Series: Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

[Gabi]

This is the roll-call for the Buddy Read of the book with the best dedication ever starting on Nov 10th.

I know that some people already read the first novella and will start with the second one. For a bit of synchronisation I would suggest the following start dates:

From 10th on: Binti (96 pages)

From 12th on: Home (176 pages)

From 16th on: The Night Masquerade (208 pages)


Of course anybody can join on any date.

Please put all spoilers behind tags and state the book and chapter.

[Anthony]

I’ll be joining but will probably get through them a bit faster than that. Looking forward to it!

[Gabi]

Anthony wrote: "I’ll be joining but will probably get through them a bit faster than that. Looking forward to it!"

That's of course absolutely okay. Since I somehow have to coordinate this with the Hyperion BR on 8th and Expert System Brother's on 15th, which I both want to join, I, too, have to speed up my pace.

[Travis]

I read the first awhile ago and will be joining for #s 2 and 3. This will be fun!

[Dawn F]

I’m joining Word for World.. tomorrow and then the Binti stories. In between I’ll be reading The Sparrow, the scifi anrhology and Anansi Boys, but they can all be put on hold for the buddy reads. And I had just gotten so good at reading one book at a time lol 😄

[Meredith]

This is a wonderful trilogy, I hope folks enjoy it and I look forward to hearing everyone's thoughts.

[Ariana]

I'm in! I was going to reread the first two and then do the 3rd one, but I'm also juggling TWFWIF and Hyperion, so I might just skip to The Night Masquerade. We'll see!

[Anna]

I think that Home and Night Masquerade work best when read back to back, so if it's been a long time since you read Home, I'd do a reread. If you remember everything, then no need, but where Binti works as a standalone novella, the other two form one story abruptly cut in the middle.

[Mareike]

Looking forward to re-reading Binti and finally reading the other two!

[Jemppu]

*rolls in*

[Bobby]

I'm in for all 3. They will all be new to me.

[Gabi]

Let's start!
I re-read Binti today and (view spoiler)[ like the first time, I'm completely enchanted by the ease with which Okorafor combines the naturalness of the Himba tradition with the application of higher maths. Usually we see those cold technical worlds in SF, so it is so refreshing to see Binti walk into the scene with her ankle jewels and her otjize, the latter even becoming an integral part for species understanding.
The story itself is rather simple, yet that didn't bother me at all, because I was so completely taken in with Binti herself.
I especially loved the part where she showered and felt that in this she lost everything that was left of her homeland. The profound meaning of the otjize layer for her people moved me. (very neat also the comment from Okwu, that she started to fade when her otjize run out). (hide spoiler)]

[Mareike]

Gabi wrote: "Let's start!
I re-read Binti today and [spoiler removed]"

I agree! (view spoiler)[The scene in the shower was so poignant. I think anyone who's ever moved farther away from home recognizes that feeling. (hide spoiler)]

It's been over a year since I read Binti and I still think about (view spoiler)[how the book introduced Heru and especially this whole part:

But I never got to tell him that my hair was braided into the history of my people. Because what happened, happened. It occurred on the eighteenth day of the journey. [...] I was the happiest I had ever been in my life and I was farther away from my beloved family than I had ever been in my life.
I was at the table savoring a mouthful of gelatinous milk-based dessert with slivers of coconut in it; I was gazing at Heru who wasn't gazing at me. I'd put my fork down and had my edan in my hands. I fiddled with it as I watched Heru talk to the boy beside him. The delicious creamy dessert was melting coolly on my tongue. Beside me, Ologies and Remi were singing a traditional song from their city because they missed home, a song that had to be sung with a watery voice like a water spirit.
Then someone screamed and Heru's chest burst open, spattering me with his warm blood. There was a Meduse right behind him.

The way this builds to its climax is so exceptionally well done. And it is so incredibly sad because we get a glimpse fo what could have been only to have it yanked away a moment after. (hide spoiler)]

[Anna]

I love the way Robin Miles narrates these books, especially the first one. I highly recommend the audiobooks! I haven't got the third one on audio yet, but I expect it's just as great. I seem to remember that her accent was a little less fabulous in the second book, but it's still Miles.

[Gabi]

Mareike wrote: "Gabi wrote: "Let's start!
I re-read Binti today and [spoiler removed]"

I agree! [spoilers removed]

It's been over a year since I read Binti and I still think about how the book introduced Heru a..."

Oh yes! Particularly since (view spoiler)[ everything else leading up to that moment was so nice and harmless (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

Anna wrote: "I love the way Robin Miles narrates these books, especially the first one. I highly recommend the audiobooks! I haven't got the third one on audio yet, but I expect it's just as great. I seem to re..."

