patchworkbunny reviewed Binti by Nnedi Okorafor (Binti, #1)
Review of 'Binti' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Binti needs little introduction and I am late to this trilogy. Binti is the first of her people to go to university and her family are not happy about it. She is Himba, with a gift for mathematics, she paints herself with the clay of her homeland. It grounds her, she is naked without it.
The spaceship taking the new students to Oomba University is attacked on route, by an alien race perpetually at war with the Khoush (representative of white humans). Binti is left alone, sure her lfie is about to end.
Packed into few pages are themes of discrimincation, colonialism, war and the importance of language. Familiar language is a comfort, not understanding someone does not mean they are less civilised. The Meduse have never been able to communicate to humans before, they think they are primitive killers, and vice versa.
I did want it to be longer …
Binti needs little introduction and I am late to this trilogy. Binti is the first of her people to go to university and her family are not happy about it. She is Himba, with a gift for mathematics, she paints herself with the clay of her homeland. It grounds her, she is naked without it.
The spaceship taking the new students to Oomba University is attacked on route, by an alien race perpetually at war with the Khoush (representative of white humans). Binti is left alone, sure her lfie is about to end.
Packed into few pages are themes of discrimincation, colonialism, war and the importance of language. Familiar language is a comfort, not understanding someone does not mean they are less civilised. The Meduse have never been able to communicate to humans before, they think they are primitive killers, and vice versa.
I did want it to be longer and I am reassured by the presence of two other books that will hopefully flesh things out a bit. Maybe it's one of those trilogies best read in one go.
