A Man of the People

One of my reading goals this year was to read more broadly, particularly fiction. (Turner House, Native Roots, and Salt Houses are other examples of work that may or may not have jumped to the top of my reading list without this impetus.) In any case, that was one of my motivations for reading Chinua Achebe's A Man of the People, set in 1960s Nigeria in the immediate post-independence years.

The protagonists in the story are M.A. Nanga, a former school teacher and current Minister of Culture (and the self-styled Man of the People), and Odili, Nanga's former student and a current school teacher. Idealistic Odili is more than a little disillusioned with the state of affairs in Nigeria, an attitude which sets him on a collision course with his former teacher and mentor, Nanga. Ultimately, Odili decides to run for Nanga's seat, a decision that sets in motion the events that will lead to revolution.

Published on the eve of Nigeria's first coup in 1966, there's more than a hint of real events in Achebe's drama. That said, I had a hard time really getting into A Man of the People. One of the biggest reasons for this is the dialogue, much of which is written in pidgin. (This is not a slight - characters are regularly referred to as speaking pidgin in the book.) While I was always able to get the gist of the conversation, frequently I wasn't able to get anymore than the gist, and I often felt like I was working really hard just to get the gist.

Two stars.