CU Book Club: Spoiler Alert

Discussion Questions:

• Ifemelu gets her hair done in a salon in Trenton in the beginning of the book.  Talk about the intersection of race, class and immigration status in this scene in the book.
• How would you describe Aunty Uju as a character, as a woman, as a mother?
• How does the family of Kim & her sister Laura and the husband Don & children (and the babysitting job) affect Ifemelu’s life?
• The tennis coach. Discuss.
• Ifemelu has depression.  She writes a blog post “On the Subject of Non-American Blacks Suffering from Illnesses Whose Names They Refuse to Know.” Is it possible for mental illness to be cultural?
• Adichie writes about the layers of racism for example on P205 Ifemelu’s blog post “Sometimes in America, Race is Class”. What other examples of racism does Ifemelu experience?
• Adichie writes about “American blacks” issues with skin tone and black hair for example on P264. “They say the days of the paper bag test (look this up) are gone and let’s move forward”.  Are ‘those days’ gone?
• Ifemelu starts wearing her natural hair. Discuss.
• Let’s talk about Obinze’s experience in London, his struggle to get work, the racism he experiences.
• Let's discuss Ifemelu's relationships with Curt and Blaine.
• Ifemelu writes a ‘Michelle Obama Shout-Out Plus Hair as Race Metaphor’ blog post. Discuss why hair is a useful way of examining race and culture.
• Let’s talk about Mr. White, the security guard at Princeton and Ifemelu’s experience with him and also how Mr. White experiences racism.
• How does Dike experience racism?
• Discuss how Ifemelu is a different person returning to Nigeria.

Promising Young Woman

Cassie's once-bright future is thwarted by a chance encounter that leaves her reeling. Working at a coffee shop by day, the medical school drop out takes to the night seeking justice to cope with the trials of her past. Cassie's family and friends know little of her private vendetta, instead puzzling as to her sudden shift in trajectory.

Writer & Director: Emerald Fennell