Since the ebooks are quite cheap audiobooks are unfortunately no option for me here (I only turn to audiobooks when the price for the book exceeds € 9)

[Jemppu]

*sits in the corner nodding*

(view spoiler)[Gabi wrote: "The story itself is rather simple...

...I especially loved the part where she showered and felt that in this she lost everything that was left of her homeland. The profound meaning of the otjize layer for her people moved me...."

Yup. I suspect this will be a breezy BR, and intend to get through with just few nods *heh*

Buuut must point out, that the plot for the story itself came from the author's 11 year old daughter, as Okorafor tells in the acknowledgements, fact which I view as the number one factor in forgiving the story's simpleness. (hide spoiler)]

[Mareike]

I started "Home" and am in chapter 3 and (view spoiler)[I like how matter-of-factly Haifa was introduced.
And I love how Binti describes the many different travellers in West Launch Port. The way in which there's no othering in the description of other species and her consistent use of the word "people" for all of them really stands out.
"Here, everyone was everything." What a beautiful way of putting it. (hide spoiler)]

[Wen]

I finished Binti. (view spoiler)[I was surprised that they were suddenly all good friends. Anyway, it seems quite nice. Then the killing... And then at the end, we are all friends now. Isn’t this way too fast? (hide spoiler)]

[Rose]

I was really surprised by how fast of a read Binti was! I checked the page count in my Kindle app, and wondered if maybe my download had been corrupted and I was missing pages.

(view spoiler)[But I really enjoyed it, even though it was somewhat simple - both in language and plot. I was able to finish it on a single train trip, engrossed all the way. The descriptions of Binti's connections with her culture and her home were gorgeous and so evocative.

Wen, I agree that everything indeed moved very quickly, which I found to be a bit of a shame, because I feel like there should have been more time spent on the events.

I love love LOVE the descriptions of Binti's treeing and how she uses math to calm herself. I love Binti as a character - her compassion, intelligence, and curiosity are such good traits to have.

I'm glad that Okorafor has extended this and turned it into a short series. I'm absolutely barrelling through them at top speed, because I love it a lot. (hide spoiler)]

[Dawn F]

Just read the first one. A very sweet and different coming-of-age story. I loved the insight to Binti’s peoples and it made me look up the Himba people from Namibia that Nnedi based them on. (view spoiler)[I also adore unusual friendships such as the one between different people like Binti and Okwu. I hope we hear more of that. (hide spoiler)]

[Anthony]

I had been trying to finish The Traitor Baru Cormorant this past week so I could jump into this Binti buddy read on time but my schedule has been nuts and I’m finding Baru so so so dry. So I’m setting that aside for the moment and jumping into Binti. Seems like folks are really enjoying this!

[Dawn F]

Welcome back to the land of the reading, Anthony! Hope you enjoy the Binti books as a kind of breather!

[Dawn F]

Two observasions:

Oddly, I think Nnedi’s writing style in the Binti books are much more reminicent of Octavia E. Butler than they are of Nnedi herself compared to her novel “Lagoon”. Does anyone else feel this way?

About the transport ship that Binti travels on, the Third Fish.(view spoiler)[ The ship being a living entity reminds me of the 11th Doctor Who episode “The Beast Below” where it’s revealed that in the far future human cities ride on the backs of live Star Whales, but they’re forced to sustain human life by basically lobotomizing them, which angers the Doctor. In the end they set one free, and it turns out the Star Whale freely wants to support its human occupants. Because they are essentially whales they heard the humans cry for help when the Earth was destroyed and they came to help the children on their own volition (but humans were too stupid to understand that, of course). I found the story so deeply moving.

We’re so far not given much info about the shrimp like starship Binti travels on, but it does seem like it’s cool with transporting people around in its bowels. I’d like more insight to it, though, and why it does what it does. (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

Mareike wrote: "I started "Home" and am in chapter 3 ..."

yes to Haifa and the species diversity. I also love that humans are only represented by Himba and Khousho (which apparently are Arabian folks) - no white humans anywhere.

Wen wrote: "I finished Binti. [spoilers removed]"
You're right, Wen, (view spoiler)[ in terms of plot Binti isn't the most brilliant of the brilliant. I tackle it as a kind of children's book with rather brutal scenes - so not really suited for children - and just enjoying the pleasantness of the worldbuilding and the characters. (hide spoiler)]

@Rose: Yup, this is such a feel-good series.

@Anthony: the plot is simple, but the world and characters are just really cute and enjoyable. It is a nice break from the more intense reads we had.

[Jemppu]

Anthony wrote: "I had been trying to finish The Traitor Baru Cormorant this past week so I could jump into this Binti buddy read on time but my schedule has been nuts and I’m finding Baru so so so ..."

Oh, no! So it begins, the slippery slope of several books at once ;) But great to have you on board!

[Mareike]

Dawn wrote: "Two observasions:

Oddly, I think Nnedi’s writing style in the Binti books are much more reminicent of Octavia E. Butler than they are of Nnedi herself compared to her novel “Lagoon”. Does anyone e..."

I haven't read Lagoon yet, so I don't really have a comparison there.

@Dawn (view spoiler)[I LOVE "The Beast Below"! The conversation between Amy and the Doctor at the end always moves me and gives me goosebumps. (hide spoiler)]

I think by book 2 (view spoiler)[Okorafor is broadening things by book two, which of course fits well with Binti's enlarged world. But at the same time, the fact that the plot is not overly difficult allows the book to ask what "home" and "belonging" mean and to explore what it means to leave home and then to return.
Not to mention the way in which it tackles PTSD and how that affects the relationship between Binti and Okwu. And intertwined with that is of course the whole part of how we get to know and live with people who are so, so different from us. A more complex plot might take away from all that. (I'm reminded of Bable-17 in that regard, where the plot is also fairly simple, but everything else shines the more for that.) (hide spoiler)]

@Gabi: Yes! I noticed that, too, and I like it.

@Rose: I agree 100% about Binti.

[Gabi]

@Dawn: Lagoon was an adult book, whereas Binti is more YA, so I guess that's where the different writing styles come from. I haven't thought about the similarity to Butler so far (but then I'm not very observant concerning styles, I'm just happy if I get the English … ^^')

[Dawn F]

Gabi wrote: "yes to Haifa and the species diversity. I also love that humans are only represented by Himba and Khousho (which apparently are Arabian folks) - no white humans anywhere."

African, not Arab - but otherwise I couldn’t agree more!! After Lagoon, An Unkindess of Ghosts, Anansi Boys, several Octavia E Butler books, and Rosewater, I’m completely addicted to an African narrative in scifi/fantasy. I’m so bored of the white, Western focus where the main theme seems always to be heroic and pure and individualistic, as if we only exist closed off and not in connection to anyone else around us. There is so much complexity and variety in other cultures (and therefore in we human beings) which I have appaently craved for a long time. I’m just so grateful that this group has opened my eyes and helped me identify and seek out specific writers and literature. Ahem, sorry for digressing, it’s just been on my mind the past few months a lot :D

[Wen]

And also this is just a tiny thing in Binti. (view spoiler)[I am so curious about the dessert! This is the closest one I could think about :) I tried this white “pearl” dessert back in Tokyo(Mikimoto Lounge) before. And found a blog: https://www.google.ca/amp/s/travellin... (hide spoiler)]

[Melanie, the neutral party]

I AM reading along, but don’t have much to add to the conversation.

I liked the first book, but expected it to be more like Harry Potter first-year-at-school. However most of the plot takes place en-route to university. I wasn’t disappointed, but it did counter my expectation.

I also love the narration.

I’m have way through Home. It seems to have more layers than book 1.

[Gabi]

Dawn, I was refering to this post by Nnedi Okorafor: https://twitter.com/Nnedi/status/8416...

[Gabi]

@Melanie: I think the book that has been compared to Harry Potter is her Akata Witch (I haven't read it yet, so I don't know how much the comparison is justified)

[Dawn F]

@Gabi Ah okay, I didn’t realize as it’s not very clear who the Khoush are based on (non-white, obviously). I was just reading about the Himba, who are an actual Namibian tribe (Binti’s name is even “of Namib”).

[Shomeret]

Dawn wrote: "Two observasions:

Oddly, I think Nnedi’s writing style in the Binti books are much more reminicent of Octavia E. Butler than they are of Nnedi herself compared to her novel “Lagoon”. Does anyone e..."

Yes, I read Lagoon along with several other Nnedi Okorafor novels. It seems to me that Lagoon is actually the atypical book, not Binti. Binti is more similar to the rest of Nnedi Okorafor's work.

[Mareike]

Just finished the chapter "Night Masquerade" (view spoiler)[and there is a lot going on here. I fear Binti might not get to do her pilgrimage. Or at least not as she planned to.
I really liked the description of Okwu swimming,
"surrounded by swirling twinkling baby snails". What a beautiful scene.
The Night Masquerade on the other hand is giving me the creeps. And I wonder how this ties in with the third book.... (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

Mareike wrote: "Just finished the chapter "Night Masquerade"..."

(view spoiler)[ Not as she planned indeed! I love everything that's going on with her in this book. And Okwu is a fascinating character indeed. I would have loved that there were more scenes with him. (hide spoiler)]

[Ariana]

I reread Binti the other day, and it was as lovely as when I first read it.
(view spoiler)[
I love the mathematical meditation, and the idea that thinking about equations can create current.

This was also nice to read after The Word for World is Forest, since a human gets to be the one to help resolve conflict.
(hide spoiler)]

I'm now (75%) done with my reread of Home.
(view spoiler)[
I was confused about the scene where Binti and Okwu first get to Earth. Did no one tell them Okwu was coming? Didn't they get the message that an ambassador representing a proud and warlike culture was coming in peace to represent a new and possibly fragile treaty and maybe YOU SHOULDN'T SHOOT AT THEM?!?

The dinner scene makes me so angry at Binti's family. And then for her to feel so shattered because "what man would want her now?" Grrrrrrrr.
(hide spoiler)]

[Trike]

Wen wrote: "I finished Binti. [spoilers removed]"

I concur. That broke the story for me and I did not like it. I am mystified as to how this won so many awards.

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Mareike]

Trike wrote: "Wen wrote: "I finished Binti. [spoilers removed]"

I concur. That broke the story for me and I did not like it. I am mystified as to how this won so many awards.

My review: https://www.goodreads.c..."

The second book expands on some of the things you criticize, Trike, especially (view spoiler)[the PTSD. (hide spoiler)]
But, yes, things happen very quickly in Binti. It almost gives you whiplash.

@Ariana: (view spoiler)[I think the scene at the launch port is a mixture of cultural miscommunication and nerves.
I.e. Okwu is nervous (hence the stinger) and the soldiers are nervous (hence one of them shooting at Okwu). But yeah0, I was internally face-palming.
Mostly at whoever had organized Binti and Okwu's welcome and devided that visible soldiers were a good idea. (hide spoiler)]

@Gabi: Yes. (view spoiler)[I'm not quite done yet but I keep thinking 'What about Okwu?' At the same time,
I think it's good that Okorafor isn't overusing it. (hide spoiler)]

[Rose]

I forgot to check 'Notify me when people reply' so I thought that no one was participating in this thread 🙃

I absolutely tore through Home and the Night Masquerade - and I really think that's the right way to read these - all in a row, one after another, because individually, I think the books are somewhat weak (though very touching) due to their length. Reading them back to back is much better than leaving any distance between them. It feels more like acts of a play, separate, but meant to be consumed in quick succession.

@Trike (view spoiler)[ I can definitely see what you mean about 'Oopsie, mass murder!' because yeah - that was absolutely dealt with by Binti and other humans waaaaay too quickly. But the issues you raised are definitely brought up in 'Home,' and are dealt with to an extent. (hide spoiler)]

Speaking of Home, having finished it (view spoiler)[ I really really really loved it. It was genuinely very upsetting at times, especially when Binti's family and sisters so quickly turned on her. That lack of understanding or compassion was hard to read. But I loved the adventurous nature of it - of her going into the desert and discovering more about herself and her family - even if the sudden learning of being capable of even more power felt kinda deus ex machina-y. There's a whole lot of that happening in these books, actually. (hide spoiler)]

I did take issue with the dialogue and how simple it was at times, how easily some of the characters caved to others. There was a moment in chapter 5 of The Night Masquerade (view spoiler)[that really threw me off. Many of the characters seem to have the same voice - and it was really obvious when King Goldie spoke with the same casual cadence as any other characters. I find it some what difficult to imagine a King saying 'Okay, Binti' in a hesitant, casual way, even after viewing Binti's power and persuasive argument. (hide spoiler)]

[Gabi]

Rose wrote: "I forgot to check 'Notify me when people reply' so I thought that no one was participating in this thread 🙃"

😉 Indeed this thread is quite lively. I love reading about the different takes on the Binti novels, which indeed need a kind of different approach to be enjoyed.

Home (view spoiler)[. Like Rose, I enjoyed it a lot. It was good to see that the impact on Binti of having witnessed the murder was discussed here, as well as the collition of her two worlds of university and Himba tradition. To see that Binti herself was ruled by prejudice when she encountered the people of her grandmother made her very believable. This was a good narration of Binti's inner journey. I only wished that there had been more interaction with Okwu. (hide spoiler)]

[Soo]

I just finished Binti & I'm on the skeptical boat. (view spoiler)[
Good Parts:
- Robin Miles' narration was great.
- Harmonics sound cool & I want more of that.
- Cultural references were cool but I have to take that as totally separate from the story.

Where's the culture shock? Where's the difference between going from a known style of life and diving into a different one? Only survivor & there's just one truly descriptive scene where Binti is afraid & dealing with the aliens. She's changed by the aliens and there's no anger?

There's so much talked about the clay but it doesn't seem like Binti lived an isolated life. So why talk about it like she's never stood out before? There's a lot that can happen when traditions and habits are different. It doesn't matter if it's cultural, ideas, habits or what. Where's the conflict, thinking, understanding, lying to cover up or whatever? The reactions to things being different? It's not really there for me. There's no real process to what happens in the story.

I felt like the only true descriptions that stood out were when she talks about the clay, the family history code and fear/crying when she faced the aliens.

There's a ton of symbolism thrown around in the story but there's no depth added to them within the story. It's just a bunch of tell vs experience. (hide spoiler)]

I thought the story was overly simplified and a lot of what people say about the story is added by the reader. It's not within the story itself. It's upsetting to me because I can see where the story could be awesome and it's not. Lack of follow through.

I'll listen to the rest of the trilogy. I wasn't blown away by the first segment. I'm curious to see if any of the potential shown in the story will be developed within the trilogy.

[Anthony]

I just finished Binti and I’m so pleased to encounter aliens and people who feel truly *other*. I understand some of the concerns of some people in this thread who feel like things were simple, but somehow I did think things were earned. I feel totally refreshed by reading this lovely, almost allegorical tale.

[Meredith]

Wen wrote: "And also this is just a tiny thing in Binti. [spoilers removed]"

I imagined it was something like (view spoiler)[blancmange https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blancmange (hide spoiler)]

[Mareike]

Anthony wrote: "I just finished Binti and I’m so pleased to encounter aliens and people who feel truly *other*. I understand some of the concerns of some people in this thread who feel like things were simple, but..."

I agree. The alien species in these books are so different.
And at the same time we have a main character grappling with her own differences, both from her family and as a Himba amongst other human groups. There's a lot underneath the simple surface. Though Soo may be right that some of that may be what the reader brings to the text.

[Wen]

@Mareike oh, my, that one is so yummy! (view spoiler)[I have to say(silly me) because of the dessert I gave one extra star to this book(what?) (hide spoiler)]

[Dawn F]

Finished the second book and (view spoiler)[ I couldn’t get into it the same way. Parts of it felt drawn out and others were disjointed. I had trouble following the characters’ reactions, they seemed to change from one moment to another, as if everyone were 8 year old children. Maybe this is what gives it the YA feeling, though I’ve certainly read good YA that didn’t have this issue. It also clearly is a middle part of a larger story and had no real ending so as a standalone it doesn’t work very well.

Still loving the very different cultures of the Himba and the desert people described, though. The desert seems to really come alive in Nnedi’s hands. (hide spoiler)]

[Bobby]

I just finished Binti, and I liked it, but it wasn't my favorite. My problems were pretty much the same as others experienced.

Binti spoilers (view spoiler)[I just don't get why everyone in the story is talking about honor and respect like the Meduse didn't murder a bunch of children and plan to murder an entire university. The Meduse get rewarded for being terrorists, and Binti's best friend is one of the people who killed all her other friends. I just couldn't suspend disbelief there. I think it would have benefited the story if we got to see viewpoints of other humans or aliens that condemned the Meduse or wanted war. I just needed something showing that what the Meduse did wasn't okay.

I did still really like a lot about it, like the unique cultural aspect in a sci fi setting. The beginning was also really great with the world building. I'm very interested to learn more about the shrimp ship and the math magic. I'm glad to hear comments from others saying those things are mostly addressed later on. (hide spoiler)]

[Mareike]

Bobby wrote: "I just finished Binti, and I liked it, but it wasn't my favorite. My problems were pretty much the same as others experienced. ..."

I would say to the Meduse (view spoiler)[It were the people of Oomza Uni who struck first by stealing the stinger.
So I'm not sure I'd agree that what they did was a terror attack. At least not from their perspective. (hide spoiler)]

I just read the chapter "Blood" (view spoiler)[and I liked that Okorafor included that bit about the Himba thinking that the Desert People are uncivilized.
It's a nice way of showing how every group has a tendency to define someone else as "other" (and often "lesser") even if they're defined that way themselves as the Himba are.
I also wonder whether one root of Binti's fear of being "unclean" is the fact that her grandmother is one of the Desert People. That, plus some other things, would go towards explaining why it is so important to her and her family to be "true" Himba.
And then there's her grandmother referring to Binti as "Your daughter, too" when she addresses Okwu.
I hadn't seen their relationship like that, but since Binti has Meduse DNA now and she probably got it from Okwu.... (hide spoiler)]