Things Fall Apart is a book written by the West African writer, Chinua Achebe. I bought it and read it aloud to the boys. They pretty much hated it. I am glad we read it and that we talked about it. It's simply, but poetically written and it's a sad tragic story of change.
I wanted to post a few quotes from the book:
"At last the rains came. It was sudden and tremendous. For two or three moons the sun had been gathering strength till it seemed to breath a breath of fire on the earth. All the grass had long been scorched brown, and the sand felt like live coals to the feet. Evergreen trees wore a dusty coat of brown. The birds were silenced in the forest, and the world lay panting under the live, vibrating heat. And then came the clap of thunder. It was an angry, metallic and thirsty clap, unlike the deep and liquid rumbling of the rainy season. A mighty wind arose and filled the air with dusty. Palm trees swayed as the wind combed their leaves into flying crests like strange and fantastic coiffure."
"When the rain finally came, it was in large, solid drops of frozen water which the people called 'the nuts of the water of heaven'. They were hard and painful on the body as they fell, yet young people ran about happily picking up the cold nuts and throwing them into their mouths to melt."
"The earth quickly came to life and the birds in the forest fluttered around and chirped merrily. A vague scent of life and green vegetation was diffused in the air. As the rain began to fall more soberly and in smaller liquid drops, children sought for shelter, and were happy, refreshed and thankful."
A few other quotes of proverbs, etc., that I liked:
"There is nothing to fear from someone who shouts."
"His feet were short and broad, and when he stood or walked his heels came together and his feet opened outwards as if they had quarreled and meant to go in different directions."
"A child's fingers are no scalded by a piece of hot yam which it's mother puts into it's palm."
