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A review by juniperbranches
Noor by Nnedi Okorafor
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
‘So why revere the aesthetics of traditional beauty? It's like worshipping a god who cannot see you. It is choosing to never be celebrated. I wanted to be celebrated.’
Noor is the final book in this months Black authors book bag. AO is a physically disabled woman that was able to re create her damaged legs and arm with the help of cybernetic technology. Her implants are crucial to her survival and comfort, but because of them she is looked down on, shunned, and occasionally faces violence. One day it all goes wrong and she is run out of her local market. Unsure of where to turn she takes refuge outside of the city, in Nigeria’s vast deserts, where she befriends a herdsman and his cattle who is filled with his own dark secrets. The two travel the desert into the eye of a massive dust storm caused by ongoing climate change, seeking answers to problems of racism, ecology, poverty, late stage capitalism and disability justice.
My little synopsis isn’t remotely enough to communicate everything this slim volume contains. This is a story, but it’s also a critique of the way our world operates. I cannot say enough good things, go read this book.
Noor is the final book in this months Black authors book bag. AO is a physically disabled woman that was able to re create her damaged legs and arm with the help of cybernetic technology. Her implants are crucial to her survival and comfort, but because of them she is looked down on, shunned, and occasionally faces violence. One day it all goes wrong and she is run out of her local market. Unsure of where to turn she takes refuge outside of the city, in Nigeria’s vast deserts, where she befriends a herdsman and his cattle who is filled with his own dark secrets. The two travel the desert into the eye of a massive dust storm caused by ongoing climate change, seeking answers to problems of racism, ecology, poverty, late stage capitalism and disability justice.
My little synopsis isn’t remotely enough to communicate everything this slim volume contains. This is a story, but it’s also a critique of the way our world operates. I cannot say enough good things, go read this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Xenophobia, Violence, and Animal death