Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions

Adichie is an award-winning novelist and essay writer whose works explore themes of colonialism, race, class, and gender. She’s been featured in a range of well-known publications, including The New Yorker, Granta, and the Financial Times, and her books have been translated into over 30 languages. Among her works are several essays on feminism, including the influential “We Should All Be Feminists.”

Adichie is a self-identified feminist, and she has spoken publicly about feminism many times. In 2009, she did a TED talk entitled “The Danger of a Single Story,” which has since become one of the most viewed TED talks of all time. In 2012, she spoke again for TEDxEuston, where she gave a talk called “why we should all be feminists,” which became the basis for her book. Her speech sparked a worldwide conversation about feminism and was even sampled in the song “Flawless” by pop singer Beyonce. During the speech, she said, “I am angry. Gender, as it functions today, is a grave injustice…but in addition to being angry, I’m also hopeful because I believe deeply in the ability of human beings to make and remake themselves for the better.”

By the time “Dear Ijeawele” was published, Adichie was a mother to a baby girl herself. So, while she wrote this book for her friend, it’s clear she was already anticipating how she would approach motherhood: “In rereading these [suggestions] as a mother, I too am determined to try” (4). Today, Adichie divides her time between the US and Nigeria, where she leads workshops on writing.