Daring to write frankly about race

In her first two novels, "Purple Hibiscus" and "Half of a Yellow Sun," the award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explored the history and contemporary life of her home country.

The story follows Ifemelu, a young Nigerian woman who moves to America and finds some fame writing a candid blog about issues of race and nationality.

In a recent email interview, Adichie discussed the state of American fiction, her approach to writing about race and more.

The character was talking about African-American, rather than African or American-African writers, and this distinction is also partly what the novel is about.

Ifemelu, one of the two main characters in "Americanah," is, like you, a Nigerian-born writer who moves to the United States and eventually receives a fellowship at Princeton.

Aside from these details, is there a deeper autobiographical connection you feel with her?