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jbradley 's review for:
We Need New Names
by NoViolet Bulawayo
WE NEED NEW NAMES by NoViolet Bulawayo, set in Zimbabwe and America, gives a divided look at the immigrant experience. While I admit I don’t know a lot about the Zimbabwean struggle for independence and its aftermath, I have read a number of fictional accounts of the devastation of colonialism and the struggle for autonomy in African nations. This one is unique in the way it draws the reader in through the lives of impoverished children who live in an ironically named shantytown called Paradise.
The protagonist, Darling, spends her days roaming with her friends—stealing fruit and playing the games they’ve invented. Her grandmother thinks her friends are a bad influence but cannot really keep Darling in line. Her mother has gone to the border to sell and her father hasn’t been heard from since he left for South Africa.
Despite their bleak existence and their sharp insights, the children retain some innocence. As underfed children their twin preoccupations are food and play. When things were more stable, the children went to school and their knowledge of geography and politics probably rivals that of children who have attended school continuously. While some think of going to neighboring countries like South Africa and Botswana, Darling’s dream is to go to America where her aunt Fostalina lives.
In this searing account of the dilemmas that surround the immigrant experience, Darling doesn’t want to stay in her homeland under difficult conditions but feels punished for leaving and anger burns within her when she realizes that she may not be able achieve the grand dreams she had for her life in America.
You can read the rest of my review on my booksploitation book blog.
The protagonist, Darling, spends her days roaming with her friends—stealing fruit and playing the games they’ve invented. Her grandmother thinks her friends are a bad influence but cannot really keep Darling in line. Her mother has gone to the border to sell and her father hasn’t been heard from since he left for South Africa.
Despite their bleak existence and their sharp insights, the children retain some innocence. As underfed children their twin preoccupations are food and play. When things were more stable, the children went to school and their knowledge of geography and politics probably rivals that of children who have attended school continuously. While some think of going to neighboring countries like South Africa and Botswana, Darling’s dream is to go to America where her aunt Fostalina lives.
In this searing account of the dilemmas that surround the immigrant experience, Darling doesn’t want to stay in her homeland under difficult conditions but feels punished for leaving and anger burns within her when she realizes that she may not be able achieve the grand dreams she had for her life in America.
You can read the rest of my review on my booksploitation book blog.