Literary · Historical
Things Fall Apart
Bestseller: about 20 million copies (estimate)Okonkwo, a proud and fiercely driven man in a Nigerian Igbo village, tries to build a name for himself as the community's traditions are shaken by the arrival of colonial missionaries and officials.
- First published
- 1958
- Pace
- medium
- Length
- short
- Format
- Standalone
Read this if you want a short, classic of African literature that shows a society from within before and after colonial contact.
Skip this if you want a lighter read; it is spare, grim and doesn't soften its hero.
The feel
Content warnings
Where to get it
| Store | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Borrow free | ||
| Libby / OverDrive | Free with a library card | Borrow free with Libby from Libby / OverDrive |
| Print, new | ||
| Bookshop.org | Check price | Buy new from Bookshop.org |
| Amazon | Check price | Buy new from Amazon |
| Barnes & Noble | Check price | Buy new from Barnes & Noble |
| Print, used | ||
| AbeBooks | Check price | Buy used from AbeBooks |
| ThriftBooks | Check price | Buy used from ThriftBooks |
| Ebook | ||
| Kobo | Check price | Buy ebook from Kobo |
| Google Play Books | Check price | Buy ebook from Google Play Books |
| Audiobook | ||
| Libro.fm | Check price | Buy audiobook from Libro.fm |
| Audible | Check price | Buy audiobook from Audible |
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If you loved Things Fall Apart
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Half of a Yellow Sun
A later Nigerian novel on a different crisis, with more characters and a wider emotional range.
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The Poisonwood Bible
Another novel about outsiders reshaping an African community, told from the outsiders' side.
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The God of Small Things
Another novel about tradition, power and a family in a postcolonial world.
Literary
