Book review 1: The Thing Around Your Neck.

Hey there! I know right, I am such a lazy thing! X_X loool :D. This is one post I should have done a long time ago. I wrote this piece for my Faculty's paper and they refused to publish it.. oh well, good for me cos I didn't have to type anything :D. Hope you get gingered to read the book after you read this *shines teeth*. Enjoy! :* :*

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 Book: The Thing Around Your Neck
Author: Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
Publisher: Farafina Books

 The first Chimamanda book I read was “Half Of A Yellow Sun”. After I read the book, I knew it wasn’t going to be the only book of hers I was going to read. Chimamanda is one author that keeps you engrossed all through novel. In fact her book is one you’d call a “fast page turner”. After I read her other book “Purple Hibiscus”, I concluded that her third novel would also have a colour element in its title (like “Half Of A Yellow Sun” and “Purple Hibiscus”) so I came up with some titles on my own; “The sky looks gray” or “Our Green Land” Not very creative huh? Well, Miss Adiche proves to us that she’s not very predictable! 

“The Thing Around Your Neck” is one book that has made me view life in different new dimensions. It has short stories that treat issues faced by people in Nigeria, as well as those in Diaspora. Some made me laugh, some made me cry and others had lessons for everyone to learn.

The first story “Cell One” tells the story of a boy over pampered by his parents, especially his mum and how he eventually ends up in jail. The end of the story however gives it its unusual twist and saves it from being another story with the theme ‘Train up your child’. A good one though!

 “Imitation”, the second story was moving. A woman based in America, finds out that her husband’s girlfriend has moved into their house in Nigeria. I however expected a little more action in that story. I didn’t like the abrupt end.

 “A Private Experience” made me cry. I felt very sad for the main character (what’s her name again? Oh well ask Rihanna… lol). The writing technique was very unique and fascinating. The main character lost her sister in a riot during their visit to Kano. Her experience with a hausa woman however changes her view about hausa people.

 “On Monday of last week” was hilarious! Kamara, a Nigerian woman gets infatuated with an artist that complemented her “nice set of teeth”. She later realises painfully that the woman was just being artistic. I loved that story!

 The title story “The thing around your neck” tells a story of a young Nigerian girl’s loneliness in America. She gets so lonely, she practically begins to feel it choking her every night, until she meets her American boyfriend. The narrative technique was really unique, like the other story.

 I however had a particular problem with “the shivering” (there is going to be a likelihood of bias here, because I’m talking from the religious and public morality point of view) How come a fire for fire Christian ( as chinedu was depicted) is actually gay? I mean is the bible not against homosexuals?? Miss Adiche, as much as I enjoyed that story, I didn’t like the use of a so supposed- to-be powerful Christian, for that character.

 The other stories were fantastic, and one major thing I noticed from all the stories is the fact that they all had a connection with America, in one way or the other, with the expectations of “The Headstrong Historian” and “The private experience”.

 Miss chimamanda has kept our fingers crossed again and we can only hope for her next book would be as unpredictably captivating as the others!

On subsidy and all that...

I don't even know where to begin this, because to be honest i'm very confused and i'm not yet sure of where i stand. To me, Nigeria is just like the man that was sent to the river by his king. If he goes too close to the river, he'll drown, and if he returns back to the king, he'll be beheaded. What is he to do then?

There's one major thing i'm sure of, and it's the fact that we can afford the 'goodness and sweetness of life' Mr President is promising without removing the fuel subsidy. Yes, we can! I mean, we use #1billion to feed our president loaves of cassava bread (wait, what does he use his salary for sef?), #300million to buy dinning sets 4 aso rock (continue changing dinning sets like pants o!), ridiculous allowances are given to senators(furniture allowance every month? Aba!), doing foolish big brother for other african countries, i could go on!
If we cut down all these costs, don't you think we'll afford anything we want?

And err... those governors supporting this removal, you know why? 'Cos allocations will increase, and so will their bank accounts!

On the other hand though, GEJ may just want the best for Nigeria, but Nigerians have gone through too much to trust anyone now. What if, at the end of it all, everything turns out well, would we not be embarrassed to have protested for nothing? The plan sounds lame and watery right, but what if it just turns out fine?
Anyways, i think GEJ is there to rep us, not act like our daddy telling us what's best for us! We elected him and if we want the price back to the status quo, he must oblige! If he really thought removal was best, why didn't he tell us to vote for him and that 'I'll remove fuel subsidy if you vote for me'. Why did he have to use that lame 'i had no shoes' line? I think there's more to this removal thing than is being let on.

Sweet, nice, cute loving, handsome Mr President, i might be confused on the position to take, but i'm sure of one thing; I'd rather spend #350 to yaba than spend #700. Pls do something quick, i don't want my brain to be filled with cobwebs when we resume.
Naija o ni baje o!