Never Look an American in the Eye
  • Published: 15 September 2017
  • ISBN: 9781616958633
  • Imprint: Soho Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 224
  • RRP: $32.99

Never Look an American in the Eye

A Memoir of Flying Turtles, Colonial Ghosts, and the Making of a Nigerian American

Formats & editions
EBook
11 Oct 2016
Paperback
15 Sep 2017
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A vibrant cross-cultural memoir from the highly acclaimed Nigerian-American author of Foreign Gods, Inc.

The author of Foreign Gods, Inc. and Arrows of Rain tells his own immigrant’s tale, where what is lost in translation is often as hilarious as it is harrowing. 

Okey Ndibe’s funny, charming, and penetrating memoir tells of his move from Nigeria to America, where he came to edit the influential—but forever teetering on the verge of insolvency—African Commentary magazine. It recounts stories of Ndibe’s relationships with Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and other literary figures; examines the differences between Nigerian and American etiquette and politics; recalls an incident of racial profiling just thirteen days after he arrived in the US, in which he was mistaken for a bank robber; considers American stereotypes about Africa (and vice-versa); and juxtaposes African folk tales with Wall Street trickery. All these stories and more come together in a generous, encompassing book about the making of a writer and a new American.
  • Published: 15 September 2017
  • ISBN: 9781616958633
  • Imprint: Soho Press
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 224
  • RRP: $32.99
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Also by Okey Ndibe

Arrows of Rain
Fields Where They Lay
Foreign Gods, Inc.
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Praise for Never Look an American in the Eye

Publishers Weekly Big Indie Books of Fall 2016

  • "Okey Ndibe is a natural raconteur, and his tales of coming to America are winsome and lyrical and absorbing. But within lies a larger narrative: about the education of a new American--and a writer's power to span continents in his imagination."--Joshua Wolf Shenk, author of Lincoln's Melancholy and Powers of Two
  • "[Ndibe's] memoir could not be more enjoyable."--CounterPunch
  • "Uplifting... [Ndibe's] writing can induce the sort of laughter that make the ribs ache." --Herald Scotland
  • "A thrill to read, and yet offers powerful insights into the trials, prospects, and triumphs of being an immigrant in America....I have never laughed harder in recent years when reading a book."--SaharaReporters
  • "A generous, encompassing book about the making of a writer and a new American." --West Hartford News
  • "Ndibe shapes an entertaining and endearing tale from his many struggles. This enjoyable and quick read is recommended for all memoir lovers."--Library Journal

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