Last week I read an excerpt from Charles Baxter’s Wonderlands: Essays on the Life of Literature. In the excerpt, Baxter talks about building characters through lists of objective, detailed facts and material possessions. The lists he recommends do not allow for character personality judgments such as “She is determined” or “He is shy”, opting for proof such as a pair of ice skates or a stack of self-help books. I started thinking (always a dangerous activity for me); what makes us, “us”? If you had to explain your very core being to a stranger, what would you tell them? Would you point out your clothes? Show them your hobbies or pictures of your family? Give them a brief history of the schools you attended or the town you grew up in? I thought about this longer than I care to admit, but settled on two measurable facts I think Baxter would approve of: the country and culture you were raised in.

Think about it: everything from the morals instilled in you as a child to the brand of clothing you wear is a direct descendant of either culture, country, or both. Even the way you think is influenced by them, in the language you speak. Culture and country are essential to your sense of self, your identity, and how you see the world. So what happens to your sense of identity when you do what so many do every day, whether to escape violence or for the hope of a better future- leave? 

These are questions explored in August’s Book of the Month, Americanah, a novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It follows a young couple who emigrate from Nigeria after a military coup, one to America to continue her education and the other to Britain, falling through the cracks of the immigration system after 9/11. As they adjust to life in their new countries, far from everything they know, their identities shift and change just as their relationship with each other does. 

While Americanah is fictional, Adichie is writing from a place of lived experience, having immigrated to the United States for college at nineteen. It’s safe to say that, of all the themes we may run into while reading, many are sure to come from Adichie’s experiences in adjusting to a new culture and country. Reading interviews, watching her TedTalks, or scrolling through her social media gave me a sneak peek of what Americanah might have in store.

In interviews about the book, Adichie often brings up the concept of race and having to learn about what being black in America meant. For those of us who grew up in the US, it can be strange to think of our idea of race, and racism, as being cultural. Yet it is. American history is integral to our cultural understanding of race and the systemic othering of people of color, and that cultural understanding is not inherent, even in other western countries. Britain, for instance, made slavery illegal long before the US did, and based on the country’s awful history with colonialism, will have a very different cultural understanding of race than Americans. Having both these western countries as settings for our immigrating protagonists to tackle will be interesting to read, like shining a light in a dim attic.

If you read last month’s book, The Collected Schizophrenias, you may have noticed that one bit of research fell into my lap. In Wang’s essay, “High Functioning”, she speaks about Adichie in regards to “weaponized glamor”: “Adichie, as a black woman author who writes about politics, who is dark-skinned and a feminist, is not an expected model of beauty to some, but is defiantly glamorous nonetheless.” I don’t make a habit of looking through authors’ social media pages, but this tidbit reminded me again of Baxter’s essay. I searched until I found Adichie’s “Project Nigeria”, where in 2017 she made it a point to only wear clothes from Nigerian designers and fabric makers for all her public events. The clothes she wears, both fashionable and personal, tell us something about her character and the way she reconciles the two parts of her identity. The project uses her possessions and love of fashion to make a statement and gives us a hint into the ideas behind Americanah. 

With several awards under its belt, a 78-week streak on the NPR Paperback Bestsellers list, and the honor of being in the “One Book, One New York” program, it’s clear Americanah struck a chord with both critics and the public alike. I know I’ve been burned on this combined praise before (sorry, Conversations With Friends, it’s not you, it’s me), but I can’t avoid books because they’re popular. We have to take chances and explore new ideas. I hope you’ll join me this month as we question what forms our identities and relationships and think about what makes us, “us”, whether you consider it your country or how you like your coffee. You can find Americanah at your local library or library e-book app, or you can click on the Book of the Month tab up top to find purchase links. Happy reading!