Arrow of God
Arrow of God is the story of Ezeulu, a father and chief priest determined to preserve tradition in the face of encroaching colonialism. When he refuses to participate in the British ruling hierarchy, his defiance sparks a chain of unsettling and damaging events that will change his village forever.
Quote:
"Ezeulu did not like to think that his sight was no longer as good as it used to be and that some day he would have to rely on someone else’s eyes as his grandfather had done when his sight failed. Of course he had lived to such a great age that his blindness became like an ornament on him. If Ezeulu lived to be so old he too would accept such a loss. But for the present he was as good as any young man, or better because young men were no longer what they used to be. There was one game Ezeulu never tired of playing on them. Whenever they shook hands with him he tensed his arm and put all his power into the grip, and being unprepared for it they winced and recoiled with pain."
Author:
Chinua Achebe (1930-2013) was a novelist, poet, and professor. Some of his most well-known works include Things Fall Apart, Arrow of God, and Anthills of The Savannah. He also wrote books for children, including Chike and the River. Achebe was born in the Igbo town of Ogidi in Nigeria and, from 2009 until his death in 2013, taught at Brown University.
Published: 1964
Length: 230 pages
Set in: Nigeria