Second Class Citizen is a novel written by Nigerian-born author Buchi Emecheta. Its protagonist is a young Nigerian girl, Adah, who dreams of moving to the United Kingdom in pursuit of a better life. After arriving in London, she grapples with her cruel husband, the difficulty of raising five children, racial prejudice, and the arduous road to successfully achieving her dreams and goals.
Second-Class Citizen is strongly autobiographical. Paired with The Ditch (1972) in the volume Adah’s Story (1983), it essentially chronicles Emecheta’s experiences in London.
The novel was published in England in 1974 and the following year in the United States. Shortly after its publication, Hermoine...
