SHOULD PARENTS READ TO THEIR CHILDREN BEFORE THEY'RE BORN?

ADVICE FROM A NOT-SO-PROFESSIONAL EXPERT

That's if your definition of an expert is someone who has experienced a phenomenon under discussion. According to legend, I started reading as soon as I was born. My parents were not the Dr. Seuss or Parents Magazine kind (Do people read those anymore?). Now, I kind of wish they were. But, my dad was one of those intense lawyer- types. I was reading the Constitution and law journals that weighed more than the value on the scale when I stood on it up until I was about five. I read Achebe.GASP! A shocker! Things Fall Apart, A Man of The People, Anthills of the Savannah, No Longer at Ease, Arrow of God. And, surprisingly, I was closer to eight than to fifteen when I read them. I read Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o's "Weep Not Child" I read Ferdinand Oyono's "The Houseboy"I read Ama Ata Aidoo's " The Girl Who Can" and 'Changes'.In school, we studied more of Ama's works: Dilemma of a Ghost, Anowa, and No Sweetness Here. I read Amu Djoleto's "The Strange Man" and "Money Galore" I read Asare Konadu's "Ordained By The Oracle", "The Lawyer Who Bungled His Life" and "Shadow of Wealth"I read Francis Selormey's "The Narrow Path" I read 'The God's Are Not to Blame' by Ola Rotimi. I read 'Burning Grass' and 'Jagua Nana' by Cyprian Ekwensi. The Beautyful Ones are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah. I read Amma Darko's 'The Housemaid', 'Beyond The Horizon' and 'Faceless'. I read Elechi Amadi's 'The Concubine'. I read Buchi Emecheta's 'The Bride Price', 'The Slave Girl', 'The New Tribe', 'Second Class Citizen',  In fact, as a young child, the only book I saw and refused to read is a book called 'The River God' because I had been scarred by Nollywood gore. Now, though I love Nollywood and will read that book anytime I get the title. The Thing is, I've forgotten about half of the African Novels I read.  I read these Chimannda books from the sixth to the ninth grade in this order:'Purple Hibiscus', 'Half of a Yellow Sun', 'The Thing Around Your Neck', and 'Americanah'  I read Born a Crime at the start of this year. I think the most impactful books I've read in the past three months are "Dear Ijeawele" and "We Should All Be Feminists" by you guessed it: Chimamanda. My mum says this is what made me 'smart'. If it's true, I miss being smart. I'm not reading much profound literature these days. And there are some people who might agree! Anyway, it didn't hurt, and even though some of the things I read were maybe a bit too mature for my years, I'm generally a more mature thinker because of them. I wouldn't trade these for anything in the world. My thoughts? If your child won't get hurt, then try it. You've got nothing to lose right? Tell me what YOU think. Next post: Non-African novels I've read.

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