Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian author whose works cover such themes as immigration, racism, gender, marriage, motherhood and womanhood.

Adichie was born in Enugu, Nigeria, on Sept. 15, 1977. She studied medicine for a year at the University of Nigeria, but left for the United States at age 19 after getting a scholarship to study communication at Drexel University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and political science from Eastern Connecticut State University and master’s degrees in creative writing and in African history from Johns Hopkins University and Yale University, respectively.

Adichie’s first novel, Purple Hibiscus (2003), was centered on the Nigerian Civil War and has been translated into multiple languages. She has received numerous awards for her works.