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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
One of the best books I've read all year.
Better the devil you know than the devil you dont. A unique insight into society from the views of an 'outsider', who has her childhood taken due to the demands for money that exists upon her immigration to America, and upon her introduction to adult content through the media. This book brings to light the threats to young people in this country, which juxtaposes the threats to women (as seen through Chipo's character) and adults in Africa. I'd recomend this book to anyone! ****
Not sure how to feel about this one. There were parts that were so beautiful and powerfully written. Especially having just read GoW, I could make a lot of connections between the descriptions of the experience of being an outsider/foreigner. The narrative of this was just a bit too jumpy for me. I suppose each episode contributed to the overall narrative, but they were just so random (to me). The chapters and sections that were beautiful were really powerful, and I guess that would make this more of a 3.5 stars for me.
It hardly seems like it can have been more than 20 years since I spent a semester in Zimbabwe as a college student. This book snapped me back to those memories, but also viscerally evokes how much Zimbabwe has ... Changed? Fallen apart? in the years since. Bulawayo charges through her narrative like a merciless township lorry. A heartbreaking book about the diaspora of a country that was once the hope of the front-line states.
We Need New Names tells the story of Darling, a ten year old girl living in Zimbabwe. This reads as more of a collection of short stories about the same girl, as opposed to a full-fledged novel. Darling is a rambunctious and curious child who, along with her close group of friends, spend their days trying to live in a violent and cruel world that has been ravaged by war and poverty. The kids wander around the village and nearby town, stealing guavas, and playing made up games about war. These stories about the kids adventures were interesting and heartbreaking. Darling dreams of escaping to America, where her aunt lives, and the second half of the novel follows Darling as she goes to live with her aunt in America, where she struggles to balance the "normal" problems of adolescence and those of an immigrant in a new country. I was not as impressed with the second half of the novel. I felt like there was nothing too special about it, and I did not feel as engaged in Darling's story in America as I did when she was in Zimbabwe. I agree with another reviewer on here that the author tried to tackle too many different issues at once and they all kind of felt half hearted. I can sympathize with Darling's feelings of displacement in a new country and I usually love these types of stories, but this one fell a little flat for me. I would have given the first half five stars, but had to bring my review down to three because of the second half. The first half reminded me a lot about To Kill A Mockingbird (my favorite book), as there were a lot of similarities between the female child narrators, Darling and Scout. I did learn a lot about Zimbabwe though, which was an interesting setting, particularly told from the viewpoint of a child.
The best thing I've read in a while. Brilliant evocation of Africa; Darling tell the story of Zimbabwe falling apart through a child's eyes; innocent and funny but profoundly poignant. Later she moves to America, another experience entirely and where she learns the harsh realities of being an immigrant in a land you can never call your own. The last chapter is particularly heart-wrenching and the sense of displacement complete. No optimistic ending here - the author hits you hard - but at the same time provides a realistic, 'in-your-face' portrait of the immigrant experience.
Happy at times and sad at times but so colorfully written and read. You feel you understand a slice of what it must be like to never see home again, both in the immediate loss of leaving and growing loss of missing it all.
Another book club selection. I found this book so painful to read. The lives of Darling and her friends are brutal, and Bulawayo tells the story with plainness and an attention to detail that does not spare the reader's squeamishness. On the other hand, Darling has a voice that is mischievous and curious, witty and imaginative, so that it is hard to stop reading about her. I had to take breaks from reading, but I always found I wanted to go back for more.
The story starts out in Zimbabwe, with Darling living in a shantytown, running wild with a bunch of other shantytown children. She's hungry and feral, but she knows who she is and how she belongs to her place. The second half of the book takes place in America, with Darling adjusting to life as a teenaged immigrant with an expired visa. She's aware that she's not at home, she's homesick, but she can't go back without giving up her chance to escape the brutal life she left behind. Both halves of the book are heartbreaking, but in a way the second half is more heartbreaking, even though it contains what we might think of as the hope that Darling might truly escape the brutality of her old life.
Most of the book is written in the voice of Darling, but there are a couple of chapters that are told from a collective voice. Although this book tells a painful story, there is a lot of pleasure in reading it, because of the precision and originality of NoViolet Bulawayo's writing.
The story starts out in Zimbabwe, with Darling living in a shantytown, running wild with a bunch of other shantytown children. She's hungry and feral, but she knows who she is and how she belongs to her place. The second half of the book takes place in America, with Darling adjusting to life as a teenaged immigrant with an expired visa. She's aware that she's not at home, she's homesick, but she can't go back without giving up her chance to escape the brutal life she left behind. Both halves of the book are heartbreaking, but in a way the second half is more heartbreaking, even though it contains what we might think of as the hope that Darling might truly escape the brutality of her old life.
Most of the book is written in the voice of Darling, but there are a couple of chapters that are told from a collective voice. Although this book tells a painful story, there is a lot of pleasure in reading it, because of the precision and originality of NoViolet Bulawayo's writing.
A beautiful book. Written through varying perspectives of age it gives an intimate story of growing up in a country rife with violence, hunger and change. The first half of the book was beautiful to read, capturing childhood innocence perfectly and showing serious topics through a child's eyes, however the gravity of the situations are still apparent and sometimes quite distressing.
emotional
reflective
fast-paced