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Cell One
Commonwealth Writers' Prize and Orange Prize winner Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has drawn favorable comparisons to Chinua Achebe. Culled from her critically acclaimed collection The Thing Around Your Neck, "Cell One" is a powerful tale set against a backdrop of Nigerian corruption.
When a rash of gang violence on a university campus leads to a shooting, a young man named Nnamabia is jailed for possible involvement. Visited daily by his parents and younger sister, Nnamabia nevertheless begins a steady decline. More than anything, he fears being taken to Cell One, where unruly prisoners are sometimes beaten to death by police.
When a rash of gang violence on a university campus leads to a shooting, a young man named Nnamabia is jailed for possible involvement. Visited daily by his parents and younger sister, Nnamabia nevertheless begins a steady decline. More than anything, he fears being taken to Cell One, where unruly prisoners are sometimes beaten to death by police.
15 pages, ebook
First published January 21, 2007
11 people are currently reading
2696 people want to read
About the author
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
133 books48.4k followersCHIMAMANDA NGOZI ADICHIE grew up in Nigeria. Her work has been translated into more than fifty-five languages. She is the author of the novels Purple Hibiscus, which won the Commonwealth Writers' Prize; Half of a Yellow Sun, which was the recipient of the Women’s Prize for Fiction “Best of the Best” award; Americanah, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award; the story collection The Thing Around Your Neck and the essays We Should All Be Feminists and Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions. Her most recent work is an essay about losing her father, Notes on Grief, and Mama’s Sleeping Scarf, a children’s book written as Nwa Grace-James. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, she divides her time between the United States and Nigeria.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
February 8, 2017
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is not just a story teller, she is THE story teller. She has this amazing way with words that keeps you on the edge of your seat for the entire time and her stories are so meaningful that it is hard to express how you feel during and after the reading. She criticises everything that is wrong, yet she isn't disrespectful when she speaks/writes.
Can't wait to read more of her works
Can't wait to read more of her works
October 11, 2014
Not that much similar, but this story reminded me of 'City of God'!
Chimamanda Ngozi is a good story-teller. I liked her work. I think she's going to be one of my favorites:)
Chimamanda Ngozi is a good story-teller. I liked her work. I think she's going to be one of my favorites:)
August 24, 2016
Quick listen and I'm excited to discover more of hers!
March 5, 2021
Such a powerful short story! I liked how the author portrays the Western influence on Nigeria, as well as her subtle nod to gender roles. Overall, a great coming of age story.
May 3, 2018
Rating : 3.75/5
It's a surprise as to how my perspective about short stories have changed over the years. When younger, while I mostly consumed short stories from older classics like those written by O'Henry, Guy De Maupassant and the likes, I always tended to hold the stories that struck heart-wrenching blows in higher esteem (with the exception of Ruskin Bond whose stories I liked anyway). However now, when reading shorter fiction, I am not particularly looking for an extraordinary arc - I find beauty even in simple stories that delve in everyday life, offering a glimpse into a different slice of the world.
While I was re-watching Adichie's TEDX talk of 'The danger of a single story', it got me thinking as to how I have only mostly read only full length novels when it came to African Literature - the ones that have something important to say. I hadn't really read anything from a everyday slice of life. So when I stumbled upon Cell One, I was drawn in immediately considering how I have always been a fan of Adichie's storytelling skills.
'Cell One' tells us the story of what we term in India as a 'middle-class' family - one that doesn't fall in the brink of poverty but doesn't really have the luxuries of a well-to-do families, their life on an university campus, the almost-wayward teenage son whose mistakes and crimes are easily forgiven or overlooked for the fear of extreme outcomes, the run in with law and the subsequent change of heart (?). On the exterior, it seems like a simple coming of age story that could be set any "developing" country in the world with the mentions of youngsters turning to campus crimes, the cult clubs. The corruption, the power dynamics of officials. No doubt it is based on true events Adichie may have experienced during her growing years on the university campus, the fact that crux of the story goes beyond the borders of Nigeria which makes it a powerful narrative in the context of aforementioned 'The Power of a single story' considering it was published as A new Yorker Fiction.
It's a surprise as to how my perspective about short stories have changed over the years. When younger, while I mostly consumed short stories from older classics like those written by O'Henry, Guy De Maupassant and the likes, I always tended to hold the stories that struck heart-wrenching blows in higher esteem (with the exception of Ruskin Bond whose stories I liked anyway). However now, when reading shorter fiction, I am not particularly looking for an extraordinary arc - I find beauty even in simple stories that delve in everyday life, offering a glimpse into a different slice of the world.
While I was re-watching Adichie's TEDX talk of 'The danger of a single story', it got me thinking as to how I have only mostly read only full length novels when it came to African Literature - the ones that have something important to say. I hadn't really read anything from a everyday slice of life. So when I stumbled upon Cell One, I was drawn in immediately considering how I have always been a fan of Adichie's storytelling skills.
'Cell One' tells us the story of what we term in India as a 'middle-class' family - one that doesn't fall in the brink of poverty but doesn't really have the luxuries of a well-to-do families, their life on an university campus, the almost-wayward teenage son whose mistakes and crimes are easily forgiven or overlooked for the fear of extreme outcomes, the run in with law and the subsequent change of heart (?). On the exterior, it seems like a simple coming of age story that could be set any "developing" country in the world with the mentions of youngsters turning to campus crimes, the cult clubs. The corruption, the power dynamics of officials. No doubt it is based on true events Adichie may have experienced during her growing years on the university campus, the fact that crux of the story goes beyond the borders of Nigeria which makes it a powerful narrative in the context of aforementioned 'The Power of a single story' considering it was published as A new Yorker Fiction.
September 24, 2020
The Harsh Reality Revealed in “Cell One”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an author who writes a lot about real world issues such as sexism, racism, and colonization. “Cell One”, is a short story in the book “The Thing around your neck ”, and in “Cell One”, Adichie discusses corruption and harsh prison conditions. “Cell One” is a very nice short story with a lot of strong emotions and views from the author.
The story is narrated by Nnamabia’s younger sister who has a fed up view on her brother's decisions. In Nsukka university campus, where this story is set, there are many cults. The story makes campus shootings and stabbings a regular routine and it becomes a permanent fear in the mind of those willing to get a higher education. The police's inability to control the cults becomes a major problem as they take in anyone without reason or evidence of a crime being committed. The narrator’s brother falls into this and is wrongly taken to prison where he sees the poor treatment of an old man.
When I first read about Nnamabia, I immediately began to dislike him, the fact that he would sweep so low and steal from his own family disgusts me. On top of that, his parents let Nnamabia off easily without much punishment. When Nnamabia gets sent to prison, there is a clear change of attitude visible as he begins to care about the old man being wrongly tortured, this is seen with his conversations with his family, Nnamabia wants to share the food his parents bring him with the old man as he is not fed enough, this shows even more corruption inside the prison, as well as his steady change in character. Witnessing the pain of the old man changes Nnamabia’s character from being a self-centered being into a more understanding and sensitive being.
The climax of the story is when Nnamabia is taken to Cell One, later on, we find out that he was taken to Cell One because he was standing up for the old man, this actually surprised me, I never thought that a man who was so self-obsessed would do anything for anyone else, let alone act in such a manner that could have gotten him killed for someone who wouldn’t even be able to benefit him, this shows his affection for the old man, and I commend it.
In conclusion, “Cell One” is an extraordinarily good read due to its relevance in today's society. However, I feel that there was more action and the story was less descriptive, if there was more description of the characters or the cell, it would’ve given the story a more realistic feel inside the mind of the reader, I say this because I was having trouble picturing what was going on at certain points in the story. Nevertheless, I found it very fun to read because of the narrator’s point of view, Adichie is able to get in multiple points of view by using the little sister as the narrator, she gets the opinions of the parents and the sister. Once I started reading the short story, I just couldn’t stop, the plot is so interesting, there’s always something new taking place, and it drives the action of the story, the end was the most captivating, it leaves the reader with a very melancholy feeling when the narrator says “Nnamabia did not say what had happened to him in “Cell One”, or what happened to him at the new site. It would have been so easy for him, my charming brother, to make a sleek drama about his story, but he did not.” It leaves a restlessness in the mind of the reader, to find out what had happened in Cell One. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick, exciting read full of political fiction.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an author who writes a lot about real world issues such as sexism, racism, and colonization. “Cell One”, is a short story in the book “The Thing around your neck ”, and in “Cell One”, Adichie discusses corruption and harsh prison conditions. “Cell One” is a very nice short story with a lot of strong emotions and views from the author.
The story is narrated by Nnamabia’s younger sister who has a fed up view on her brother's decisions. In Nsukka university campus, where this story is set, there are many cults. The story makes campus shootings and stabbings a regular routine and it becomes a permanent fear in the mind of those willing to get a higher education. The police's inability to control the cults becomes a major problem as they take in anyone without reason or evidence of a crime being committed. The narrator’s brother falls into this and is wrongly taken to prison where he sees the poor treatment of an old man.
When I first read about Nnamabia, I immediately began to dislike him, the fact that he would sweep so low and steal from his own family disgusts me. On top of that, his parents let Nnamabia off easily without much punishment. When Nnamabia gets sent to prison, there is a clear change of attitude visible as he begins to care about the old man being wrongly tortured, this is seen with his conversations with his family, Nnamabia wants to share the food his parents bring him with the old man as he is not fed enough, this shows even more corruption inside the prison, as well as his steady change in character. Witnessing the pain of the old man changes Nnamabia’s character from being a self-centered being into a more understanding and sensitive being.
The climax of the story is when Nnamabia is taken to Cell One, later on, we find out that he was taken to Cell One because he was standing up for the old man, this actually surprised me, I never thought that a man who was so self-obsessed would do anything for anyone else, let alone act in such a manner that could have gotten him killed for someone who wouldn’t even be able to benefit him, this shows his affection for the old man, and I commend it.
In conclusion, “Cell One” is an extraordinarily good read due to its relevance in today's society. However, I feel that there was more action and the story was less descriptive, if there was more description of the characters or the cell, it would’ve given the story a more realistic feel inside the mind of the reader, I say this because I was having trouble picturing what was going on at certain points in the story. Nevertheless, I found it very fun to read because of the narrator’s point of view, Adichie is able to get in multiple points of view by using the little sister as the narrator, she gets the opinions of the parents and the sister. Once I started reading the short story, I just couldn’t stop, the plot is so interesting, there’s always something new taking place, and it drives the action of the story, the end was the most captivating, it leaves the reader with a very melancholy feeling when the narrator says “Nnamabia did not say what had happened to him in “Cell One”, or what happened to him at the new site. It would have been so easy for him, my charming brother, to make a sleek drama about his story, but he did not.” It leaves a restlessness in the mind of the reader, to find out what had happened in Cell One. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a quick, exciting read full of political fiction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2020
Read it in one sitting (for school but was a fast read anyway)
Similar to Jumping Monkey Hill, we follow the main character's POV and thoughts, making me feel like it is a biography
Read for the writing, but not only the story I suppose.
SPOILERS
I don't like the brother character, probably influenced by the main character's thoughts. Everything Nnamabia (the brother) did wrong, was not taken into account by the parents, something that annoyed me is the silence everyone carries while knowing who was the murderer, who was the thief, yet they just let it slide.
I love the main character's straightforward thoughts, even though they are silent too, it is written out 'I wanted to slap her'.
Thing that annoyed me is that we never really found out if Nnamabia was involved in the cults or not, and that this is a story where an egotistical boy saw the process of an old innocent man tortured for no reason then learned a lesson.
Similar to Jumping Monkey Hill, we follow the main character's POV and thoughts, making me feel like it is a biography
Read for the writing, but not only the story I suppose.
SPOILERS
I don't like the brother character, probably influenced by the main character's thoughts. Everything Nnamabia (the brother) did wrong, was not taken into account by the parents, something that annoyed me is the silence everyone carries while knowing who was the murderer, who was the thief, yet they just let it slide.
I love the main character's straightforward thoughts, even though they are silent too, it is written out 'I wanted to slap her'.
Thing that annoyed me is that we never really found out if Nnamabia was involved in the cults or not, and that this is a story where an egotistical boy saw the process of an old innocent man tortured for no reason then learned a lesson.
May 1, 2022
A powerful short story, dealing with corruption and privilege, demonstrating how members of a privileged tier in society are not immune to gang-culture, where violence spreads in ever increasing circles, drawing ever more people into its ambit. Equally, we see how people can be blind to the actions of others, particularly their children, their inaction helping fuel the moral and social decay around them. A vivid and clinically precise tale, worth exploring.
May 8, 2024
A short story mentioned by name in Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out, I read it in hopes it would enlighten me. But, as usual, I'm disappointed by pretentious fiction.
Read
July 15, 2022Words learned from this story:
- Lithe (adjective) : thin and graceful
- Refectory : a cafeteria
- Inane (adjective) : stupid, pointless
-Diffidence (adjective) : the quality or state of being unassertive, meekness
- Waylaid: to ambush someone
- Indignity (noun) : shame, humilitation
- Malaise: a problem or condition that harms or weakens a society
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2021
I really gotta remember which sites have an article limit. Or stop opening tabs in order to keep a reminder of a book to read. Whoops. (Though I probably should start limiting tab quantity anyways; it's probably double-digits if I count the two most-used browsers)
January 31, 2022
If I was able to write the next part of the story (and I would not write it as good as Addichie’s) I would defiantly give Nnamabia a huge role in changing his country’s flawed system.
I would be grateful if we read more of Addichie’s writings, she is very good.
I would be grateful if we read more of Addichie’s writings, she is very good.
November 8, 2022
This book was actually a part of my school syllabus and I’m so glad that it was. The story was such an important one and Adichie is such an amazing story teller. I think more people should read this book and I’m hoping to read more of Adichie in the future .
February 14, 2023
I love how the main characters passiveness lets us see Nnamabia in an unbiased opinion, to prevent us from villainizing him for his crimes, rather than villainizing the criminal justices system and underlying effect of colonialism in Nigeria.
May 17, 2023
Pulling a Claire and marking short stories as read books! 4/5 stars because I really want to know what happened to Nnamabia in cell one?? Theorizing that he killed someone so he wouldn't get killed himself, idk??
April 19, 2025
A really interesting exploration of privilege and entitlement amongst upper class youth--in this case, a son of a university professor who engages in more and more intense forms of thievery when his parents refuse to correct him for fear of public shame.
August 1, 2017
cacw101 week 2
March 14, 2018
Like a sucker punch.
May 31, 2019
A captivating short story telling about a charming brother who gets into trouble and his time in a Nigerian prison.
August 16, 2019
A sharp, biting story.
March 18, 2020
This book did not exceed half an hour in my hands and i love the story and the writing style but it is not like her other books but it still nice
January 28, 2021
A difficult young man causing all sorts of troubles and worrying his parents daily ends up in jail. Could this be his chance at redemption? 3.5 stars.
January 8, 2022
Interesting look into a town in Nigeria and how a teen boy was treated in jail, but left a lot unexplained.
Read
March 16, 2022Short Story/Fiction/BIPOC/Copyright 2007
April 15, 2025
great one gave me a new POV I'm not yet used to as I never really tried delving into the literature and culture and ultimately the struggles of Africa.
September 24, 2020
Nnamabia, a total new person
“Cell One” is a fictional short story written in 2007 by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s stories are very meaningful as she creatively chooses amazing vocabularies that always grab the reader’s attention. I’ve checked out her written works and couldn't agree more on how catchy her stories and novels are which made it compelling for me to read more of hers.
“Cell One” is written in order to thoroughly-describe the reality in prisons, the blindness of parents, the kind of love and care between siblings as well as the injustice and justice system in Nigeria. This short story explains about the unpleasant life of the Nnamabia, the main character, in the narrator’s eye and how the lives of the prisoners in the cell changed the main character’s point of view about society.
Nnamabia, a teenage boy with a fair complexion and large eyes with the perfectly cured mouths, was influenced by others to get involved in antisocial behavior that led him to being caught and put in prison. The beginning of the story vividly introduces the behavior of the main character as the narrator opens to a scene where the main character robs his own house and steals his mom’s jewels, selling it for money. That made me wonder why Nnamabia is risking his own life and could get himself in trouble instead of asking his mom for money if he really needed it.
Later in the story, the narrator describes her brother’s daily lives when he was young—like watching “Sesame Street '' or eating cornflakes for breakfast like a normal kid. Unfortunately, as he grew up, he turned out to be acting shamelessly by robbing other people’s houses and stealing valuable items like TVs and VCRs. This clearly shows how the main character has developed from a normal child to having this kind of behavior in his teenage years.
After Nnamabia was arrested, he learned the lives of prisoners in the cell and how some of them were treated differently from others. The author mentioned an old man who was cruelly mistreated in prison and this really REALLY grabs my attention because this is literally the main point of this whole short story—how just only a few people have the ability to make a person understand the extent of injustice in the prison system and also talks about the political system in his/hers country. At the end, Nnamabia ironically stood up for the old man and this shows how he is willing to support the old man and be counted in order to stop this kind of behavior.
From all this, I really look forward to reading other works from Chimamanda since her stories are so meaningful and, at the same time, give reality facts about the world we live in today.
“Cell One” is a fictional short story written in 2007 by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s stories are very meaningful as she creatively chooses amazing vocabularies that always grab the reader’s attention. I’ve checked out her written works and couldn't agree more on how catchy her stories and novels are which made it compelling for me to read more of hers.
“Cell One” is written in order to thoroughly-describe the reality in prisons, the blindness of parents, the kind of love and care between siblings as well as the injustice and justice system in Nigeria. This short story explains about the unpleasant life of the Nnamabia, the main character, in the narrator’s eye and how the lives of the prisoners in the cell changed the main character’s point of view about society.
Nnamabia, a teenage boy with a fair complexion and large eyes with the perfectly cured mouths, was influenced by others to get involved in antisocial behavior that led him to being caught and put in prison. The beginning of the story vividly introduces the behavior of the main character as the narrator opens to a scene where the main character robs his own house and steals his mom’s jewels, selling it for money. That made me wonder why Nnamabia is risking his own life and could get himself in trouble instead of asking his mom for money if he really needed it.
Later in the story, the narrator describes her brother’s daily lives when he was young—like watching “Sesame Street '' or eating cornflakes for breakfast like a normal kid. Unfortunately, as he grew up, he turned out to be acting shamelessly by robbing other people’s houses and stealing valuable items like TVs and VCRs. This clearly shows how the main character has developed from a normal child to having this kind of behavior in his teenage years.
After Nnamabia was arrested, he learned the lives of prisoners in the cell and how some of them were treated differently from others. The author mentioned an old man who was cruelly mistreated in prison and this really REALLY grabs my attention because this is literally the main point of this whole short story—how just only a few people have the ability to make a person understand the extent of injustice in the prison system and also talks about the political system in his/hers country. At the end, Nnamabia ironically stood up for the old man and this shows how he is willing to support the old man and be counted in order to stop this kind of behavior.
From all this, I really look forward to reading other works from Chimamanda since her stories are so meaningful and, at the same time, give reality facts about the world we live in today.
October 6, 2013
While reading Americanah and being mesmerised by the author, I decided to find some short stories written by her and so I came across "Cell One".
Unfortunately, it chilled my enthusiasm because I didn't enjoy it even half as much as I am enjoying the novel. Nothing is wrong with it, I just couldn't feel any attachment to the characters nor take an interest in a plot. Even though I was supposed to appreciate what Nnamabia did for the old man, I still found him to be a repugnant brat. Anyhow, if anyone is interested in reading it, you can find it here.
Unfortunately, it chilled my enthusiasm because I didn't enjoy it even half as much as I am enjoying the novel. Nothing is wrong with it, I just couldn't feel any attachment to the characters nor take an interest in a plot. Even though I was supposed to appreciate what Nnamabia did for the old man, I still found him to be a repugnant brat. Anyhow, if anyone is interested in reading it, you can find it here.
March 21, 2016
"Nnamabia did not say what had happened to him in Cell One, or what happened at the new site."
Not as engaging as I thought it would be but still interesting. The truthfulness in the situations in stations and prisons, the blindness of parents, the kinds of love a sibling could feel for the other, the compassion someone who doesn't know the word discipline could feel for someone else, it goes on."
2.75
Not as engaging as I thought it would be but still interesting. The truthfulness in the situations in stations and prisons, the blindness of parents, the kinds of love a sibling could feel for the other, the compassion someone who doesn't know the word discipline could feel for someone else, it goes on."
2.75
August 3, 2020
I read this one so I could help my sister with her homework and I think it was alright. It's a coming of age story with a deeper meaning about injustice in the justice system in Nigeria. I'm glad I got to read it. It's worth to read it in between events if you're looking for something quick and thoughtful to read. You won't be disappointed!
December 23, 2013
gets you to have a better understanding on what's really going in Nigeria !!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews