Join a book club that is reading Americanah: A novel!

Classic African American Literature

We read cultural classics and contemporary literature with a focus on books that tell the story of the African, African American, and Indigenous (Native) experience. Nothing is off-limits.

Americanah: A novel

From the award-winning author of We Should All Be Feminists, Americanah is a must-read modern classic about star-crossed lovers that explores questions of race and the search for what it means to call a place home. 

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Published Mar 4, 2014

588 pages

Average rating: 7.87

602 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Anonymous
Jul 05, 2024
10/10 stars
Read for my book club, which was canceled. :-(
Very moving and powerful story about Ifemelu and Obinze, two young lovers growing up in Nigeria, who find themselves on different paths in life. Ifemelu heads to the States to study and chase the "American dream" that Obinze had wanted for both of them, only to be confronted with racial issues for the first time in her life. She starts a blog to talk about race and racism in America, becoming wildly successful but moving further and further away from Obinze, whose life took unexpected turns when he was not able to get to America.
After years in the States, Ifemelu decides it's time to return home, and their reunion is bittersweet and complicated.
Marisha-Reads
May 02, 2024
9/10 stars
I loved the characters! Ifemelu was a very different main character that was fascinating in her untraditional viewpoints. Aunty Juju another example of this. It was refreshing to hear a middle class African perspective that is not steeped in the narrative of African poverty that is so prevalent.
Reader/Writer
Feb 15, 2024
Great great perspective of racism in America.
guralbrian
Jun 09, 2025
9/10 stars
Witty, funny, and completely at easy telegraphing rather than contextualizing experiences that come with being an African immigrant to America. A 20 year love story at its core, it’s difficult to summarize but easy to enjoy
Anonymous
May 20, 2025
8/10 stars
I’ve had to ponder about this book. I even debated not finishing it because of the controversy I found out about this author.
Regardless of my thoughts on the controversy, the book’s story and message do not change. This is still a book that can help others understand the perspective of an African female learning what it means to be Black in America and race in general.
My only gripe with this book was the love story.

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