Recently, for my school’s English class, I read Purple Hibiscus, which is a book about a girl named Kambili growing up in a wealthy but abusive household in Nigeria. This was probably one of the best books of this genre that I’ve read, as it contains plenty of interesting themes, as well as having a deep overall meaning.

At the start of the story in chapter 1, Kambili witnesses her father hurl a leather missal across the room after her brother, Jaja, defies him by refusing to attend church. Here, the first signs of the fact that her father is abusive is revealed. however, at this part, Kambili tells the reader that this event was later in the book, after everything else happened.

The start of the actual story begins on chapter 2, with the story taking place at Kambili’s house. this second chapter gives important background information on the family, their economic condition, as well as other details that will be important for later. It is also revealed that Kambili lives in a very religious household, with her father pushing the faith on her and her other family members. As the story progresses, the author makes it more and more apparent that the father clearly uses his religion to control his family, as well as further showing the extent of the influence of abuse on Kambili, her brother, and her mother.

What made this book very interesting was how the author took inspiration from her youth but obviously included elements of fiction added to it. In fact, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gave a TED talk about the book as well as the “danger of the single story“, which I highly recommend watching before reading this book, as it provides the reader with some background on the book.

Overall, This was a great book, and I would recommend it for anybody who is interested in an emotional, moving story.

Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.