Binti, by Nnedi Okorafor is one of the best things I have read in quite a while, and I’ve read a number of very good books. Ms. Okorafor’s books resonate with me in a way that many other wonderful books don’t. That’s because these works have an Indigenous mindset and outlook. They are woven. And connected. Binti not only concerns itself with the main character’s decision to leave a finely woven net of family, tradition, and the earth, there’s the contentiousness of making that decision. It not only concerns itself with aliens who aren’t very happy with humans. It concerns the thoughtlessness which drives colonial actions, even academic actions, and the consequences of such thoughtlessness. Through all of this, there are wonders, questions, and harmony. At the end, I found myself wanting more of Binti’s story, and it was with absolute joy I found out there will be another novella, early in ‘017.
In this, Binti and Okwu travel to Earth. I can’t even say how very much I look forward to more of Binti’s story, and Okwu’s too. You can explore more at nnedi.com.
When Ursula Le Guin says a writer’s good, I’m going to buy the book. That’s kind of like having Mozart say nice things about your composing.
Ursula K. Le Guin’s opinion of Okorafor’s work is shared by a sufficiently large segment of fandom that Binti won the Hugo Award for Best Novella this year.
Heh heh, Mozart. I think LeGuin’s good opinion is worth ten times more than his.
Why is my reading list getting so long?