This course focuses on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (1977-). It introduces students to the life, work, thought, and activism of a Nigerian writer often dubbed Chinua Achebe’s literary daughter. Since taking the literary world by storm, as we say, with her debut novel Purple Hibiscus (2003), Adichie has emerged as one of the most recognized names and sought-after speakers, humanists, and public intellectuals in recent history. From her TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Story” to her riveting novel Americanah, and from her feminist manifesto Dear Ijeawale to her latest work Notes on Grief, among other things, the Adichie canon of cultural production has grown exponentially. Her work has been translated to dozens of languages and she has received honorary doctorates from many prestigious institutions around the world. In this course, we will read Adichie’s novels, short stories and essays, supplementing them with in-class viewing of some of her public intellectual activity. A major goal of this course will be to address the question: what, indeed, makes Adichie a major author and powerful cultural voice?