Book of the Month - August 2019: Second-Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta

Welcome to our first edition of Sisters & Stories Book Club! We are so excited about this online book club and community. As you know, we’ll read one book per month, with an online discussion ..right here. Please feel free to share any comments, thoughts, or questions below! Hope you enjoy!

Brief biography on Buchi Emecheta

Born in 1944, Florence Onyebuchi Emecheta is known as one of the most noteworthy African authors, whose works largely covered the “tensions between tradition and modernity” as well as gender inequality in Africa and abroad. She was the author of several plays, books, an autobiography, and children’s books. Despite hesitant publishers, Emecheta managed to publish 9 novels, including Second Class Citizen, The Bride Price, The Joys of Motherhood, and The Slave Girl. She went on to write many played for BBC and was the recipient of the British Young Writers Award in 1983. Throughout her career, Buchi Emecheta was regarded as a well-respected voice of literary arts, women’s issues, and internationalists.

Our Review

Second Class Citizen follows the story of Adah and her family’s move from Nigeria to London in the 1970s. The novel highlights Adah’s struggle moving to a new country & society, as well as marital strife between her and her husband, Francis. From a young age, Adah displays her defiance against the societal norms expected of a young Nigerian girl. Early on in the book, we see how she ran away from home determined to go to school and learn just like her brother and other children in the community. Over the course of this book, her ambition and determination is muddled by her role as a doting wife and mother.

If there’s one word one could use to describe Adah, it would probably be “resilient.” She managed to excel in school and gain opportunities typically denied to girls. After the death of her parents and the difficulties that came along, Adah was still able to secure a high-paying job with the America embassy. Furthermore, she saw that her dream of moving to the UK came to life. But what could have prepared her for what her eyes would see in the UK? The racism depicted in this novel is so infuriating, yet expected. Despite her brilliance and determination, the color of her skin dictated how she was treated by her white counterparts and where she could live and work. It’s mind-boggling to note how the racism in the 1970s is still very evident today, yet covert.

We’re sure most would agree that the most frustrating part of this story was our dear Francis. Ah, if one could just jump into the book and knock his head! Aside from how negligent and heartless he was, the craziest thing was his expectation for Adah to still uphold her role as the traditional devoted wife, and still be the breadwinner in the family, despite his inability to provide for his family as most men would. It was mind-blowing to see this man controlling the finances with his chest. Was he contributing financially? NO. Was he at least passing the exams that prevented him from working? Nope! All he did was bring unnecessary stress, give Adah children she didn’t want, and chase women up and down. A truly useless man. It was so frustrating to see how Adah’s potential was suppressed by this selfish man, and his complete disregard for his wife, children, and their future. When Adah finally left him at the end, her strength was undeniable. Even though we wanted her to do this very early on, it must have been extremely difficult considering her culture and financial circumstances. Luckily, we know from her biography that Adah went on to experience great success in the years to come.

Overall, we did enjoy this book to an extent. However, the ending left a lot to be desired. What was life for Adah like following her separation from Francis? It seemed like there were so many significant events squeezed into just a few chapters at the end. Also, rather than being drawn to the author’s style of writing or use of literary devices, it felt like we kept reading through just because of how outrageous the story was. Nevertheless, the book candidly depicts the struggle of an ambitious Nigerian woman trying to defy the odds despite opposition from her family, culture, and environment.

Take away quotes:

“The concept of whiteness could cover a multitude of sins.”

“She, who only a few months previously would have accepted nothing but the best, had by now been conditioned to expect inferior things. She was now learning to suspect anything beautiful and pure. Those things were for the whites, not the blacks.”

“She had gambled with marriage, just like most people, but she had gambled unluckily and had lost.”

Discussion questions:

Please feel free to discuss some of these questions in the comments below or even pose your own questions and responses to our review! We’ll responding for the next few days before we announce the next book!

1. What is the “bigger picture” behind this book? What does it say about women, race, and religion during this time period? As well as motherhood, money, and literacy?

2. How similar are Adah’s struggles to the one’s black women in the diaspore face today? What changes (if any) have occured?

3. Were there differences in Adah’s role as a woman in Nigeria and a black Woman living in England?

4. Do you think Francis is a true representation of a Nigerian man or an extreme example?

5. Did you enjoy Buchi Emecheta’s writing in this novel and how she told Adah’s story?

6. Which other characters stood out and did you wish had been developed a little more in the book?

Thanks again for joining us for this month’s book discussion - you don’t know how much it means to us! Can’t wait to hear from you next month!