Americanah

Back in the hair braiding salon, Aisha tries to convince Ifemelu to speak to her boyfriend, but Ifemelu demurs. Ifemelu flashes back to her teenage years, which were marked by her mother’s dramatic religious conversion. Ifemelu’s mother goes from church to church, becoming more devout, and “Ifemelu watched her mother’s essence take flight” (50). Ifemelu’s father regards the scene with quiet “exasperation” (51). Ifemelu’s Aunty Uju, a young doctor with dreams of opening a clinic, finds a wealthy mentor in a government official called The General. Soon afterwards, Ifemelu’s father loses his civil service job “for refusing to call his new boss Mummy” (56). He sinks into a depression, rarely moving from the couch. One day, at church, Ifemelu argues with Sister Ibinado, a snooty, self-righteous member of the congregation and is sent home after she objects to making flower garlands for men she considers corrupt. Her mother is furious, but Uju manages to diffuse the situation, reminding Ifemelu that “‘You don’t have to say everything’” (65). 

The next chapter continues in flashback, to Ifemelu and Obinze’s secondary school years. Obinze, a handsome new student, arrives at Ifemelu’s school, and the other boys decide that he should date Ginika, the prettiest girl in their year.