Rilegato

ISBN 10: 0807616109 ISBN 13: 9780807616109

Casa editrice: Braziller Books, 1983

The poignant story of a resourceful Nigerian woman who overcomes the strict tribal domination of women and countless setbacks to achieve an independent life for herself and her children.

About the Author:

Buchi Emecheta was born in Lagos in Nigeria. Her father, a railway worker, died when she was very young. At the age of ten she won a scholarship to the Methodist Girls' High School, but by the time she was seventeen she had left school, married and had a child. She accompanied her husband to London where he was a student. Aged 22, she left him, and took an honours degree in Sociology while supporting her five children and writing in the early morning.Her first book, 'In The Ditch' details her experience as a poor, single parent in London. It was followed by 'Second-Class Citizen', 'The Bride Price', 'The Slave Girl', which was awarded the Jock Campbell Award, 'The Joys of Motherhood', 'Destination Biafra', 'Naira Power', 'Double Yoke', 'Gwendolen', 'The Rape of Shavi' and 'Kehinde', as well as a number of children's books and a play, 'A Kind of Marriage' produced on BBC television. Her autobiography, 'Head Above Water', appeared in 1986 to much acclaim.

Review:

An autobiographical novel, Second Class Citizen follows its main character, Adah, through her years in Nigeria and England. As a young girl, Adah dreams of going to school and then to the United Kingdom which, "when pronounced by Adah's father sounded so heavy, like the type of noise one associated with bombs." Unfortunately, Adah's father dies, and she is sent to be a servant among relatives. Despite all obstacles she manages to make her way through school, but when she graduates, she is faced with a problem: society says she must marry to have a home. The man she chooses turns out to be self-centered, lazy, and chauvinistic, proud of his educated wife who can stay in Nigeria and financially support his own academic program in England. Adah follows him to England with their two children, only to discover that England presents both old and new trials. This is a book of intense anger and tremendous strength. Adah is inspiring, not only in her unwavering desire for education and love for her children, but in her growing determination to change her life. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Erica Bauermeister