Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

International award-winning author Nnedi Okorafor enters the world of magical realist literature with a powerful story of genocide in the far future and of the woman who reshapes her world

In a post-apocalyptic Africa, the world has changed in many ways, yet in one region genocide between tribes still bloodies the landAfter years of enslaving the Okeke people, the Nuru tribe has decided to follow the Great Book and exterminate the Okeke tribe for goodAn Okeke woman who has survived the annihilation of her village and a terrible rape by an enemy general wanders into the desert hoping to dieInstead, she gives birth to an angry baby girl with hair and skin the color of sandGripped by the certainty that her daughter is different--special--she names her child Onyesonwu, which means Who Fears Death? in an ancient tongue

From a young age, stubborn, willful Onyesonwu is troubleIt doesn't take long for her to understand that she is physically and socially marked by the circumstances of her violent conceptionShe is Ewu--a child of rape who is expected to live a life of violence, a half-breed rejected by both tribes

But Onye is not the average EwuAs a child, Onye's singing attracts owlsBy the age of eleven, she can change into a vultureBut these amazing abilities are merely the first glimmers of a remarkable and unique magicAs Onye grows, so do her abilities--soon she can manipulate matter and flesh, or travel beyond into the spiritual worldDuring an inadvertent visit to this other realm she learns something terrifying: someone powerful is trying to kill her

Desperate to elude her would-be murderer, and to understand her own nature, she seeks help from the magic practitioners of her villageBut, even among her mother's people, she meets with frustrating prejudice because she is Ewu and femaleYet Onyesonwu persists

Eventually her magical destiny and her rebellious nature will force her to leave home on a quest that will be perilous in ways that Onyesonwu can not possibly imagineFor this journey will cause her to grapple with nature, tradition, history, true love, and the spiritual mysteries of her culture, and ultimately to learn why she was given the name she bears: Who Fears Death?