Back to High School: Things Fall Apart

The Big Book Club Podcast from Arlington Public Library

For this episode we read the 1958 novel by debut novel by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe. The novel became the first work published in Heinemann's African Writers Series in the UK, starting in 1962. “Things Fall Apart” is the first book in Achebe’s trilogy about African history, and has been read by high schoolers for generations as the archetypal modern African novel in English. It is a staple book in schools throughout Africa, is widely read and studied in English-speaking countries around the world, and continues to be listed on included on “most important books” lists whenever they’re published.

Episode Links

• This episode's book - "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe
• Next episode's book - "Johny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo; "Beloved" by Toni Morrison; "As I Lay Dying" by Willaim Faulkner

Tell us what YOU think about this book, or anything else you’re reading, in our GoodReads or Facebook groups, or talk to us on twitter using the #BigBookPodcast hashtag. If you’d like to make a suggestion for future reading send us your recommendations on the Big Book Club Podcast page on the Arlington Public Library website.

We're Reading

• Jennie – “Gangsters vs. Nazis: How Jewish Mobsters Battled Nazis in Wartime America” by Michael Benson
• Pete – “The Sirens of Titan” by Kurt Vonnegut