Under The Udala Tree Review

Just completed reading UNDER THE UDALA TREE by Chinelo Okparanta. Its focus was twofold: the civil war in Nigeria and its impact on family AND a young girl's coming of age in this harsh landscape, made harsher still because she knows she loves women, even at a young age. Apparently, the government made homosexual love punishable for up to fourteen years in prison. Not only that, but Ljeoma's mother is a strict Christian, and at one point takes to reading passages from the bible to the young girl, so the protagonist feels like a sinner. Written in lovely and lyrical verse, this is a tour de force, and feels extraordinarily relevant not only because of its cultural landscape, but because in America, we have suddenly turned our political and social clock backwards. A must read!