Nnedi Okorafor – MostlyFiction Book Reviews We Love to Read! Sat, 28 Oct 2017 19:51:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.18 KABU KABU by Nnedi Okorafor /2014/kabu-kabu-by-nnedi-okorafor/ Sun, 23 Mar 2014 12:30:42 +0000 /?p=26049 Book Quote:

“Lance the Brave stood on the edge of the cliff panicking, his long blond hair blowing in the breeze. Behind him, they were coming fast through the lush grassy field. All Lance could do was stare, his cheeks flushed. Once upon him, they would suck the life from his soul, like lions sucking meat from the bones of a fresh kill. He held his long sword high. Its silver handle was encrusted with heavy blue jewels and it felt so right in his hand.”

Book Review:

Review by Friederike Knabe  (MAR 23, 2014)

Nnedi Okorafor’s story collection Kabu Kabu, published in 2013, provides the reader with a fascinating glimpse into the author’s rich imagination, vibrant language and captivating scenarios. Created at different stages in her extensive writing career, Okorafor treats us to a range of intriguing characters and their adventures, skilfully (and successfully) combining elements of speculative fiction and fantasy with African folklore and magical realism, and yes, indeed, political and social present day issues. Many of her stories have been nominated, shortlisted and/or have won literary recognition and awards as have her novels.

Born in the US of Nigerian parents, Nnedi Okorafor developed strong ties to her parents’ home country since her childhood. Not surprisingly, her stories here are set in Nigeria – the real and the imagined society. In fact, Okorafor is a convincing advocate for African science fiction category of storytelling. It opens, among others, new avenues for creating future realities.

Admittedly, I am not usually a great fan of speculative fiction, yet, Okorafor has captured my attention and imagination, from the first story to the last – all twenty one of them. I particular enjoyed the character of Arro-yo, the “windseeker”, who appears in several somewhat linked stories. Arro-yo is an outcast in her community because she can capture the wind and fly. Okorafor expands with her stories on African folklore that singled out girls born with “locked hair” and who had special powers. They could bring misery and misfortune to their home and were therefore chased away. Arro-yo’s adventures in Okorafor’s stories are nonetheless anchored very much in reality, whether she is caught up in civil unrest or fears for her life for other reasons.

The title story, Kabu Kabu – the name for an unlicensed taxi – sets the reader up for a roller coaster of a ride. The protagonist, a young woman living in Chicago, needs to catch a plane to return to Nigeria for a wedding… a hilarious escapade and a great opening story for the adventures that follow in Africa… humorous at times, serious at others, yet always engaging and thought provoking. It would take too long to introduce other stories… just read them all. Whoopi Goldberg provides a motivating introduction to the book

AMAZON READER RATING: stars-5-0 from 5 readers
PUBLISHER: Prime Books (October 2, 2013)
REVIEWER: Friederike Knabe
AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK? YES! Start Reading Now!
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]]> WHO FEARS DEATH by Nnedi Okorafor /2010/who-fears-death-by-nnedi-okorafor/ Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:44:42 +0000 /?p=9748 Book Quote:

“You have to jump!” someone yelled.

My father and some boy holding a basket over his head were below. I gnashed my teeth and grasped the branch more tightly, angry and embarrassed.

Papa held his arms out. “Jump!” he shouted.

I hesitated, thinking I don’t want to die again. I whimpered. In order to avoid my subsequent thoughts, I jumped. Papa and I tumbled to the wet iroko fruit-covered ground. I scrambled up and pressed myself to him trying to hide as he took off his shirt. I quickly slipped it on. The smell of the mashed fruits was strong and bitter in the rain. We’d need a good bath to get the smell and purple stains off our skin. Papa’s clothes were ruined. I looked around. The boy was gone.

Book Review:

Review by Ann Wilkes (JUN 3, 2010)

Who Fears Death is a supernatural odyssey set in an alternate, post-apocalyptic Africa. The unnamed event that devastated this alternate Earth destroyed most of its technology.

Onyesonwu spent her first several years leading a nomadic life with her mother in the desert. The product of a brutal rape, Onye is half Okeke and half Nuru. Her obvious physical traits from her mixed blood brand her as an ewu. The word means born of pain, and many people believe that those born of violence will themselves become violent. They are despised and shunned.

One day, when she was eleven, she studied the feathers left by a sparrow an eagle had just killed. After feeling strange and wretching, she blacks out and wakes up in a tree, with no idea how she got there. She learns later that she had transformed into a bird and flown miles away.

Onye defies her mother and loving step-father to undergo the rite of circumcision. She feels that bucking tradition would make her even more of an outcast, bringing them more shame. One of the most compelling aspects of this novel is the close relationships that form between the eleven-year-old girls who share the ritual. Finally, Onye, the pariah, has friends, peers with whom she can confide and count on.

Onye’s abilities continue to manifest. She can heal wounds and even briefly animates her dead step-father on his funeral pyre when she is sixteen. Mwita, an ewu himself, works for the only person who can help Onye understand the changes happening to her. He tries to get his master to teach Onye, but Mwita’s arrogant master refuses to teach a girl.

Okorafor’s characters are ultra-real with hauntingly intimate thoughts and inner conflicts. Onye journeys through the desert while journeying from helpless outcast to powerful adversary and reluctant savior of her people. Mwita, whom she cannot help but love, provides perspective, balance, support and strength to her when she needs it.

The novel’s alternate Africa is shackled by tribal warfare, genocide, oppression and the subjugation of women. Who Fears Death speaks to all of these issues and more with an engaging tale that will stick with you long after you’ve read its last page.

AMAZON READER RATING: stars-4-5from 63 readers
PUBLISHER: DAW Hardcover (June 1, 2010)
REVIEWER: Ann Wilkes
AVAILABLE AS A KINDLE BOOK? YES! Start Reading Now!
AUTHOR WEBSITE: Nnedi Okorafor
EXTRAS:
MORE ON MOSTLYFICTION: Two authors that she reminds us of:

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