Binti (Binti, #1) in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Mar 31, 2017 Cathy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a great sci-fi novella. It has everything I love: a coming of age story, a rebellious teen, interstellar travel, and war/misunderstanding between peoples. Add to that some Afrofuturism via a black female main character (hallelujah!) and Namibia in the far-flung future. This reminded me of the Lilith series by Octavia Butler. I will be reading the second in the series tomorrow!

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Oct 27, 2020 Akilah added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2020, unfinished, audiobook, oct, must-read-2019

I made it to 32% before tapping out and honestly, I really didn't understand what was going on before then. I just know it got real gruesome, real fast and since I was already not super into it, I saw no need to continue on.

Robin Miles continues to be a goddess among audiobook narrators, though, and I must always give her props. ...more

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Jan 28, 2019 Christina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: _genre-fiction, _format-ebook, authors-female, genre-sci-fi-and-speculative, authors-bipoc, other-series, authors-ownvoices, reading-women-challenge, read-harder-challenge, z-2019

I stood there, frozen, hearing my mother’s voice in my head. “There is a reason why our people do not go to that university. Oomza Uni wants you for its own gain, Binti. You go to that school and you become its slave.”

A beautiful novella about connection and cultural integrity in the face of otherness and exploitation. Well worth the read, and I'm looking forward to picking up Home and The Night Masquerade as well. ...more

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Jun 11, 2020 Heidi rated it really liked it

Shelves: sff

A girl leaves her home for the first time, the first from her people to go to a far away university. This novella sets the stage for more adventures but has a nice self-contained story too. Easy read and very worth it.

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Feb 27, 2023 Jaime rated it really liked it

Shelves: black-author, science-fiction, afrofuturism, popsugar-2023, read-2023, pokemon-challenge-2023, friends-challenge-2023

We meet Binti as she's sneaking away from her isolated African home, determined to accept her place at Oomza University, located on another planet, far away. She knows her family will be upset, but once she reaches the University safely, surely they will understand, because she has mathmatics talents that are destined for more than making astrolabes with her family. It's that "safely" part that is a problem.

I don't read a lot of science fiction, but I thought this was really original and interes ...more

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Sep 14, 2017 Lianne rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, science-fiction, 2017

I heard Nnedi Okorafor speak at the Decatur Book Festival, and it motivated me to pick this up since I have already read Akata Witch, which she was there to discuss. Binti had been sitting unread on my Kindle for a while. I liked the premise and Binti as a character and thought there were a lot of creative ideas and themes, but I was left wanting a bit more depth, even given the novella length. I also struggled with how the initial conflict with the Meduse was resolved (or not). I'm sure I will ...more

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