Second Class Citizen by Buchi Emecheta - The Review

SECOND CLASS CITIZEN by BUCHI EMECHETA

Buchi Emecheta's semiautobiographical novel; Second Class Citizen was set in Nigeria and London, between the 1950s and the 1960s after Second World War. It addresses the negligence of women, especially in Africa; in an era where the girl child is denied education, occupies the bottom of social and occupational ladder and thus continue to be channeled into domestic occupations.
Second Class Citizen is about the struggle of Adah and her survival, not only of herself but also her dreams. She struggles with motherhood, being a wife and supporting her entire family, along with being her own independent person. The story starts by revealing Adah as a young girl, stuck at home with her mother. She can only dream of going to school, since she's not allowed to attend school because she's not a boy. When her mother is distracted, Adah sneaks to the school where a neighbour teaches and he allows her to remain for the day. A few months later, Adah's father goes to the hospital but does not return. Her mother is inherited by her father's brother; her brother (Boy) goes to live with one of her father's cousins and Adah is sent to live with one of her mother's brothers. Only because she could bring a higher bride price if educated, she is allowed to remain in school. Suitors came; however, she was not interested in any of them. Instead, she was fascinated with the possibility if winning a scholarship to secondary school. She wins the scholarship and completed the four-year course. Wanting to continue her education at the University, Adah knows that she will not be allowed to live on her own; therefore, she marries a student, Francis Obi_ with the hope of being able to attend school and study at her own pace. Instead she gives birth to a daughter and begins working for the American consulate library. Having had the dream of going to the UK, where her husband now stays, she shares it with her husband's parents but she receives some air of discouragement. Adah did not give up, she kept her hope warm and somehow found a way to convince them. When she arrived UK, she was welcomed by cold rain and cloudy skies fore-showing of what her life will be like in the UK.
 
In the UK, Adah is the primary breadwinner for her young family with her job as a librarian. Her husband becomes physically abusive and cheats on her. Adah is now the mother of three children and desires to control her productivity. All her efforts fail and she becomes pregnant again; while she was nursing the fourth child, she starts writing a book titled The Bride Price. Which on completion, is highly rated by the readers. Outraged by the novel, Francis burns the manuscript. Nevertheless, she never gave up on her dreams. Adah gets a new job at the British Museum as a library officer thus developing a feud between her and her husband. Adah swings between hope and despair...
What will her decision be? Will Adah leave with her children since she has nothing to lose but her chains?

- Review Compiled by Gracious Samuel

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