How much does your own race affect the experience of reading this or any novel? Does race affect a reader’s ability to identify or empathize with the struggles of Ifemelu and Obinze?

A person’s race does indeed affect the experience they get from a book. No two people can have the exact same experience from reading a book. This is why there are so many perspectives out there and why communicating with other people who have read the book you have just finished is so enjoyable. The depth of each sentence is felt differently by many people. As much as we would like to say everyone is treated the same in this world this is not true. People judge others based on the way you look and your race. This is why there are so many stereotypes. Such as asians are smart or africans are athletic. The experiences that a person has gone through in this world. Shape his/her understanding and emotions. The color of you skin and where you belong play a big role in the experience you feel. Although they might deny it,  almost all people have been treated differently based on their race. This is how race affects the experience of reading a book. Books make you understand them by making connections with your experiences. When you do, you’re understanding of the book affects the emotion the you feel from the book. Meaning the more in common you have with the book the better you’re understanding of the book. This results in, more emotions you feel from the book. This is why not all people are brought to tears when reading books such as ‘The fault in our stars’.

Americanah is a book that comments on the racism in America. A protagonist Ifemelu is a African immigrant to America. The book focuses on her journey navigating through a place she taught anyone can make it big in because of the American dream. That anyone can become anything. She realizes that this was false, not anyone can become anything only someone can. Someone who has straight hair and preferably has white skin. This is what she realised America is. A racist country that says they are not racist.

Now, if a Black person living in a white mans country picks up this book. This book would resonate with he/she a lot because the experience they went through would be quite similar to the experiences Ifemelu is going through in America. If a white person picked up Americanah all he would see is the stereotypical white person. He would feel that this person does not represent the whole white community. He would not understand that this is what an average black american experiences. This is more than enough evidence that race does influence a persons experience of reading a book. As Americanah would resonate more with a black person.

Ifemelu wrote in one of her blogs that, “black people are not supposed to be angry about racism” because their anger makes whites uncomfortable. Do you agree? I can see why she would write this. Not all white people are racist to Black people. But the white people who are not racist should understand the Blacks are not protesting all the white people. They are just protesting the white people in their life who have been racist to them. So, black people should be open about their anger, but not just to anyone rather be more specific about the people you show your anger to because not all white people are racist.