' study materials and I was compelled to get a copy. Although described as a work of 'fiction' I get the feeling, having 'googled' Emecheta, that she has drawn from her own experience. Very powerful.... I was moved to tears a few times and even on reflection get quite emotional. A valuable read. I will definately read some more of her work.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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9 reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
To be what you are, and not what you are supposed to be
18 July 2000
Format:Paperback
"Second Class Citizen" is the story of Adah, a resourceful, intelligent girl from Nigeria who comes to Great Britain shortly after Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Going to Great Britain was a dream she pursued with determination against the wishes of the family of her husband, who had departed for Great Britain before her, and against the traditional role which her native culture saw fit for women. Adah is not so much disappointed with what she finds in Great Britain (surprisingly, since she expected to find the "kingdom of heaven" there) but with the lack of change in her husband who neither can nor wants to question his traditional ways. On top of that he is lazy, bad tempered, and spoilt. He does not care for his wife, he cares for the money she brings home so that he can slouch on the couch and otherwise follow his whims.
Adah brings an interesting aspect to racism: You are only a victim if you think of yourself as a victim. For her part, she never accepts that she is regarded as a "second class citizen" because she is black or because she is a woman. Her husband, on the other hand, wants to fit in and actually tries to conform to the society's racist view of him. He has lost his sense of dignity, but Adah has not. She draws great strength from her determination to lead a better life, to get an education, to give a better life to her children, and to become a writer.
The style in which the novel is narrated is very plain and simple, just in line with Adah's sraightforward, practically minded character. It is quite unemotional and creates a certain distance between Adah and the reader. Beneath Adah's tough surface, however, one can sense the pain she feels at not being loved by her husband "for what she was and not just because she could work and hand over her money like a docile child."
"Second Class Citizen" is an impressive portrait of human dignity under pressure, and of the the sheer will of an individual to persist and to be what she knows she can be.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Second Class Citizen
9 Dec 1999
Format:Paperback
This book is fantastic! This book deals with the internal conflicts one faces with race, identity, love and life. This book deals with the theme of "borderland", which is being between two cultures, not being accepted by Nigerians and denied also by Europeans. The theme of colonialism is present throughout the book and gives the reader a first hand look at what happens when two different cultures merge. What captured by heart in this book is Adah's determination in life. With each turning page one goes through the hardships of her life. Your heart yerns for everything to work out in the end. This book is written in very simplistic terms but has so many deep symbolic undertones. Believe me your heart will grow heavy as you make the journey of this book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Very engaging and moving novel
19 Nov 1999
Format:Paperback
The novel caught me right from the beginning-- it is a very intriguing story about an intelligent Nigerian woman and her life moving from Nigeria to England. I felt as if I could relate to her life, even though I have not gone through what she has.The language of the novel was fairly simple, but I appreciated that it was constantly moving and coherent. I definitely recommend this book, especially to women because I think it is a novel many women can relate to.
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