Who Fears Death
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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?
"Haunting and absolutely brilliantMy heart and guts are all turned inside out." —John Green, New York Times-bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars
"Who Fears Death is one of the most striking, chilling, truly fascinating, and all-around remarkable novels I've read in a very long time.” —Peter S. Beagle, bestselling author of The Last Unicorn
"Nnedi Okorafor is American-born but her Nigerian blood runs strong, lacing her work with fantasy, magic and true African reality. Many people need to read Who Fears Death, it's an important book." —Nawal El Saadawi, bestselling author of Woman at Point Zero
"To compare author Nnedi Okorafor to the late Octavia E. Butler would be easy to do, but this simple comparison should not detract from Okorafor’s unique storytelling gift." —New York Journal of Books
"Both wondrously magical and terribly realistic." —The Washington Post
"Believable, nuanced characters of color and an unbiased view of an Africa full of technology, mysticism, culture clashes and true love." —Ebony Magazine (editor's pick)
"A fantastical, magical blend of grand storytelling." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Beautifully written, this is dystopian fantasy at its very best. Expertly exploring issues of race, gender, and cultural identity, Okorafor blends future fantasy with the rhythm and feel of African storytelling. " —Library Journal (starred review)
"Her pacing is tight. Her expository sections sing like poetry. Descriptions of paranormal people and battles are disturbingly vivid and palpable. But most crucial to the book's success is how the author slowly transforms Onye's pursuit of her rapist father from a personal vendetta to a struggle to transform the social systems that created him." —The Village Voice
"Okorafor is a master storyteller who combines recent history, fantasy, tradition, advanced technology, and culture into something wonderful and new that should not be missed." —RT Book Review (top pick)
Nnedi Okorafor (nnedi.com), the first black woman to win the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, is the first black woman to win the award. She's also a Hugo and Nebula Award winner. She possesses a Ph.D. in English and is a professor at SUNY Buffalo. She was born in the United States to two Igbo (Nigerian) immigrant parents and raised in both countries. She splits her time between Buffalo and the Chicago suburbs, where she and her daughter Anyaugo (Anya) dwell. Nnedi's work spans early chapter books through adult short tales and lengthier fiction, and has been published in both Africa and the United States.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780756406691 |
| ISBN 10 | 0756406692 |
| Title | Who Fears Death |
| Author | Nnedi Okorafor |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Astra Publishing House |
| Year published | 2011-06-07 |
| Number of pages | 400 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |