Afternoon Discussion: Things Fall Apart

Afternoon discussion of Achebe's Things Fall Apart was lively and tart with my core girls Cristi and Karen and lemon meringue pie for refeshments. We all had a positive reaction to the book. Crisiti commented that this was the kind of book she joined book group to read. We appreciated Achebe's unbiased voice in telling this story, especially remarkable since it's drawn from his own experience. The discussion questions seemed especially well written this month and we used them as the framework for our discussion. A couple of points not really addressed in the questions though, Was Oko's suicide a final act as a warrior or an act or resignation? Regarding the priestess--we discussed whether her role in the tribe mirrors the role of our psychics, just a regular gal at the checkout counter until she goes into a trance and channels dead people. The discussion flowed easily from larger societal issues--government, religion to individual experience of relationships in families and responses to change or outsiders. We agreed we wouldn't want to be Nigerian tribal women.