From the Bookshelf of 60 Africa Books Reading Challenge…

We Need New Names

NoViolet Bulawayo

Start date: October 1, 2021

Finish date: October 31, 2021

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

Feb 18, 2024 Rachel rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, aty-in-52-books-2024, around-the-world, coming-of-age, poverty, read-in-2024, popsugar-2024, international-authors, around-the-world-challenge-2024, africa

#ReadAroundTheWorld. #Zimbabwe

This is a coming of age story set in Zimbabwe around 2007 or 2008, told through the eyes of ten-year-old Darling. The author NoViolet Bulawayo (Elizabeth Tshele) was the first African woman to be shortlisted for a Man Booker Award.

The book starts off following a group of children in Zimbabwe: Darling, Stina, Chipo, Bastard and Godknows. As they run around stealing guavas, trying to figure out how to get the baby out of Chipo’s belly and watching the spectacle and d ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 21, 2016 shereen rated it it was ok

I hate to do this but I'm going to be as honest as I possibly can without trashing the author. That said, I don't think I was the intended audience since this is a coming of age story...

the positives:
- the beginning of the book made me laugh out loud. Bulawayo had a fine way of allowing her readers to experience life the way Darling and her friends were.
- i loved the topics she chose to focus on. colonization, black consciousness, the immigrant struggle etc... they were all very accurate.

negativ ...more

Like · see review