Things Fall Apart

 Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, 209 pages.

Okonkwo is a man's man, wildly successful by the metrics of his Igbo village in late 19th century Nigeria. After a tragic accident Okonkwo is forced to flee his home, and when he returns seven years later the forces of colonization are in full force, and his place in the world becomes deeply uncertain.

As an ethnography I found this book extremely successful. I also felt that it was very effective at meeting Achebe's goal of changing Western views of Africa, and especially precolonial Africa. As a novel, I'm afraid I found it less successful. It was slow and meandering, and aside from Okonkwo himself I found few of the characters very compelling. That being said, I would still consider this a valuable book, and at only 200 pages I would definitely consider it worth the time put in.