The Danger of a Single Story

Chimamanda Adichie grew up in Nigeria and later spent time in the United States pursuing her education. Her novels Purple Hibiscus (2003), Half of a Yellow Sun (2006), and Americanah (2013) have won various awards. As realistic fiction, her novels trace stories set in modern Nigeria; Americanah also explores the Nigerian diaspora in London and the United States. Americanah was one of The New York Times’ Ten Best Books of 2013, and in 2015 Adichie was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. 

Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) is a giant of postcolonial African literature. Like Adichie, Achebe was a Nigerian writer. Over the course of his career, he wrote novels, essays, poetry, and children’s books; he was also a leader in Nigerian publishing. Achebe’s writing frequently challenged Western colonial narratives, depicting the historical and modern complexities of life in Nigeria. His best-known work is likely the novel Things Fall Apart (1958), which depicts the upheaval of colonialism and its fallout in African societies. Later in life, Achebe moved to the United States, where he spent time teaching in colleges and universities.

In “The Danger of a Single Story,” Adichie describes the immense impact that Achebe had on her.