The illnesses and eating disorders also indicate the struggle of Africans to live in two worlds, white and black, modern and traditional, and it shows that the young women of Africa are dominated by their culture, their men, and their desire to fit in and belong to something, even if it is a dysfunctional family.

Therefore, the book is much more than what the author describes in her first paragraph. It is much more complex, more thought-provoking, and more dynamic. Early on, it seems the story will mainly be about the narrator and her life, but it is really about Africa, and her struggle to break free from colonial rule, just like the narrator breaks free from her family and the bonds that tie her to poverty and ignorance. It is also about Tambu's own growing maturity and questioning of what is going on around her. Early in the novel,...
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