In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Ted Talk, "The Danger of a Single Story," she discusses the misconceptions that Americans have about Africa and how little she saw herself in the literature she read as a young child. These days, I do believe authors are making more of an effort to be inclusive in their writing; for example, my nephew is nearly 2 years old and my sister, a book lover, reads him books from the library about families with two moms, disabled children, and people of ALL colors, including purple and green! I certainly do not remember having those options available to me as a child, which certainly shows a sign of progress in the right direction. I can, however, empathize with her regarding the way people stereotype her simply because she is from Nigeria. I agree with her sentiments that Western culture has led us to believe that Africa is a place with vast landscapes, wild animals, and war. Through her talk, she discusses the differences between even her family and one of her friend's families and the substantial difference between the two. Just as there are major differences in America, we should recognize that there are huge differences across all cities, towns, and continents (which are different than countries!).
