Adah Ofili-Obi

Adah Obi, nee Ofili, is the protagonist of Second Class Citizen. She is an Ibo (Igbo) woman born in Lagos, Nigeria during World War II. From the age of eight, Adah becomes determined to attend school, even though this was a privilege primarily reserved for boys only. She engages in chicanery to convince her parents to allow her to attend anyway, and as she becomes increasingly educated, her ambitions shift to include emigrating to England. Adah is orphaned at a relatively young age, and she marries Francis so she can live with his family while attending college. She shares her dream of moving to England with Francis and he decides they will go together, but upon arriving there, Adah is presented with numerous obstacles and conflicts to achieving the successful career she has always wanted. Francis is abusive and she is almost continuously pregnant with his children...