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Quick answer: If you loved Americanah, read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun, then Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing, then Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half, and Trevor Noah's Born a Crime and Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. All are sharp, moving novels about identity and migration.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's 2013 novel Americanah follows Ifemelu, who leaves Nigeria for the United States. These picks share its themes.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half of a Yellow Sun | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Adult | Nigerian civil war |
| Homegoing | Yaa Gyasi | Adult | readers who like linked stories |
| The Vanishing Half | Brit Bennett | Adult | readers who want a recent bestseller |
| Born a Crime | Trevor Noah | Adult | humour and hardship |
| Things Fall Apart | Chinua Achebe | Teen and adult | the human story |
| Stay with Me | Ayobami Adebayo | Adult | readers who want drama |
| Queenie | Candice Carty-Williams | Adult | readers who like modern London stories |
| Maame | Jessica George | Adult | readers who like coming-of-age stories |
| Girl, Woman, Other | Bernardine Evaristo | Adult | readers who like many voices |
| Ordinary People | Diana Evans | Adult | long relationships |
| Brother | David Chariandy | Adult | Canadian novel |
| Between the World and Me | Ta-Nehisi Coates | Adult | readers who want a hard look |
| The Namesake | Jhumpa Lahiri | Adult | readers who like immigrant stories |
| Interpreter of Maladies | Jhumpa Lahiri | Adult | short story fans |
| Pachinko | Min Jin Lee | Adult | readers who like family sagas |
1. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Three people live through the Biafran war. Rich and moving.
Best for: Nigerian civil war.
2. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Two half-sisters in Ghana and their descendants across 300 years. Moving and inventive.
Best for: readers who like linked stories.
3. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Twin sisters from a small Black town take different paths, one passing as white. Compelling and modern.
Best for: readers who want a recent bestseller.
4. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Noah describes growing up mixed-race in apartheid South Africa. Funny and powerful.
Best for: humour and hardship.
5. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
A Nigerian leader sees his village change with the arrival of colonizers. A short, classic novel.
Best for: the human story.
6. Stay with Me by Ayobami Adebayo
A Nigerian couple faces pressure to have a child. Tender and heartbreaking.
Best for: readers who want drama.
7. Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams
Queenie, a Jamaican British woman in London, struggles after a breakup. Funny, honest and raw.
Best for: readers who like modern London stories.
8. Maame by Jessica George
Maddie, a young Ghanaian British woman, cares for her father and tries to find her own life. Funny and poignant.
Best for: readers who like coming-of-age stories.
9. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
Twelve linked stories of Black British women. Lively and inventive.
Best for: readers who like many voices.
10. Ordinary People by Diana Evans
Two couples in London face the challenges of long relationships. Honest and tender.
Best for: long relationships.
11. Brother by David Chariandy
Two brothers grow up in Scarborough, Ontario. Quiet, lyrical and powerful.
Best for: Canadian novel.
12. Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A letter to his son about being Black in America. Short and powerful.
Best for: readers who want a hard look.
13. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Gogol Ganguli grows up in America as the son of Bengali immigrants. Quiet and lovely.
Best for: readers who like immigrant stories.
14. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Nine short stories about Indian and Indian American lives. Spare, precise and Pulitzer-winning.
Best for: short story fans.
15. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Four generations of a Korean family in Japan across the 20th century. Epic and emotional.
Best for: readers who like family sagas.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Americanah: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Americanah. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For African fiction, read Half of a Yellow Sun or Homegoing. For identity, try The Vanishing Half. For memoir, pick Born a Crime.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Americanah?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in 2013.
What is it about?
A Nigerian woman and her life in the United States.
Is there a TV series?
Yes, a 2024 series.
Which book here is best for readers who like family sagas?
Try Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, which suits readers looking for readers who like family sagas.
Which book here is best for short story fans?
Try Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, which suits readers looking for short story fans.
Which book here is best for readers who like immigrant stories?
Try The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, which suits readers looking for readers who like immigrant stories.
Which book here is best for readers who want a hard look?
Try Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, which suits readers looking for readers who want a hard look.
Which book here is best for Canadian novel?
Try Brother by David Chariandy, which suits readers looking for Canadian novel.