When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times Paperback PDF

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times PDF

This book is about how to cope with life’s big challenges and how to build resilience. It explores a variety of concepts and strategies, from meditation to self-compassion to breathing techniques, that’ll help you develop a deeper appreciation for living in the moment.

Achebe’s debut novel, Things Fall Apart, was written as a response to the stereotypical depiction of Africa by European writers. This included works such as Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, which portrayed African people as primitive savages.

The story of Things Fall Apart takes place in late 1800s Nigeria and follows an Igbo warrior, Okonkwo, as his village and his family undergo a huge change when white Christian missionaries arrive. This leads to a dramatic divide in ideologies between the two sides.

It is through these clashes of culture that Achebe showcases the complexity of Igbo traditions. The Igbo have no overall leader, live in small groups and follow a polytheistic religion, with disputes resolved through the judgement of their elders. The colonisers, on the other hand, impose a centralised government, a monotheistic religion and courts which uphold written laws.

Achebe portrays a clash of cultures that is complex and intricate, challenging the idea that Africa is uncivilised and violent. It is this aspect of the novel that I admired most.