Never look an American in the eye : a memoir : flying turtles, colonial ghosts, and the making of a Nigerian American / Okey Ndibe.

English Dreams, Communist Fantasies, and American Wrestling -- Never Look an American in the Eye -- My Commission and a Chilly American Reception -- Sleepless in New York -- Nigerian, Going Dutch -- Fitting the Description -- Are You Okay? -- A Norwegian "Okay" Interlude -- On a Croc's Back, America-Bound -- Will Edit for Food -- Lying to Be a Writer -- Writing, Reading, Food, Some Ass Kicking -- A Brand-New American -- An African Folktale, a Wall Street Lesson -- A Dying Father, Dreams of Burma and England -- Wole Soyinka Saves My Christmas -- Crashing a Party, Changing Hearts.

"Okey Ndibe's funny, charming, and penetrating memoir tells of his move from Nigeria to America, where he came to edit the influential--but forever teetering on the verge of insolvency--African Commentary magazine. It recounts stories of Ndibe's relationships with Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, and other literary figures; examines the differences between Nigerian and American etiquette and politics; recalls an incident of racial profiling just 13 days after he arrived in the US, in which he was mistaken for a bank robber; considers American stereotypes about Africa (and vice-versa); and juxtaposes African folk tales with Wall Street trickery. All these stories and more come together in a generous, encompassing book about the making of a writer and a new American"--