Things Fall Apart (Penguin Red Classics) Paperback – International Edition, June 1, 2007

"Things Fall Apart" is a story rich with authenticity and layers of meaning. It provides an interesting glimpse into the lives of people during an era of colonization and expansion. It remains a relevant and timeless story that reminds us to consider ourselves and those around us more deeply.

A high school reading assignment for one of our children so I can't comment on the content but it arrived in very good condition.

That book was excellent

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a timeless classic.Growing up in Nigeria, it was one of the first books I couldn’t wait to read in its entirety. The novel’s protagonist, Okonkwo, is a respected warrior and leader in Umuofia, deeply committed to traditional values. However, his rigid adherence to masculinity and strength ultimately leads to his personal and communal downfall as he struggles against the forces of colonialism and cultural change.Achebe’s storytelling provides an authentic Nigerian voice, challenging Western narratives that have long misrepresented African societies. Beyond its literary brilliance, the novel plays a crucial role in reclaiming African history and identity, serving as a testament to the resilience of Nigerian culture in the face of historical upheaval.Reading it again as a middle-aged Nigerian American in the Tinubu/Trump era hits differently. It underscores the dangers of rigid leadership and the lasting impact of colonial histories that many nations still grapple with—often denied, rewritten, or exploited for corruption. It also raises pressing questions about social justice: How do we confront the lingering effects of colonial rule? How do we break free from systems that continue to oppress? Achebe’s novel remains as relevant as ever, reminding us that when societies resist change without reflection, things truly do fall apart.

The Nigerian words & names were hard to follow so it took me longer than usual to finish the book.It was a decent story, but I don’t understand what it is considered a “classic”.

I didn't give this book a chance when it was assigned to me in college but with positive reviews from so many of my classmates, I decided to go back and give it a try...I am glad that I did. It's become an excellent ice-breaker with my Nigerian friends and I think it provides great course material for both highschool and college classes. The cultural barriers and conflicts that we see all the time across the world are studied by following the simple and tragic story of the main character and his village. Unlike others that approach the subject, I think that the author did a great job of staying relatively neutral as I didn't feel like there was any finger pointing or exaggerated accusations.The book read slower in the beginning but I think it became very exciting towards the end.Wikipedia's take on the significance of the book was helpful to me when I decided to purchase it on my kindle. Thus, this is what that source has to say:Things Fall Apart is a milestone in African literature. It has come to be seen as the archetypal modern African novel in English,[2][5] and is read in Nigeria and throughout Africa. Of all of Achebe's works, Things Fall Apart is the one read most often, and has generated the most critical response, examination, and literary criticism. It is studied widely in Europe and North America, where it has spawned numerous secondary and tertiary analytical works. It has achieved similar status and repute in India, Australia and Oceania.[2] Considered Achebe's magnum opus, it has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide.[28] Time Magazine included the novel in its TIME 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005.[29] The novel has been translated into more than fifty languages, and is often used in literature, world history, and African studies courses across the world.Achebe is now considered to be the essential novelist on African identity, nationalism, and decolonization. Achebe's main focus has been cultural ambiguity and contestation. The complexity of novels such as Things Fall Apart depends on Achebe's ability to bring competing cultural systems and their languages to the same level of representation, dialogue, and contestation.[5]Reviewers have praised Achebe's neutral narration and have described Things Fall Apart as a realistic novel. Much of the critical discussion about Things Fall Apart concentrates on the socio-political aspects of the novel, including the friction between the members of Igbo society as confront the intrusive and overpowering presence of Western government and beliefs. Ernest N. Emenyonu commented that "Things Fall Apart is indeed a classic study of cross-cultural misunderstanding and the consequences to the rest of humanity, when a belligerent culture or civilization, out of sheer arrogance and ethnocentrism, takes it upon itself to invade another culture, another civilization."[30]Achebe's writing about African society, in telling from an African point of view the story of the colonization of the Igbo, tends to extinguish the misconception that African culture had been savage and primitive. In Things Fall Apart, western culture is portrayed as being "arrogant and ethnocentric," insisting that the African culture needed a leader. As it had no kings or chiefs, Umofian culture was vulnerable to invasion by western civilization. It is felt that the repression of the Igbo language at the end of the novel contributes greatly to the destruction of the culture. Although Achebe favors the African culture of the pre-western society, the author attributes its destruction to the "weaknesses within the native structure." Achebe portrays the culture as having a religion, a government, a system of money, and an artistic tradition, as well as a judicial system.