Second Class Citizen by Nigerian writer Buchi Emecheta

First published in 1974 (London) and considered a semi-autobiographical novel, both Adah, the main character, and the author left Lagos, Nigeria, to join their husbands in London on a study sojourn.

Unlike what one might expect from a woman of the 1970s and an African, it is Adah who finances her husband’s studies in Nigeria and then in London. She, as well as the author, is the breadwinner in the family unit. She works two jobs, supports her husband and 5 children, studies, and writes in the evenings.

Many times, Adah and the author have had to face the injustices of being considered second-class citizens, but many times they too have been the ones to reverse this stigma. And what does it mean to be a second-class citizen? For Buchi Emecheta being a “second-class citizen” not only meant being restricted and discriminated against in the UK because she was a migrant, but it also meant having to deal with gender bias. In other words, being a second-class citizen meant being an immigrant, African, black, and WOMAN.

Amazon: Second Class Citizen