Book excerpt: Born of Ibo parents in Nigeria, Buchi Emecheta is widely known for her multi-layered stories of black women struggling to maintain their identity and construct viable lives for themselves and their families. She writes, according to The New York Times, with "subtlety, power, and abundant compassion". George Braziller is proud to have published nine of Emecheta's novels over the course of twenty-four years.Ngbeke and Ogoli learn about the true nature of beauty. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.