Book Review ~ Ada, A victim of fate & Cultural circumstance by Barclays N. Amadi.

 

We have thousands of cultures in our world, with rituals and taboos which to some may not make sense but to the respective culture it is everything.

I have visited Nigeria a number of times and the country is steeped in culture and tradition. This beautifully written book Ada, A Victim of Fate and Cultural Circumstance by Barclays N. Amadi was a joy to read and beautifully written. 

The scene is set in a Nigerian village and it tells the story of Ada who was forced to marry at 16 years of age because her parents could no longer afford to educate her. Educating girls was a privilege  and not a right as education was reserved for male children who would grow up, takeover and run the family affairs. Girls were given in marriage and so would transfer into the family of their husband to become home makers.

The story tells of Ada’s various plights after she marries and the subsequent poligomus relationship her husband enters, causing her much pain. I loved the fact that Barclays weaves the culture and traditions into the story, thus giving the reader an understanding of various culturial settings throughout the book. It helped me to understand the plight of both families involved in poligomus relationships with the added expectations of tradition and cultural. 

The book highlights the plight of women in a society which sees them as second class (however I do believe this is changing) and the devastating effects of poverty on families and women who run single homes in such societies. 

I do not want to give away to much of the book but I will encourage you to read it as it gives great insight. Barclays does a great job of  “Highlighting the limitations and hardships forced on women in a traditional, male dominated society”