Tomorrow I Become a Woman

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He raised a brow slowly and shut the book in front of him. I had his attention now. Something flashed over his eyes, but it passed before I could decipher what it was. ‘Really? Shouldn’t you be thinking of your upcoming final exams?’ When Gozie and Obianuju meet in August 1978, it is nothing short of fate. He is the perfect man: charismatic, handsome, Christian and—most importantly—Igbo. He reminds her of her beloved Uncle Ikenna, her mother’s brother who disappeared fighting in the Civil War that devastated Nigeria less than a decade before. It is why, when Gozie asks her to marry him within months of meeting, she says yes, despite her lingering and uncertain feelings for Akin—a man her mother would never accept, as his tribe fought on the other side of the war. Akin makes her feel heard, understood, intelligent; Gozie makes her heart flutter. When you have read Buchi Emecheta’s books, Olisakwe’s Ogadinma you would clearly understand why reading Aiwonse today only brings tears to my eyes. Similar plot lines with similar struggles only tells you one thing; over the years the stories of women have not gotten better and we need to do more for our daughters. Over the next two decades, Uju and her friends Adaugo and Chinelo must navigate traumas both personal and political as they learn how to live on their own terms in a traditional society beset by turmoil. PDF / EPUB File Name: Tomorrow_I_Become_A_Woman_-_Aiwa_Odafen.pdf, Tomorrow_I_Become_A_Woman_-_Aiwa_Odafen.epub

What an incredible debut novel that I’ll be recommending time and time again. Despite at times being heartbreaking and bleak it is thought-provoking all the same. It’s been a while since I’ve been gripped by a book this much. He laughed long and hard, and I smiled because I liked his laugh – it made me want to laugh too. ‘Obianuju, people will always talk,’ he said finally. ‘It’s your choice whether to listen or not. I don’t listen because I don’t care. We enjoy spending time together and that’s what matters.’ The epigraph of Tomorrow I Became a Woman introduces how attention-catching and affectionate the book will be. The epigraph, “’She’s a woman now, a true mother,’ I heard them say as they scattered the dust on my grave. ‘She’ll watch over us from the other side,’” welcomes us to the exciting experiences in the book that will captivate the reader and make it difficult for them to put it down.

It’s Love and Chaos in Episode 8 of “University of Cruise”

Uju’s parents’ insistence on her marrying an Igbo is reflective of the Igbo tribal consciousness in the ‘70s and ‘80s Nigeria—partly an emotional residue of the Civil War years earlier. Tomorrow I Become a Woman explores this in detail throughout the story as we begin to see binaries of ethnic relationship shown in all its negative and positive complexities. After having three sons, Uju’s mother prayed for a daughter to share womanly experiences with. However, with each action she took: studying and excelling at school, always speaking her mind and so on, Uju soon realizes she isn’t the daughter her mother wanted. In an effort to make her mother happy, she brings home Chigozie, a man who she doesn’t really know that well, and settles into marriage with him. She does this despite having feelings for Akin, who was perfect for her, but unfortunately from a different tribe and thus wouldn’t get her mother’s approval. What can I do?’ she asked. You can fight, I thought , you can fight for your daughters. But then again, who was I to speak of such things

There is so much baggage associated with the word, “woman,” the author seems to say, for at every turn, the mention of the word is a manifestation of discrimination and culturally heavy responsibilities encompassing marriage, childbirth, and other forms of gendered roles. Tomorrow I Become a Woman exposes how certain aspects of culture can be detrimental to the well-being of women. There are women who are disgraced for doing things men do habitually. Uju realises that what is called “culture” today is not really the culture of yesterday. Uju is a daughter her mother never wanted. When she meets Gozie in 1978, he seems like the perfect man - charismatic, Christian and Igbo - so she agrees to marry him in the hope of attaining her mother's approval. Gozie reminds her of her beloved Uncle Ikenna, her mother's brother who disappeared fighting in the Civil War that devastated Nigeria. But Uju has lingering feelings for Akin - a man her mother would never accept as his tribe fought on the other side of the war. The church was alive that Sunday, the air electric with fate. The atmosphere bubbled with music and people. Smiling women in floor-length skirts and colourful headscarves stood at the entrance distributing flyers, and men in oversized trousers directed us to our seats.I wouldn’t see him again for a long time, but I made sure to return the books when they were due, afraid to break the unprecedented trust this strange man had placed in me. The librarian had looked over her glasses at me as she’d collected the books, her mouth set with disapproval. I enjoyed reading this book even though some of the characters made me upset. I so badly wanted something horrible to happen to Gozie. Did I learn something from reading this? Yes, See ehn no matter how rich your husband is, as a woman you should have something to give you extra income (e get why). Aiwanose Odafen spent a better part of her life wanting to become an economist, an accountant, then an entrepreneur before she discovered her love for writing. She has contributed to published non-fiction works and participated in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus Trust Writing Workshop. She was longlisted for the 2020 Commonwealth Writers Short Story Prize and holds a postgraduate degree from the University of Oxford. When she's not writing, she's cheering for Manchester United or watching dramas. Her debut novel Tomorrow I Become a Woman will be published in 2022.