diff --git a/examples/avro_read.rs b/examples/avro_read.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..33a1e717b47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/avro_read.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+use std::fs::File;
+use std::io::BufReader;
+use std::sync::Arc;
+
+use arrow2::error::Result;
+use arrow2::io::avro::read;
+
+fn main() -> Result<()> {
+    use std::env;
+    let args: Vec<String> = env::args().collect();
+
+    let path = &args[1];
+
+    let file = &mut BufReader::new(File::open(path)?);
+
+    let (avro_schema, schema, codec, file_marker) = read::read_metadata(file)?;
+
+    println!("{:#?}", avro_schema);
+
+    let reader = read::Reader::new(
+        read::Decompressor::new(read::BlockStreamIterator::new(file, file_marker), codec),
+        avro_schema,
+        Arc::new(schema),
+    );
+
+    for batch in reader {
+        let batch = batch?;
+        assert!(batch.num_rows() > 0);
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
diff --git a/examples/csv_read_async.rs b/examples/csv_read_async.rs
index fa0e9481fc5..c893f59d809 100644
--- a/examples/csv_read_async.rs
+++ b/examples/csv_read_async.rs
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 use std::sync::Arc;
 
-use futures::io::Cursor;
 use tokio::fs::File;
 use tokio_util::compat::*;
 
-use arrow2::array::*;
 use arrow2::error::Result;
 use arrow2::io::csv::read_async::*;
 
diff --git a/examples/growable.rs b/examples/growable.rs
index cc8b7573e49..c79d9cd0cbb 100644
--- a/examples/growable.rs
+++ b/examples/growable.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 use arrow2::array::growable::{Growable, GrowablePrimitive};
-use arrow2::array::{Array, PrimitiveArray};
+use arrow2::array::PrimitiveArray;
 
 fn main() {
     // say we have two sorted arrays
diff --git a/examples/parquet_read_parallel.rs b/examples/parquet_read_parallel.rs
index 19d58d130e6..38f180d4739 100644
--- a/examples/parquet_read_parallel.rs
+++ b/examples/parquet_read_parallel.rs
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
-use crossbeam_channel::unbounded;
-use parquet2::metadata::ColumnChunkMetaData;
-
 use std::fs::File;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use std::thread;
 use std::time::SystemTime;
 
+use crossbeam_channel::unbounded;
+
 use arrow2::{
     array::Array, error::Result, io::parquet::read, io::parquet::read::MutStreamingIterator,
     record_batch::RecordBatch,
diff --git a/src/io/avro/read/deserialize.rs b/src/io/avro/read/deserialize.rs
index 2ef82a324c7..a4a87620314 100644
--- a/src/io/avro/read/deserialize.rs
+++ b/src/io/avro/read/deserialize.rs
@@ -62,23 +62,45 @@ fn make_mutable(
     })
 }
 
-#[inline]
+fn is_union_null_first(avro_field: &AvroSchema) -> bool {
+    if let AvroSchema::Union(schemas) = avro_field {
+        schemas.variants()[0] == AvroSchema::Null
+    } else {
+        unreachable!()
+    }
+}
+
 fn deserialize_item<'a>(
     array: &mut dyn MutableArray,
     is_nullable: bool,
+    avro_field: &AvroSchema,
     mut block: &'a [u8],
 ) -> Result<&'a [u8]> {
     if is_nullable {
-        // variant 0 is always the null in a union array
-        if util::zigzag_i64(&mut block)? == 0 {
+        let variant = util::zigzag_i64(&mut block)?;
+        let is_null_first = is_union_null_first(avro_field);
+        if is_null_first && variant == 0 || !is_null_first && variant != 0 {
             array.push_null();
             return Ok(block);
         }
     }
+    deserialize_value(array, avro_field, block)
+}
 
+fn deserialize_value<'a>(
+    array: &mut dyn MutableArray,
+    avro_field: &AvroSchema,
+    mut block: &'a [u8],
+) -> Result<&'a [u8]> {
     let data_type = array.data_type();
     match data_type {
         DataType::List(inner) => {
+            let avro_inner = if let AvroSchema::Array(inner) = avro_field {
+                inner.as_ref()
+            } else {
+                unreachable!()
+            };
+
             let is_nullable = inner.is_nullable();
             let array = array
                 .as_mut_any()
@@ -93,7 +115,7 @@ fn deserialize_item<'a>(
 
                 let values = array.mut_values();
                 for _ in 0..len {
-                    block = deserialize_item(values, is_nullable, block)?;
+                    block = deserialize_item(values, is_nullable, avro_inner, block)?;
                 }
                 array.try_push_valid()?;
             }
@@ -238,8 +260,12 @@ pub fn deserialize(
 
     // this is _the_ expensive transpose (rows -> columns)
     for _ in 0..rows {
-        for (array, field) in arrays.iter_mut().zip(schema.fields().iter()) {
-            block = deserialize_item(array.as_mut(), field.is_nullable(), block)?
+        for ((array, field), avro_field) in arrays
+            .iter_mut()
+            .zip(schema.fields().iter())
+            .zip(avro_schemas.iter())
+        {
+            block = deserialize_item(array.as_mut(), field.is_nullable(), avro_field, block)?
         }
     }
     let columns = arrays.iter_mut().map(|array| array.as_arc()).collect();