Under the Udala Trees Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

Print PDF

For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Nigeria's Stance Against Homosexuality and our BookBrowse Review of Under the Udala Trees.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

Questions and Discussion Points

1. What did you learn about Nigeria's civil war? What role does it play in this novel? What is the significance of Ijeoma and Amina being from separate tribes?
   


2. What is "ubosi chi ji ehihe jie" or "the day night fell in the afternoon," and how does it impact the lives of Ijeoma and her family? What does her father tell Ijeoma about worrying? Why does he stay in the house rather than join his family in the bunker?
   


3. After her father's death, Ijeoma begins to think that perhaps the nature of life is change. Does her view on this subject evolve throughout the story? Is change
   ultimately presented as a positive force or a negative one?
   

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Mariner Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.