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dandelionfluff 's review for:
Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595
by Patricia McKissack
A week or so ago, I had this realization that I loved these books when I was younger. I remember keeping my copy on Marie Antoinette close and rather on display so everyone could see my beautiful princess book. There was total distress when pencil marks or dirt got on it in any way. (And the gold edges? I adored it all. Looking back, I was kinda obnoxious about the whole thing). So, when I visited my local library, I made sure to see if they had this series on hand. Ended up leaving with 3, and will probably get more next time.
So, this is first in the stack! We need more middle grade books about African historical figures, so I was really looking forward to this one. Nzingha is a new person for me, but I feel this story was too brief to serve any justice to her character. While it's clear she's very strong from a young age, what confuses me is how the book's supplemental material makes her sound like a staunch anti-slavery warrior queen. Slavery was very much a part of her culture and life, but what she disapproved of was the European's chattel slavery. In the text she makes the distinction that their slaves can be treated well. What the Portuguese proposed would drive every person into the ground, and make the child of a slave still a slave, which she did not approve of.
Certain events are handled too swiftly, with resolve almost a page or so after the thrill. Again, there's just not enough time spent with anything, with the story itself being about 100 pages. Valuable subject matter, to be sure, but could have been more developed.
Also with that being said, if there's ever an opportunity for this series to be revamped, I'd love to see an African writer building an African character. Research is great, but so is finding a person who lives the history.
So, this is first in the stack! We need more middle grade books about African historical figures, so I was really looking forward to this one. Nzingha is a new person for me, but I feel this story was too brief to serve any justice to her character. While it's clear she's very strong from a young age, what confuses me is how the book's supplemental material makes her sound like a staunch anti-slavery warrior queen. Slavery was very much a part of her culture and life, but what she disapproved of was the European's chattel slavery. In the text she makes the distinction that their slaves can be treated well. What the Portuguese proposed would drive every person into the ground, and make the child of a slave still a slave, which she did not approve of.
Certain events are handled too swiftly, with resolve almost a page or so after the thrill. Again, there's just not enough time spent with anything, with the story itself being about 100 pages. Valuable subject matter, to be sure, but could have been more developed.
Also with that being said, if there's ever an opportunity for this series to be revamped, I'd love to see an African writer building an African character. Research is great, but so is finding a person who lives the history.