Journal Entry 1 by sally906 from Darwin, Northern Territory Australia on Sunday, August 29, 2004

Nigerian-born writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's debut, begins like many novels set in regions considered exotic by the western reader: the politics, climate, social customs, and, above all, food of Nigeria (balls of fufu rolled between the fingers, okpa bought from roadside vendors) unfold like the purple hibiscus of the title, rare and fascinating. But within a few pages, these details, however vividly rendered, melt into the background of a larger, more compelling story of a joyless family. Fifteen-year-old Kambili is the dutiful and self-effacing daughter of a rich man, a religious fanatic and domestic tyrant whose public image is of a politically courageous newspaper publisher and philanthropist. No one in Papa's ancestral village, where he is titled "Omelora" (One Who Does For the Community), knows why Kambili¹s brother cannot move one of his fingers, nor why her mother keeps losing her pregnancies. When a widowed aunt takes an interest in Kambili, her family begins to unravel and re-form itself in unpredictable ways.

One of my top read's for 2004 

Journal Entry 2 by sally906 from Darwin, Northern Territory Australia on Saturday, September 04, 2004

This novel is one of the best I have read for a while, I cried at the hoplessness of the situation, and yearned for a solution, I felt for Kambili, she was made to feel so real for me. I hope this author brings out more books soon. The life described in the book was so real for me - I was brought up in Nigeria. All through the book they talk about joloff rice, something I ate daily - here is the recipe:

One often hears that Jollof Rice (or Jolof Rice, Djolof Rice) is a Nigerian dish; indeed it is often made by Nigerians. However, it has its origins among the Wolof people of Senegal and Gambia who make a rice and fish dish they call Ceebu Jën. Since Nigeria has the largest population of any African country, it's safe to say that most of the people who make and eat Jollof Rice are probably Nigerian.

There are many variations of Jollof Rice. The most common basic ingredients are: rice, tomatoes and tomato paste, onion, salt, and red pepper. Beyond that, nearly any kind of meat, fish, vegetable, or spice can be added.

What you need

oil for frying
one chicken (and/or a pound or two of stew meat), chopped into bite-sized pieces
one or two onions, finely chopped
salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper (to taste)

Flavoring add-ins (to taste):
chile pepper, chopped
garlic
thyme
bay leaf
ginger
cinnamon
curry powder

two cups chicken broth or chicken stock, or beef broth or beef stock (or Maggi® cubes and water)

Vegetable add-ins
two or three ripe tomatoes, chopped
sweet green pepper (or bell pepper), chopped
string beans or green beans
green peas
carrots, chopped
cabbage, chopped

four cups rice
one small can tomato paste

Meat add-ins:
cooked ham
prawns (or dried shrimp or dried prawns)

Garnishes:
fresh parsley, chopped
cilantro (Asian Coriander), chopped
lettuce, shredded
hard-boiled egg, sliced

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Stir-fry the chicken (or beef) in the oil until it is browned on all sides. Remove the meat from the oil and set aside. Add the onions, the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and add any of the flavoring add-ins (to taste) to the skillet and fry the mixture until the onions begin to become tender. Remove the onion mixture from the skillet and set aside with the meat.


In a dutch oven or large covered cooking pot, bring the broth and two cups of water to a simmer. Place the meat and onion mixture into the dutch oven and cover.


In the same skillet used for the meat and onions, stir-fry the tomatoes and whatever of the add-in vegetable you choose. Continue frying the mixture until the vegetables are partly cooked, then add them to the meat, onions, and broth in the dutch oven.


Again in the same skillet, combine the rice and the tomato paste. Over low heat, stir until the rice is evenly coated with the tomato paste. The rice should end up a pink-orange color. Add the rice to the dutch oven and stir gently.


Cover the dutch oven and cook the mixture over a low heat until the rice is done and the vegetables are tender (maybe half an hour). Stir gently occasionally and check to see that the bottom of the pot does not become completely dry. Add warm water or broth (a quarter cup at a time) as necessary to help rice cook. Adjust seasoning as needed. If desired, add one of the meat add-ins while the dish is cooking. (prawns cook very quickly and should not be over-cooked or they will become tough; ham can be added at any time.)


Serve with one or two of the garnishes. 

