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80th out of 230 books
—
177 voters
A Girl Named Disaster
by
Nancy Farmer (Goodreads Author)
Nhamo is a virtual slave in her African village in 1981. Before her twelfth birthday, Nhamo runs away to escape marriage to a cruel husband, and spends a year going from Zimbabwe to Mozambique. Alone on the river in a stolen boat, swept into the uncharted heart of a great lake, she battles drowning, starvation, wild animals. Orchard collectible editions have new designs, a...more
Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
October 1st 2003
by Orchard
(first published September 1st 1996)
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Jun 11, 2007
Hannah
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone who can read a LONG and never ending book
i personally hated this book. although i read it with a class i truely hated it. i think even if i read it by myself i still would not have liked it. its not that the writing is bad its just that it goes on forever and you just get tired of it.
This took me forever to read. I don't know why? I guess I wasn't reading 20 minutes everyday. Oh well. But, it is a really good book. Interesting.
3 likes · like · see review
Excellent book!!! I highly recommend this one. I think it's a great way to understand a little better the complexities of African beliefs and tribal life. It's not a "religion" to them, it's a way of life (believing everything has a spirit, for example).
8 likes · like · see review
I luv this book! If you havent read this book or are not planning to your really missing out on ALOT and I feel bad for you!
:-) (-: :D :-D I really hope you read this book you HAVE TO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finished it and now i'm trying to get everyone in the class to read it PLEASE READ THIS BOOK !!!!!!!
:-) (-: :D :-D I really hope you read this book you HAVE TO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I finished it and now i'm trying to get everyone in the class to read it PLEASE READ THIS BOOK !!!!!!!
1 like · like · see review
I usually really enjoy Farmer's books, and I'm sure she spent much time researching and making this book as authentic as she could, but, for me, it was boring and long and was just something I wanted to finish--not something I couldn't put down.
It was the story of Nhamo, an orphan being raised by her aunt in a remote village in Africa. She was treated as a slave and had no love except occasionally from her grandmother. When the people decided she had to marry some old, diseased man with three ot...more
It was the story of Nhamo, an orphan being raised by her aunt in a remote village in Africa. She was treated as a slave and had no love except occasionally from her grandmother. When the people decided she had to marry some old, diseased man with three ot...more
NANCY FARMER-REQUIRED AUTHOR
I really enjoyed reading this book. It follows Nahmo, whose name means disaster. Her mother was killed by a leopard when she was a baby, and her father left before she was born. Technically you are supposed to belong to your father's family, but Nahmo's father lives in Zimbabwe. Everyone in her family seems to hate her beside her grandmother and cousin. A sickness, cholera, falls on her village and several of her family members die. They travel to a witch doctor to fi...more
I really enjoyed reading this book. It follows Nahmo, whose name means disaster. Her mother was killed by a leopard when she was a baby, and her father left before she was born. Technically you are supposed to belong to your father's family, but Nahmo's father lives in Zimbabwe. Everyone in her family seems to hate her beside her grandmother and cousin. A sickness, cholera, falls on her village and several of her family members die. They travel to a witch doctor to fi...more
Grade/interest level: Middle school (6th-7th)
Reading level: 6th grade
Genre: Multicultural Literature
Main Characters: Nhamo, Ambuya (Grandmother), Aunt Chipo
Setting: Mozambique, Africa
Author: Nancy Farmer
POV: Nhamo’s Pov
A Girl Named Disaster, received the Newberry Medal. Written By Nancy Farmer, this book tells the amazingly thrilling story of a Shone girl in Mozambique. Her mother is dead, and her father is in another village, so she lives with her grandmother and aunt. Nhamo goes on the r...more
Reading level: 6th grade
Genre: Multicultural Literature
Main Characters: Nhamo, Ambuya (Grandmother), Aunt Chipo
Setting: Mozambique, Africa
Author: Nancy Farmer
POV: Nhamo’s Pov
A Girl Named Disaster, received the Newberry Medal. Written By Nancy Farmer, this book tells the amazingly thrilling story of a Shone girl in Mozambique. Her mother is dead, and her father is in another village, so she lives with her grandmother and aunt. Nhamo goes on the r...more
Nhamo is a young girl, growing up in Mozambique without a mother or father. She lives with her mother's family, but is clearly not wanted and is treated much like Cinderella versus her stepsisters. You see Nhamo grow through the trials of living in her village, and how she yearns to feel wanted.
