The Joys of Motherhood
Buchi Emecheta · 1944–2017 · Nigeria
Why it matters
A Nigerian woman sacrifices everything for her children, only to find a changing world has voided the old rewards. Emecheta aims the title's irony straight at a society's expectations of women.
At a glance
family sagacolonial & postcolonialtragedy
Difficulty 4/10medium pace224 pagesLinear, accessible storytelling; difficulty lies in its unsparing irony, not its syntax.
Where to go next
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Chinua Achebe · 1958Things Fall ApartLvl 4Medium pace
Tsitsi Dangarembga · 1988Nervous ConditionsLvl 4Medium pace
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o · 1967A Grain of WheatLvl 6Slow burn
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie · 2006Half of a Yellow SunLvl 4Fast paced