Journal Entry 3 by sally906 from Darwin, Northern Territory Australia on Saturday, March 26, 2005

This is going to be a bookray - will start in Australia/New Zealand - then will go overseas. Please state if you are willing to post international.


Guidelines for this Bookray

Journal Entry 4 by sally906 at Jamaica Blue Coffee Shop in Casuarina, BC meetup -- Controlled Releases on Friday, April 08, 2005

Released 7 yrs ago (4/8/2005 UTC) at Jamaica Blue Coffee Shop in Casuarina, BC meetup -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Is a book ray - 1st on list is amberC 

Journal Entry 5 by amberC from Darwin, Northern Territory Australia on Friday, April 08, 2005

received from Sally. one book to be read before this one. thanks for the recipe Sally, i'm going to try it. 

Journal Entry 6 by amberC from Darwin, Northern Territory Australia on Monday, April 18, 2005

A incredibly sad story. The way Kambili accepted the abuse she and her family suffered at the hands of her father was all the more moving for the way it was told, the calm acceptance that it is nothing out of the ordinary. I was so pleased when she discovered laughter.

To be posted to star-light tomorrow.


Thankyou for sharing this book Sally. 

Journal Entry 7 by star-light from Melbourne, Victoria Australia on Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Just received this book today. I am currently reading The Discovery of Chocolate (another bookring book), then I will start on this one. 

Journal Entry 8 by star-light from Melbourne, Victoria Australia on Monday, May 09, 2005

Initially I was worried that this would be a heavy and difficult read due to the serious nature of the issues that are explored, but it turned out to be a beautiful story and a wonderful read. I was engrossed right from the beginning. The writing was so full of details and wonderfully descriptive that the sights, sounds, and smells of Nigeria really came to life for me.

Thanks for sharing this book, Sally. I'm so glad I read it! 

Journal Entry 9 by star-light from Melbourne, Victoria Australia on Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Posted to claudinec. 

Journal Entry 10 by claudinec from North Melbourne, Victoria Australia on Monday, May 16, 2005

Received in the mail, thank you.
 

Journal Entry 11 by claudinec from North Melbourne, Victoria Australia on Thursday, May 26, 2005

This is the story of a fifteen-year-old girl's discovery outside her sheltered and oppressive family home, which I found as "unputdownable" as any thriller. The story centres around young Kambili's fear of her oppressive father and the contrast between her life and those of her cousins and schoolmates.

The outrageous punishments that Kambili and her brother Jaja suffer for the most minor transgressions might seem completely impossible for any parent to contemplate. I don't personally know anyone who lived through similar experiences, but Papa's insistence on perfection and maintaining nearly unachievable standards are familiar to me. I suppose that obsessiveness combined with a belief that "what does not kill you makes you stronger" might conceivable lead a parent to do these horrible things while believing that they were really in the child's best interests.

The novel is about more than Papa's behaviour; it also describes the contradictions of colonial life and the unstable political atmosphere of modern Nigeria. But it was the story of Kambili's learning to sing and (even!) laugh that really touched me.
 

Journal Entry 12 by claudinec from North Melbourne, Victoria Australia on Sunday, May 29, 2005

Posted to beth4652 by international airmail.
 

Journal Entry 13 by beth4652 from Marietta, Georgia USA on Thursday, June 23, 2005

I loved the book but it left me with so many, many questions at the end. It needs to be twice as long in order to explore all the politics and their true effect on the characters. It seemed to me that many of the characters were superficially developed. It is a very fast read.

Sent it on to Cougmax on June 24th. 

Journal Entry 14 by cougmax from Seattle, Washington USA on Thursday, July 07, 2005

Arrived safely, thank you!
Sally - You are not going to believe this! My husband makes Jollof Rice. We had it for dinner on Monday. It takes him hours and hours to make it, he will be in the kitchen all day. The best kept secret... it tastes even better the second day. So, we just got back from Ghana, we were there for four weeks. Never did I find a better Jollof than my husband's dish. Though the fish and seafood were incredible. All that said, when I saw your journal entry, I jumped up and down and called my husband to the computer. "Look! Look! The bookcrossers are talking about Jollof from Nigeria!" He loved it! Small world after all, huh! I don't know where you grew up as a child, but my husband's family are from the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria.
I can't wait to read the book, I will try to get the husband to read a bit too. 

Journal Entry 15 by cougmax from Seattle, Washington USA on Monday, July 18, 2005

An amazing, heart-breaking tale. The first book of fiction I have read that was set in modern-day West Africa. I truly believe the novel was so much more real to me, becuase I just spent four weeks in Ghana. The heat and lights out, no running water at times, are a daily struggle that everyone learns to deal with. The heat is like nothing I have ever experienced, you feel that you are swimming in the hot air.
The physical abuse described in the book was so terrible, the boiling water/bathtub put me to tears. I don't know how the father lived with himself, trying to buy his way out by giving tons of money away did not undue what he destroyed at home. The Mother was so sad, but it got harder and harder to feel bad for her. How could she watch that happen to her kids, regardless of the consequences?
I loved Kambili's way of explaining each meal. It was a way for her to connect and have some control when everything seemed so hopeless. The Aunt was a wonderful character and my favorite in the book. I am not sure what the angle on the Priest was...? But he was still a nice side plot, for the cousin to tease Kambili about.
I agree with many of the JE's written before and would welcome a second book describing what happens for Kambili and JaJa as they continue into adulthood with the horrible past they have walked out of. Especially Jaja for he walked into hell for his Mother and still lives with the guilt that he did not do enough.
btw, I asked the husband so many questions as I read the book. One point I thought I would share... The private schools still rate the youth's progress against each other. As in, you are first in class, secord, third, so on. As the youth get older they are seperated into top class, mid class, and bottom class. My husband said it was a constant struggle always on their minds to stay in the top group. On top of all the other struggles in life, you have to constantly try to nudge out each of your classmates for top honors.
I will send this on with a pic of school children from my husband's village and a recipe for a Nigerian dish.
Thank you Sally for sharing this beautiful book with us. I will continue to follow this author, I hope she writes more and shares her Nigerian memories with us.
off to Idpaulson 

Journal Entry 16 by cougmax from Seattle, Washington USA on Tuesday, August 02, 2005

This beautiful book is packed and ready to go again. I have made a bookmark with beads I bought on the street in Accra, Ghana. The small dark red beads are my favorite, they are made from the rocks that wash up on the beaches. My worry rocks picked up while walking along the ocean with my husband are probably my favorite posession from my trip to Ghana. I only brought home two, and one string of the red beads. I have also placed a photo of school children from Ho-Hoi, a village about 3 hrs from the city. I was where my husband was born. The children followed me everywhere in the village. It was an amazing day, I will never forget. My husband also wrote out his recipe for Jallof rice, his mother and father are Nigerians that imigrated to Ghana. I am hoping I have the recipe saved on my office computer, can't find it here...
Anyway I hope to tuck that into the book as well before posting tomorrow. Regardless the Purple Hibiscus is off to californa tomorrow!
Thank you for sharing this beautiful story with us. I have to decided to purchase a copy to share with my friends on bookrelay.com. I truly hope that Adichie continues to write and shares more stories with us. 

Journal Entry 17 by ldpaulson from Ventura, California USA on Friday, August 12, 2005

Caught at the post office Tuesday. Apologies for not journaling sooner, but it's been a horrid week that keeps getting worse. 

Journal Entry 18 by ldpaulson from Ventura, California USA on Monday, August 22, 2005

Previous journalers have done a fine job of describing the plot and their experiences with PURPLE HIBISCUS. It was indeed, at times, a very difficult read. The author has created indelible characters with whom the reader becomes absorbed. The prose is as lyrical as the events are disturbing.

What I found interesting were the segments of the book that detail yet another aspect to the imposition Western religion has on local cultures. The specific religion being Catholicism. In that respect, it is similar to THE POISONWOOD BIBLE and AT PLAY IN THE FIELDS OF THE LORD.

A big thanks to cougmax for the wonderful embellishments contributed. I especially LOVE the bookmark. It is as useful as it is beautiful. Yes, I am tempted to keep it (at least I'm honest!), but others in the book ring should enjoy it themselves.

garnetfairy is next in line. 

Journal Entry 19 by ldpaulson from Ventura, California USA on Sunday, August 28, 2005

Since garnetfairy asked to be skipped, the book is en route to sqdancer. 

Journal Entry 20 by sqdancer on Monday, September 19, 2005

Received safe and sound. The bookstring is lovely. I don't blame ldpaulson for being tempted to keep it. :)


 

Journal Entry 21 by sqdancer on Saturday, October 22, 2005

Very disturbing and well-written book. The understated way in which the author brings out the abuse makes it that much more horrifying.

Thanks for sharing the book and the recipe.

Sent out on Friday afternoon via regular mail.

 

Journal Entry 22 by eicuthbertson from Burnaby, British Columbia Canada on Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Looking forward to reading this in the next few days. Sounds very interesting... 

Journal Entry 23 by eicuthbertson from Burnaby, British Columbia Canada on Friday, November 11, 2005

This book is well on its way to England from Canada already & I almost forgot to make my entry.
A very moving story, so sad & yet always that thread of hope.
As Kambili says many things must go unspoken, some forever, even among the closest people. 

Journal Entry 24 by arturogrande from Coalville, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Tuesday, November 22, 2005

One of the nicest things about bookrings is often the extras that come with them, and cougmax, you've really added to my enjoyment of the book already with your lovely handmade bookmark, the jollof recipe (which looks absolutely delicious) and the wonderful picture of the schoolchildren. Thanks also for the calendar postcard eicuthbertson - I spotted Maligne Lake (which I've visited) and Niagra Falls (which I haven't) and it made me wish I was there in beautiful BC again rather than rainy, foggy England.

I've got a short bookring ahead of this one, but I promise I'll get to it quickly and keep the ring moving.

Thanks again to everyone involved in this ring. 

Journal Entry 25 by arturogrande from Coalville, Leicestershire United Kingdom on Sunday, December 11, 2005

This book seems to have touched everyone who has read it before me, judging by their journal entries, and I'm not surprised, as it's wonderfully written.
Everyday life in Nigeria is wonderfully evoked, from the day to day meals and routines through to the political upheaval.
Most telling for me was the way that the horrors of abuse that the family suffered at the hands of their outwardly respectable husband and father were described in such a matter-of-fact way, as was the political situation and corruption which could so easily end with a letter bomb at the breakfast table.
Kambili is a wonderful central character, and her inner journey is wonderfully described. It was interesting to see how she dealt with the abuse - a lazier writer might have made her secretly hate her father for the things he had done to her, but all the way through, her love for him remained.
It was also a new and humbling experience to see everyday Africn life through the eyes of an African reader. Nigeria's troubles - poverty, political turmoil and corruption - are well documented, and it is very easy as a white Westerner to take a patronising attitude to Africa - 'poor them, wouldn't they all be better off if they were in Europe or North America'.
But when the possibility of emigration to America is raised, neither Amaka nor Kambili can countenence it - Nigeria is their home and the place they love.
If feel I have learned a lot from this book, and my perceptions have been slightly altered as a result of having read it. Thanks so much, sally906 for starting this ring, and everyone else for their wonderful insights in the journal entries.

It's now on its way to zzz. I hope you get as much out of it as I did. 

Journal Entry 26 by zzz from Rakovica, City of Belgrade Serbia on Monday, December 19, 2005

Journal Entry 27 by zzz from Rakovica, City of Belgrade Serbia on Wednesday, September 06, 2006

Journal Entry 28 by zzz from Rakovica, City of Belgrade Serbia on Friday, September 08, 2006

It's time for this beautiful book continue its journey and (with the permission of Sally) next stop will be in Canada where it'll fulfill one wish :-)
I've pasted that beautiful photo of Ho-Hoi children inside the front cover, made my own copy of Jollof Rice recipe and of course include that lovely bookmark.

Sally thank you once again for sharing this beautiful novel with us and Jennie I truly hope you'll enjoy as much as I (and many others before me) have enjoyed :-)
 

Journal Entry 29 by Heaven150 from Edmonton, Alberta Canada on Monday, October 02, 2006

Received as part of the Inkling's monthly exchange (Miss October). Thank you so much for sharing.

The picture and bookmark are such a lovely addition to the book. I'm really looking forward to reading this and then passing it on to another bookcrosser to enjoy. Thank you zzz for thinking of me.