Even though she is only about 12 years old, her family wants to marry her off to a harsh man. This man probably already has multiple wives and Nhamo would be treated poorly by not only the man, but the...more
Even though she is only about 12 years old, her family wants to marry her off to a harsh man. This man probably already has multiple wives and Nhamo would be treated poorly by not only the man, but the...more
In books I search out every detail right down to the smell, and this book did well at explaning the details in-depth. A Girl Named Disaster may be a little lengthy, but at the end, now that I look back, I realize it was worth the read. The details were there for a reason and the book was that length because you have to imagine that you're on the journey yourself. This book explores the various aspects of African culture and religion (which is not simply religion, but a way a of life), as well as...more
***NANCY FARMER***
This lengthy novel is the story of Nhamo, a young girl living in Mozambique, whose mother is dead and whose father has run away. She lives in her aunt's village, and isn't truly accepted by her community. In order to escape a terrible arranged marriage, Nhamo sets off in a boat down the river, heading to Zimbabwe in order to find her father and his father. Along the way, she has to battle starvation, avoid crocodiles and hippos, and deal with the unseen spirit world. When she f...more
This lengthy novel is the story of Nhamo, a young girl living in Mozambique, whose mother is dead and whose father has run away. She lives in her aunt's village, and isn't truly accepted by her community. In order to escape a terrible arranged marriage, Nhamo sets off in a boat down the river, heading to Zimbabwe in order to find her father and his father. Along the way, she has to battle starvation, avoid crocodiles and hippos, and deal with the unseen spirit world. When she f...more
NANCY FARMER CATEGORY
Nhamo is an eleven year old girl living in a village in Mozambique, trying to find her place in the world. But being forced into an arranged marriage with a man from another village that already has two other wives threatens to tear her world apart. It will take all her courage to defy the wishes of everyone around her, with the exception of her grandmother, to find out who she really is. While I was a big fan of Farmer's later novel, House of the Scorpion, I really didn't c...more
Nhamo is an eleven year old girl living in a village in Mozambique, trying to find her place in the world. But being forced into an arranged marriage with a man from another village that already has two other wives threatens to tear her world apart. It will take all her courage to defy the wishes of everyone around her, with the exception of her grandmother, to find out who she really is. While I was a big fan of Farmer's later novel, House of the Scorpion, I really didn't c...more
NANCY FARMER
A Girl Named Disaster follows the journey of Nhamo as she searches for her long absent father. Nhamo feels out of place in her Mozambique village since her mother has passed away and she is grudging taken in by her mother's sister. Due to Nhamo's displacement in the village, she is also a likely scapegoat when the village is plagued with disease. In order to turn away the disease, Nhamo must be given in marriage to a cruel and undesirable man. Therefore, Nhamo runs away to find her f...more
A Girl Named Disaster follows the journey of Nhamo as she searches for her long absent father. Nhamo feels out of place in her Mozambique village since her mother has passed away and she is grudging taken in by her mother's sister. Due to Nhamo's displacement in the village, she is also a likely scapegoat when the village is plagued with disease. In order to turn away the disease, Nhamo must be given in marriage to a cruel and undesirable man. Therefore, Nhamo runs away to find her f...more
The best aspect of this book is that it's so heavy with culture and custom. I think it's vital for the target age range (probably 10-14 yrs old) to realize that other cultures' belief structures vary quite a bit from American culture. The main character of this book is from a traditional Shona village in northern Mozambique; her people believe in animism (every creature has a spirit with its own whims), sacrificing animals (such as when a family member dies), the influence of ancestral spirits o...more
my English class read this book as a class set, i don't really like it because it is not very interesting. it is also a very very long book. Also very boring. this book is a little inappropriate for kids, this book says some rather impolite things about people's belief.
The only interesting thing about the book to me is that the book has lots of african words that I don't recognize. also the life and dead situations she experience in her challenging journey to find her lost father.
This book is...more
The only interesting thing about the book to me is that the book has lots of african words that I don't recognize. also the life and dead situations she experience in her challenging journey to find her lost father.
