NOOR
by
NNEDI OKORAFOR
It was such a great feeling, to finally hold Nnedi’s new book in my hands. I ordered Noor as soon as it was announced. Nnedi offers some signed copies of it at AfriWare Books and as far as I've got nearly all her books, I decided that this time, it should be a signed copy. Holy crab, after tax this book cost me more than 70$, but it is wearth every cent and will find a special place in my home, where I can see it, when thinking about this wonderfull writer. And I will, from time to time, reade some passages again, to see, what they cause inside of me.
Due to some unexpected circumstances, it took a little longer, but finally, I got my copy before Christmas.
Nnedi Okorafor's NOOR |
I immediately started reading, but then I asked myself, wait? This book is not made for binge reading. This former novel is now an epic. It is full of metaphors and beauty, and it is science fiction, the genre I love most. So, after starting, I decided to put the book away after one chapter at a time, then to close my eyes and follow the dreams, Nnedi created in this African futurism book.
Yes, you heard, right. It's called African futurism and NOT Afrofuturism. African Futurism is a subgenre of science fiction, and from the beginning of the book you can feel and see that. AO is half Organism and half technology. As far as I understood, all parties mentioned in this book have interest in enhancing human beings by technology. Of course, their goals are different and like always, I don't want to tell too much about the content of this book, but the story Nnedi wrote, can be understood like a fable, showing our real world evolving in more technology and difficulties, but with one thing staying at it has always been. Human feelings. Emotions. Laugh. Hate. Fear. The weakness of being strong. And there's always someone who knows more. When AO tells her story, I can see a lot of Nnedi Okorafor, I only know from social media. Loving the silence of the desert, the absence of people, being different. Dropping periwinkles name from time to time has more than one reason. It's not only the name of her cat from outer space, but periwinkle for me also show the power of Nature.
I think it's time to stop philosophizing about this book.
From the bottom of my heart, I recommend you, read all of Nnedi’s books, especially NOOR.
Also, in LAGOON I learned a lot about Nigeria and Lagos, I didn't know before.
Shame on me. There are 20 million people in that city. And 200 million people live in Nigeria.
Lagos is the biggest town in Africa and hosts the second biggest film industry in the world. Number one is Bollywood, what brings Hollywood to the third place.
Thank you, Nnedi for this awesome book. I'm looking forward to read your next story, Akata woman.
(Sorry for my english)
Faithfully
Axel writes
, this is what we do.
Covertext
Anwuli Okwudili prefers to be called AO. To her,
these initials have always stood for Artificial
Organism. AO has never really felt...natural,
and that's putting it lightly. Her parents
spent most of the days before she was born
praying for her peaceful passing because
even in-utero she was "wrong." But she lived.
Then came the car accident years later that
disabled her even further. Yet instead of
viewing her strange body the way the world
views it, as freakish, unnatural, even the
work of the devil, AO embraces all that she is:
a woman with a ton of major and necessary
body augmentations. And then one day she
goes to her local market and everything goes
wrong.
Once on the run, she meets a Fulani herdsman
named DNA and the race against time across
the deserts of Northern Nigeria begins. In a
world where all things are streamed, everyone
is watching the “reckoning of the murderess
and the terrorist” and the “saga of the wicked
woman and mad man" unfold. This fast-paced,
relentless journey of tribe, destiny, body,
and the wonderland of technology revels in
the fact that the future sometimes isn't so
predictable.
Expect the unaccepted.
Nnedi Okorafor |
was born in the United States to two Igbo (Nigerian) immigrant parents.
She holds a PhD in English and was a professor of creative writing at Chicago State University.
She has been the winner of many awards for her short stories and young adult books, and won a World Fantasy Award for Who Fears Death. Nnedi's books are inspired by her Nigerian heritage and her many trips to Africa. She lives in Chicago with her daughter Anyaugo and family. She can be contacted via her website, nnedi.com