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Title: Things Fall Apart
Author: Chinua Achebe
Age level: Grades 8-10
Recommended by: Mary Marshall, Falls Church High School, Virginia Summary:
Things Fall Apart explores the world of Okonkwo, a villager in Nigeria at the turn of the 20th century. The novel dramatizes the encounter between traditional Ibo life and colonialism/Christianity and traces the break-up of the old ways. The reader follows Okonkwo (a man dominated by fear and anger) as he seeks to adapt to his changing world.
Teaching suggestions: This book would work well in a multicultural unit that seeks to explore tribal culture or encounters with different religions/ways of doing things. It is also useful for a study in
character or character development (the main character essentially fails to adapt to his changing world). It might also be used in a study of Greek tragedy, paired with Oedipus or even with something like Macbeth.
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