What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Thing Around Your Neck
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie · Book · 2010
If you loved The Thing Around Your Neck, start with Orange Is the New Black (Jenji Kohan, 2013) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Thing Around Your Neck across media.
You loved The Thing Around Your Neck because it masterfully explores how personal identity is shaped by cultural displacement and complex relationships.
Films on the same thread
A Separation
Asghar Farhadi · Film · 2011
Explores: Moral Dilemma, Family Obligations, Aging Parents.
Like the characters in The Thing Around Your Neck, this film explores the profound moral weight of family obligations and the difficult choices forced by one's national and cultural context.
Your Name.
Makoto Shinkai · Film · 2016
Explores: Fate, Interconnectedness, Rural vs. Urban Life.
If you appreciated the way The Thing Around Your Neck navigates the friction between disparate worlds, you will find this exploration of interconnectedness and shifting perspectives deeply resonant and moving.
Imitation of Life
Douglas Sirk · Film · 1959
Shares 2 threads with The Thing Around Your Neck: Mother-Daughter Relationships, Class Differences.
This film echoes the exploration of racial identity and the complexities of mother-daughter dynamics found in The Thing Around Your Neck, examining how social status dictates personal reality.
Incendies
Film · 2010
Explores: Family Secrets, Generational Trauma, The Horrors of War.
Much like the intimate, harrowing stories in The Thing Around Your Neck, this journey into generational trauma reveals how hidden family secrets define an individual's sense of self and history.
Series on the same thread
Orange Is the New Black
Jenji Kohan · Series · 2013
Explores: Female Ensemble, Incarceration, Social Class.
Just as The Thing Around Your Neck examines the intersection of identity and environment, this series captures how changing social circumstances force a reevaluation of one's place in society.
Insecure
Issa Rae · Series · 2016
Explores: Black female friendship, modern dating, career struggles.
If the honest, character-driven look at modern Black identity in The Thing Around Your Neck captured your attention, you will value this nuanced portrayal of friendship and contemporary life.
The O.C.
Josh Schwartz · Series · 2003
Shares a thread with The Thing Around Your Neck: Class Differences.
This drama mirrors the tension between personal identity and class expectations explored in The Thing Around Your Neck, focusing on the experience of navigating an unfamiliar, privileged social world.
Gilmore Girls
Amy Sherman-Palladino · Series · 2000
Shares a thread with The Thing Around Your Neck: Class Differences.
The sharp, insightful look at mother-daughter relationships in The Thing Around Your Neck finds a parallel here, as this series digs into the complexities of intergenerational bonds and social standing.
Podcasts on the same thread
1619
The New York Times · Podcast · 2019
Explores: systemic racism, national identity, legacy of slavery.
If you were drawn to the sociopolitical commentary in The Thing Around Your Neck, this series provides a vital, expansive look at how historical systems shape the modern identity of individuals.
This American Life
This American Life · Podcast · 2026
Explores: The human condition, Personal narrative, Social observation.
Just as The Thing Around Your Neck uses short, powerful vignettes to capture the human condition, this podcast highlights personal narratives that reveal the complexity of living in a changing world.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Thing Around Your Neck a novel or a collection of stories?
The Thing Around Your Neck is a collection of twelve short stories written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Published in 2010, these stories explore intimate themes regarding the relationships between men and women, parents and children, and the cultural connections between Nigeria and the United States.
What is the primary focus of the stories in The Thing Around Your Neck?
The stories in The Thing Around Your Neck focus on the personal ties that bind individuals together. Adichie examines the complexities of human relationships and the lived experiences of characters navigating the cultural landscapes of Nigeria and the United States through her penetrating narrative lens.
Who is the author of The Thing Around Your Neck?
The Thing Around Your Neck was written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. She is an acclaimed author who also wrote Half of a Yellow Sun and is the winner of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction.
Are there specific plot examples in The Thing Around Your Neck?
Yes, The Thing Around Your Neck includes stories such as A Private Experience. In this specific piece, a medical student is forced to hide from a violent riot alongside a poor Muslim woman, illustrating the intimate and intense nature of the stories featured throughout the collection.