Binti

September 7, 2015
Okorafor's sci-fi novella tackles sprawling ideas with little satisfactory resolution. Binti is a teenage girl from Earth, a member of the marginalized and disrespected Himba culture, and the first of her people to attend the prestigious Oomza University, located on a distant planet and home to the galaxy's finest academic minds. Midway through the voyage to the university, her ship is attacked without warning by Meduse warriors, and Binti must draw upon her unique strengths to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Okorafor draws from her rich knowledge of cultural warfare to craft nuanced commentary on how we mock "alien" peoples at our own peril; however, the plotting and characterization suffer from lack of authorial attention. Abstract concepts are introduced without warning and rarely defined to any satisfactory degree, while fascinating objects receive only the briefest descriptions, if any at all. For example, Binti's ship, a living being related to shrimp and the novella's primary setting, is never described from the outside and only vaguely on the inside. This overstuffed novella introduces too many concepts to process in a small space, muddying its otherwise laudable message.

Starred review from March 1, 2016
Gr 9 Up-At 16, Binti embarks on an interplanetary voyage to Oomza Uni, the galaxy's supreme institution of higher learning. As the first of her people offered such an opportunity, she leaves home without even warning her family of her departure. When the vessel is attacked by the alien Meduse, Binti's only hope of survival is a pot of native clay-and her exceptional intelligence. Equal parts thriller, adventure, and quest, this work also serves as a timely parable about the power of educating girls. In spite of every possible obstacle, Binti is a girl determined to succeed, whose acute intellect will save her world. With her rich, lyrical voice, narrator Robin Miles effortlessly moves among such emotions as anticipation, fear, resignation, and fortitude with just the slightest adjustments in breath. Her prodigious range elevates this short novella into a resonating performance that will linger long beyond its mere two-plus hours. VERDICT For sci-fi groupies in need of a quick aural fix, Okorafor's latest educates, explicates, and, of course, entertains.-"Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC"

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Robin Miles narrates the story of a young woman who is the first of her people to be accepted as a student at prestigious Oomza University, located far across the galaxy. A slight sense of detachment filters into parts of Miles's narration, but she skillfully balances the expected coming-of-age story of a young woman leaving home with the unexpected survival story due to a violent attack en route to the university. The deep grief and anger Binti experiences as she struggles to stay alive are in sharp contrast to her earlier unbridled joy at learning. Miles adeptly pulls off this range of powerful emotions. K.M.P. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine