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Set among the years preceding and following the Biafran War to establish an independent Nigeria, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun tells the stories of 13-year-old village boy Ugwu. The protagonist who works as a houseboy for a professor, Olanna — the professor’s girlfriend and daughter of an influential businessman — and Richard, a British expat studying Igbo-Ukwu art and dating Olanna’s twin sister. The story weaves the relationships of the different characters among the political and social turmoil of the period, as they are torn apart by war and personal decisions. Amid a turbulent and dramatic background, Adichie tells a story of how love complicates personal morals, ethnic allegiances and understandings of class and race. The book is a poignant read today, as Nigeria’s recent election outcome faces disputes and protests.