This book is...more
This book is about the young girl Nhamo who leaves her little village in Mozambique in order to find her father's family in Zimbabwe to avoid an impending marriage to a cruel man. She gets stuck on an island and is forced to figure out how to survive on her own while also receiving guidance from the spirit world. By far my favorite part of this book was its rich depiction of folklore. I learned a lot about the beliefs of people from Mozambique and Zimbabwe which I had never even heard of before....more
3 likes · like · see review
Themes: journeys, survival, self-discovery, perseverance, respect for elders
I was surprised at how much of a hard time I had trying to get into this book. I typically really enjoy Nancy Farmer’s work, but for some reason, I just couldn’t fall in love with this one. It wasn’t terrible—just didn’t have the kind of enthusiasm I’m used to experiencing with Farmer. The story follows Nhamo, a 14-year-old African girl whose name literally means “disaster,” whose mother has died, whose father is out of...more
I was surprised at how much of a hard time I had trying to get into this book. I typically really enjoy Nancy Farmer’s work, but for some reason, I just couldn’t fall in love with this one. It wasn’t terrible—just didn’t have the kind of enthusiasm I’m used to experiencing with Farmer. The story follows Nhamo, a 14-year-old African girl whose name literally means “disaster,” whose mother has died, whose father is out of...more
A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer African traditions, religion, female
"coming of age," race, nature, class,
globalization, National Book Award
Finalist
When I was in 6th grade I read The Hatchet, an exciting book about a solitary boy in the middle of the frozen Canadian tundra who survives alone for a long period of time. It was one of my favorite books growing up. A Girl Named Disaster reminds me a great deal of Gary Paulsen's thrilling novel, but just change the boy with Nhamo, the Cana...more
"coming of age," race, nature, class,
globalization, National Book Award
Finalist
When I was in 6th grade I read The Hatchet, an exciting book about a solitary boy in the middle of the frozen Canadian tundra who survives alone for a long period of time. It was one of my favorite books growing up. A Girl Named Disaster reminds me a great deal of Gary Paulsen's thrilling novel, but just change the boy with Nhamo, the Cana...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A Girl Named Disaster is typical young adult lit fare as far as the main components go. Absent parents, family members who don't treat Nhamo well, feeling marginalized in all areas of life, etc. But she has extraordinary powers that set her apart from her peers. What gives this book its richness is its setting.
Nhamo's family lives in a remote village in Mozambique. Nhamo's grandmother advises her to run away when her family plans on giving her in marriage to the brother of a man her father murd...more
Nhamo's family lives in a remote village in Mozambique. Nhamo's grandmother advises her to run away when her family plans on giving her in marriage to the brother of a man her father murd...more
Nhamo's mother was killed by a leopard and her father had gone away. She is soon to be married to a cruel man who already has three wives. Her grandmother who wants to protect her encourages her to escape their small village and go to Zimbabwe, where her father is. A journey that should take two days takes Nhamo months to complete, but she arrives and finds not only one family, but two. Throughout her journey she has to learn to live off the land and communicate with the mystical spirits who gui...more
Nhamo lived with her dead mom’s family. Her father had abandoned her mother before Nhamo was even born. Living in a tribe who believe children belonged to the father, Nhamo was not appreciated or even treated very well by her relatives. When a cholera epidemic sweeps over the tribe, her family’s only explanation was that they were being punished for Nhamo’s presence and they decide to force her into a marriage with an older man to settle her father’s past transgressions. Her loving grandmother,...more
This isn't my favorite book I've read. It was really long, and I had a hard time getting into it; in fact, I don't think I ever just fell into the book like I do with others. A Girl Named Disaster tells the story of Nhamo, an African girl who lives in a village with her family. Taking place when some of Africa—like Zimbabwe—is Westernized, Nhamo undergoes a journey of escape, survival, and self-discovery. She leaves her village to escape an arranged marriage mandated by the spirits, and spends s...more
Coming of Age/Family Identity/Traditional African Mythologies
Nancy Farmer weaves us another beautiful story set in both the mythological and tangible Africa. Nhamo, who is named for the disaster caused by her mother's pregnancy, faces great danger when she offered up in marriage to a cruel man in order to appease an epidemic which has swept her village. However, with the aid of her grandmother, she escapes, and sets out on a journey to discover her identity and her father's family in Zimbabwe. A...more
