Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is the author of books like Americanah and Half of a Yellow Sun. In this animated interview, the Nigerian-born author describes coming to America for college and being floored by how little her classmates knew about Africa. Cautioning against a single story has become a tenet of her life’s work. “I don't think stereotypes are problematic because they're false. That's too simple,” she says. “Stereotypes are problematic because they're incomplete.”

We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.