Product Description
This is Chinua Achebe's classic novel, with more than two million copies sold since its first U.S. publication in 1969. Combining a richly African story with the author's keen awareness of the qualities common to all humanity, Achebe here shows that he is "gloriously gifted, with the magic of an ebullient, generous, great talent." -- Nadine Gordimer

Amazon.com Review
One of Chinua Achebe's many achievements in his acclaimed first novel, Things Fall Apart, is his relentlessly unsentimental rendering of Nigerian tribal life before and after the coming of colonialism. First published in 1958, just two years before Nigeria declared independence from Great Britain, the book eschews the obvious temptation of depicting pre-colonial life as a kind of Eden. Instead, Achebe sketches a world in which violence, war, and suffering exist, but are balanced by a strong sense of tradition, ritual, and social coherence. His Ibo protagonist, Okonkwo, is a self-made man. The son of a charming ne'er-do-well, he has worked all his life to overcome his father's weakness and has arrived, finally, at great prosperity and even greater reputation among his fellows in the village of Umuofia. Okonkwo is a champion wrestler, a prosperous farmer, husband to three wives and father to several children. He is also a man who exhibits flaws well-known in Greek tragedy: Okonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand. His wives, especially the youngest, lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper, and so did his little children. Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man. But his whole life was dominated by fear, the fear of failure and of weakness. It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic, the fear of the forest, and of the forces of nature, malevolent, red in tooth and claw. Okonkwo's fear was greater than these. It was not external but lay deep within himself. It was the fear of himself, lest he should be found to resemble his father. And yet Achebe manages to make this cruel man deeply sympathetic. He is fond of his eldest daughter, and also of Ikemefuna, a young boy sent from another village as compensation for the wrongful death of a young woman from Umuofia. He even begins to feel pride in his eldest son, in whom he has too often seen his own father. Unfortunately, a series of tragic events tests the mettle of this strong man, and it is his fear of weakness that ultimately undoes him. Achebe does not introduce the theme of colonialism until the last 50 pages or so. By then, Okonkwo has lost everything and been driven into exile. And yet, within the traditions of his culture, he still has hope of redemption. The arrival of missionaries in Umuofia, however, followed by representatives of the colonial government, completely disrupts Ibo culture, and in the chasm between old ways and new, Okonkwo is lost forever. Deceptively simple in its prose, Things Fall Apart packs a powerful punch as Achebe holds up the ruin of one proud man to stand for the destruction of an entire culture. --Alix Wilber

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 570 reviews)

Interesting book by Richard J. Hackett

4 Stars
November 02, 2009
A very interesting story about what life was like in Africa before colonization and how it changed after it.

Things Fall Apart: A Novel by Corliss Bethea

5 Stars
October 31, 2009
I purchased this book for my niece for her English Comp II course in college. She loved the book has read it once already and is re-reading it again.

The unwinding of a man's dreams by cassdog (Gainesville, Fl USA)

5 Stars
October 24, 2009
A story about the tragic loss of a proud man and his culture. In the beginning of the book, Mr Achebe provides a narrative of the cultural practices and norms in this Nigerian society. These characters are not necessarily painted with a sympathetic brush and many of their cultural practices seem to be arbitrary, capricious and harmful. What is amazing about the first part of the book is realizing how variable the fabric of different cultures can be and wondering how certain cultural practices came to be accepted as obvious. The characters themselves often wonder at the reasons behind these practices but they are seen as being as fixed as the African soil where their feet tread. Regardless of your sympathies, the reader can't help but get fully absorbed in the communities involved and mourn the loss of a once proud man Okwonko. Okwonko is a man who is wholly invested in tribal life. His life's ambition is to be accepted in to the culture as a well-respected man. He buys in to the rules and thinks he has a lucid path to success. This is no different than the person who seeks power and prestige in any society. Rules and customs are laid down and there are many folks who make it their life's goal to be successful in that society. Tragically Okwonoko is denied his long sought after success two times. He is first banished from his village by accidentally breaking one of the rigid, somewhat arbitrary, unquestioning rules he has so much faith in. When he has finally climbed his way back in to the society, he finds that things have changed as white christian missionaries have infiltrated his clan. The clash of these civilizations is illuminated in the differences between their courts and a humorous discussion of monotheism vs polytheism. These missionaries are treated sympathetically by the author when they end the practice of abandoning twins and banishing castes of people to the fringe of society. They are treated less sympathetically in the description of their mock courts which ultimately causes the final tragedy to unravel. It is this final denial of Okwonko's dreams that is the most tragic because he has lost faith in the tribal society he was once so proud of. He is left a shell of a man whose dreams and vision of the world and his place in it have evaporated. When his tribemates are unwilling to fight for their way of life in the teeth of encroaching missionaries with a vastly different way of doing things, he has no other choice but to end his life.

good book by Jason Payne

5 Stars
October 18, 2009
This book reads like a folk tale, however don't let the simple prose fool you, for like any good folk tale there many layers to be uncovered. This tale touches greatly upn such issues as family, and loyalty, and heritage, and pride and ignorance, and loss, all interwoven quite nicely.

Intense, fascinating by G. Recipient (Northern California)

4 Stars
October 18, 2009
Hello, Awhile back this was "recommended" to me by Amazon. I read the summary, it seemed interesting, and the price was right, so I ordered it. For about a year I tried to read it, but found I'd lose interest, leave it down, and end up coming back a few weeks later and starting all over again. Then about two weeks ago, I picked it up and couldn't put it down. Read it in two days. Must have been the right time because I found the story caught me. The writing pulled me in and made me forget that I was reading. That's always the best! As for the story, I was conflicted - I wanted to identify and support the tribal customs and lifestyle unconditionally. As a person born and raised in the U.S. I struggled with some of the tribe's cruel practices. Well, cruel by my sensibilities. Consequently I found myself a little pleased that some of the characters chose Anglican church beliefs and practices. Sincerely, SR

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	Things Fall Apart (Cliffs Notes) by John Chua (Author), Suzanne Pavlos (Author) Considered by many to be the most influential African writer of his generation, Achebe's works have been translated into more than 45 languages. This story paints a sweeping picture of Nigeria, informing the world of the dense riches of the country and culture.
	No Longer at Ease by Chinua Achebe (Author) The sequel to the classic, Things Fall Apart, tells of a troubled young African whose formal education separates him from his roots and makes him part of a corrupt ruling elite he despises. Reprint.
	Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (Author) Heart of Darkness, a novel by Joseph Conrad, was originally a three-part series in Blackwood's Magazine in 1899. It is a story within a story, following a character named Charlie Marlow, who recounts his advanture to a group of men onboard an anchored ship. The story told is of his early life as a ferry boat captain. Although his job was to transport ivory downriver, Charlie develops an interest in investing an ivory procurement agent, Kurtz, who is employed by the government.
	Things Fall Apart (MAXNotes Literature Guides) (REA) by Sara Talis O'Brien (Author)
	Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe (Author) Set in the Ibo heartland of eastern Nigeria, one of Africa's best-known writers describes the conflict between old and new in its most poignant aspect: the personal struggle between father and son.