Binti: Home by Nnedi Okorafor – Book Review

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Binti: Home is full of action, unpredictability, strange things and more growth for Binti as she navigates returning to a home she ran away from and brokering peace between humans and Meduse.

This book is the second novel in the award-winning Binti series by Nnedi Okorafor. The first book, Binti, follows Binti, a Himba girl who runs away from home to study at an intergalactic university and along the way is thrust into a war between humans and aliens called Meduse.

REVIEW

THE PLOT

*This review has some spoilers

I enjoyed this book even more than the first. Binti returns home, and we see her deal with her grief. We also see the reactions of the community she ran away from while being exposed to some new truths. This book reveals more about the desert people, making several parts of the first book make a lot more sense.

It also sheds light on the racism and prejudice among humans. The Khoush look down on the Himba who in turn look down on the desert people who they think are savages. You would think that the Himba people, being victims of racism would be free from it but we see them do it to others and also the inability to accept change even though they make such good technology.

They are still just human and so they are flawed. This is also present in our society. A race looks down on another race who in turn look down on people from their race but from different tribes or countries. Then you wonder, will humans ever learn?

“When you face your deepest fears, when you are ready,” she’d said. “Don’t turn away. Stand tall, endure, face them. If you get through it, they will never harm you again.”

Nnedi is really great at worldbuilding and even in a novella that is more limited than a full novel, we still get a fleshed-out world in this series. The way sci-fi is mixed with African elements continues to feel fresh in this book and I really love what Nnedi is doing with the Africanfuturism genre.

📚 Related: Aliens landing in Lagos, computers growing from seeds, Nnedi Okorafor writes it all!

CHARACTERS

Binti, the main character, is as amazing as ever. She is not perfect though as she is still broken by the tragedy that happened on her way to Oomza university and feels out of place with her tribe’s way of life. But through it all, she is strong and smart and willing to change and to face her demons. We see her struggle with her identity…is she Himba or something else? She is a very fascinating girl to me.

” My ancestors are dancing” Okwu said in Otijihimba, its voice wavering with more emotion than I’d ever heard Okwu convey. Then Okwu swam back into the water. For the next thirty minutes, it danced with the snails.

Okwu is just as mysterious as ever. We still don’t know much about the Meduse but it was interesting seeing it try to get used to life in Binti’s land. The desert people are introduced well and startling truths are revealed. They are quite a fascinating people. Even though we’re introduced to several new characters, it doesn’t get overwhelming.

PS.: The Himba Tribe is actually a real tribe in Namibia.

DISLIKES

I was left at the end with more questions but it’s a novella in a trilogy so it is to be expected. I was angry at the end though, like why lead me through this wonderful tale only to leave me hanging at end…. Why Nnedi why? The cliffhanger was insane.

To be honest I don’t have any dislikes about this book. It’s another great work from Nnedi Okorafor (find out more about her HERE), and I can’t wait for the next and final book in this trilogy.  I wish I have a time travelling machine so I can go forward in time and read the next book.

RATING:

5 stars (I did try to be stingy but I just couldn’t.)

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Binti: Home was a great read. The world in the book is complex but fascinating. Nnedi Okorafor style of writing sci-fi and fantasy is new and fresh to me (I mean there was a pregnant spaceship in the book) and I have read enough sci-fi and fantasy books for a lifetime so you can trust me. I recommend this to everyone, you won’t be disappointed. But then again this is just my opinion😉.

Why not check it out for yourself? You can get it on amazon or in bookstores around you. If you’re in Nigeria, this series is published here by Ouida Books so you can buy it from their bookstore.

If you’re looking for more Africanfuturism books to read, here are some recommendations;

Click the images to find out more about these books

Chat time. What are your top three sci-fi/fantasy books? Have you read this book or any of Nnedi Okorafor’s books? Do tell (so we can fangirl over it together). Oh and don’t forget to subscribe.