The New York Times Book Review - Moira Weigel
Embedding us in the intimacy of a friendship, the prose makes reflections that might seem common sense in the abstract feel like discoveries.
From the Publisher
Dear Ijeawele is a volume as fierce and illuminating as bringing up a confident daughter, both with love at their core.” —O, The Oprah Magazine
“I love this book so much, for many reasons. Chimamanda is one of my favorite authors.” —Amber Tamblyn, GQ
“Adichie epitomizes and epistolizes our potential in Dear Ijeawele." —Sloane Crosely, Vanity Fair
“Personal and urgent. . . . Adichie is passionate about equality. Her new book offers 15 ways that we can encourage girls to be strong, to plant seeds of feminism. But more than that, Adichie hopes the book will help ‘move us toward a world that is more gender equal.’ Doing so means knocking down ingrained assumptions about how men and women think and behave.” —The Washington Post
“Adichie’s suggestions are logical and stated clearly, full of her dry wit, and range from the obvious (‘Do it together’) to the bold (‘Reject likeability’). . . . As much as this is a book written to mothers of daughters, fathers of daughters would benefit from reading it, too; parents in general would do well to try to raise children who won't have to grow up and read it at all. . . . Powerful and life-affirming, offering wisdom for everyone.” —The Village Voice
“Adichie has partly written Dear Ijeawele to reclaim the word feminism from its abusers and misusers. Her advice is not only to provide children with alternatives—to empower boys and girls to understand there is no single way to be—but also to understand that the only universal in this world is difference. Adichie is a brilliant novelist and a serious thinker, and she is also someone who makes no apology for her own trivial interests. Her understanding of feminism is intertwined with her understanding that we all want to be more than one thing.” —The Guardian
Library Journal
★ 05/15/2017
"Teach her that the idea of 'gender roles' is absolute nonsense." This excellent series of essays is award-winning author Adichie's (Americanah) response to a friend's question on how to raise her daughter as a feminist. Adichie shines a light on gender issues in modern society through wise advice dispensed with droll wit and deep earnestness. Writing with tender conviction about encouraging girls to pick up a helicopter instead of, or in addition to, a doll, Adichie explains that to be feminist, women do not have to give up their femininity. We may choose to be brides, but we should also be taught to be independent, that marriage isn't the only option. In other words, a mother should remain her own person, refusing to give up her identity, which is often used to justify oppression. But it's not just women learning to navigate the confusing waters of gender identity; Adichie also offers guidance for teaching men how to embrace feminism and reject rigid gender roles, too. VERDICT A fast read and vital addition to all collections. Anyone interested in social change will enjoy.—Venessa Hughes, Buffalo, NY
MARCH 2017 - AudioFile
January LaVoy’s narration of this short work is intentional, assertively warm, and grounded. Given her charge, she has to be. Adichie’s childhood friend, Ijeawele, asks how to raise her newborn daughter as a feminist. This is not a light question. The author offers 15 suggestions; it’s LaVoy’s job to deliver them with decisive clarity. And she hits the mark. There is wisdom in her voice conveying a lived experience. Most often she repeats the phrase “teach her how” or "teach her to." Her imperative tone signals the necessity to be deliberate and loving. Adichie’s content and LaVoy’s tone remind listeners that Ijeawele is more than a mother—she’s a woman who is navigating her daughter through a world filled with assumptions and questionable social and cultural norms. T.E.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