Nancy Farmer weaves us another beautiful story set in both the mythological and tangible Africa. Nhamo, who is named for the disaster caused by her mother's pregnancy, faces great danger when she offered up in marriage to a cruel man in order to appease an epidemic which has swept her village. However, with the aid of her grandmother, she escapes, and sets out on a journey to discover her identity and her father's family in Zimbabwe. A...more
I first read Farmer's The House of the Scorpion, which I thought was superb YA fiction, so I have to admit that A Girl Named Disaster was a bit of a let down. The story follows Nhamo, a young African girl who flees an arranged marriage and has various solo adventures building shelters and killing food in the wilderness. It falls in the same genre as books like Island of the Blue Dolphins and Julie of the Wolves, which I vaguely seem to remember enjoying as a middle-schooler, but which I suspect...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
A Girl Named Disaster African culture/female roles/survival/discovery
Nhamo lives in Mozambique, Africa where modern conveniences like refrigerators and indoor plumbing don't exist. She's only a young girl, fourteen or fifteen years old, but she's been commanded to marry a man older than her father, in order to reconcile a murder she didn't commit. Her family and cultural traditions tell her to take responsibility for her ancestors and marry the man she's been ordered to, but a voice inside her t...more
Nhamo lives in Mozambique, Africa where modern conveniences like refrigerators and indoor plumbing don't exist. She's only a young girl, fourteen or fifteen years old, but she's been commanded to marry a man older than her father, in order to reconcile a murder she didn't commit. Her family and cultural traditions tell her to take responsibility for her ancestors and marry the man she's been ordered to, but a voice inside her t...more
The book A Girl Named Disaster , is a well written book. I really enjoyed reading it. While I was reading it I was painting a picture in my head about the girl. I felt really bad because she had to run away from her village and while she was running away she had to suffer a lot. She was very hungry and starving. I feel bad for the poor girl Nhamo because she was basically alone she had no mother because she was dead and her father was gone. While she was growing up they told her she had to marr...more
"I am she who lifts mountains
When she goes to hunt
Who wears a mamba for a headband
And a lion for a belt
Beware!
I swallow elephants whole
And pick my teeth with rhinoceros horns
Let them hear my words!
Nhamo is coming
And her hunger is great."
—Nhamo, "A Girl Named Disaster", P. 101
"(P)eople are like plants. Some shoot up like weeds, and some are slow like fruit trees. In the end, the fruit trees are worth more."
—Ambuya, "A Girl Named Disaster, P. 21
I would give three and a half stars to...more
When she goes to hunt
Who wears a mamba for a headband
And a lion for a belt
Beware!
I swallow elephants whole
And pick my teeth with rhinoceros horns
Let them hear my words!
Nhamo is coming
And her hunger is great."
—Nhamo, "A Girl Named Disaster", P. 101
"(P)eople are like plants. Some shoot up like weeds, and some are slow like fruit trees. In the end, the fruit trees are worth more."
—Ambuya, "A Girl Named Disaster, P. 21
I would give three and a half stars to...more
“A Girl Named Disaster" is kind of a boring book. This book was very confusing towards the middle when Nhamo is on her journey because there are many different islands that she stops at. She spends a lot of time there and the book is full of unnecessary details about every little part of each island. For what this book is, and the important information it contains, it should be a lot shorter. This book also has some offensive things to other beliefs like Christianity when Nhamo talks about how s...more
My daughter read this in school and said I MUST read it. I liked it as well. It is like Island of the Blue Dolphins (which I also loved): an adolescent girl forced to survive on her own. This one takes place in Mozambique, and the girl is Shona. I really felt that I was inside this girl, her thoughts and feelings were so well portrayed. While she is alone she talks to spirits: her deceased mother, the deceased owner of the boat she is using and the water spirits. The fun part is that they talk b...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's The Name o...: SOLVED - Children's book, historical fiction, young woman in a small boat travelling the river from Mozambique to Zimbabwe [s] | 4 | 23 | Jun 28, 2012 10:23pm |
Nancy was born in 1941 in Phoenix and grew up in a hotel on the Arizona-Mexico border where she worked the switchboard at the age of nine. She also found time to hang out in the old state prison and the hobo jungle along the banks of the Colorado River. She attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon, earning her BA in 1963. Instead of taking a regular job, she joined the Peace Corps and was sent to...more
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“The high point of your life was when you knocked me down”
—
8 people liked it
“The other girls in the village never felt restless. Nhamo was like a pot of boiling water. 'I want...I want...,' she whispered to herself, but she didn't know what she wanted and she had no idea how to find it. ”
—
6 people liked it
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Jan 24, 2012 08:10pm
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