Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Re-reading a high school classic, at least where I come from. It's mainly about Okonkwo, a powerful man in an African tribe with a short temper and a violent streak. He is obsessed with being rich, strong, manly, and powerful because he hated what his father - a gentle but lazy man who depended on others for food - has become. The first part of the book is about life in the tribe. In the second part, a group of missionaries find their village and begin to 'convert' people while people like Okonkwo struggle to cling to the old ways.
Awesome thread btw! I've listed down several new books I'd like to read