Binti

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor  90 pp.

I am squeaking one last book into 2018 just under the wire. This brief novella is one of the selections for the Great Stories Club I am leading at Lieberman Learning Center. Binti is of the Himba people in Namib, a race of mathematicians who create technology used throughout the galaxy. She is the first of her race to be accepted into Oomza University on a far away planet. Against her family's wishes she leaves her home to travel to Oomza. The transport is commandeered by a group of Meduse, an alien race seeking to revenge a wrong perpetrated at the university. Binti is the only one who can negotiate a peace and prevent the Meduse from killing everyone at the university including herself. This is a classic science fiction story with an underlying theme of peace between races. I'm looking forward to the discussions with the teens about this story.