Race, Identity, and Good Hair: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on Her New Novel, ‘Americanah’
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Bestselling Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie stopped by the studio recently to speak with Anchor Marco Werman about her latest novel, "Americanah."
The main characters Obinze and Ifemelu, meet as high school kids in Nigeria.
They fall in love at first sight but then hardships in the country split them apart, continents apart.
Ifemelu forges a new life in America, coming of age as she navigates her new immigrant identity that is fraught with all sorts of revelations about race, identity and even hair.
Years later, upon returning home to Nigeria, she finds that she has become what Nigerians call an "americanah."
Many scenes of the novel take place in a hair salon in Trenton, NJ. In our conversation, Adichie spoke about the role of hair: