
English Language and Literature ETDs
Publication Date
Spring 5-16-2025
Abstract
Today You Become a Man is a memoir in essays about growing up as a first son under the weight of Igbo patriarchy. Set in 1980s and ’90s Enugu, Nigeria, the book follows my childhood relationship with my father, a drunk, Americanized version of an Igbo man, and how that shaped the way I came to understand what it meant to be male. Through essays that move back and forth in time, the memoir looks at the roles played by my mother, sisters, extended family, and especially my father, in shaping how I saw myself and what was expected of me. The final essay returns to my father’s burial, where the training continues. At the center of the book is a question: what does it cost to be raised as a symbol of tradition, and how does that shape the men first sons become?
Degree Name
MFA Creative Writing
Level of Degree
Masters
Department Name
English
First Committee Member (Chair)
Gregory Martin
Second Committee Member
Daniel Mueller
Third Committee Member
Bethany Davila
Fourth Committee Member
Chika Unigwe
Language
English
Keywords
Culture, Patriarchy, Igbo, Nigeria, Family, Manhood, Tradition
Document Type
Dissertation
Recommended Citation
Aniegboka, Kanayochukwu Edwin. "Today You Become a Man." (2025). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/engl_etds/417