Nnedi Okorafor and Noor: The Fable Reading Guide
Hayley Dennings
Join Levar Burton's Book Club to read "Noor."
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Who Is Nnedi Okorafor?
Nnedi Okorafor is an award winning Nigerian-American novelist known for her amazing writing across genres and defining Africanfuturism. She outlined the concept of Africanfuturism in her TED Talk, comparing her Africa-focused work against the Afrofuturism movement that tells stories about the African diaspora. She elaborated on this fundamental difference on her blog post about Africanfuturism:"Africanfuturism is concerned with visions of the future, is interested in technology, leaves the earth, skews optimistic, is centered on and predominantly written by people of African descent (black people) and it is rooted first and foremost in Africa."
All of Okorafor's work examines important social issues through a fantasy lens, and putting Black women in positions of power in her novels. "Noor" is Okorafor's most recent book. Along with this book, her many other novels expand on Africanfuturism as well as examine real world problems relating to identity, class, and race amongst many other important issues. You can read many different Nnedi Okorafor books on Fable! type: embedded-entry-inline id: 3OiW0UiW0jJ7xeIj0P96f5Is Nnedi Okorafor paralyzed?
The heroine of "Noor" has endured countless hospitalizations throughout her life, adding bionic enhancements to her body as she recovered from devastating injuries. Okorafor also endured many hospitalizations at the greatest turning point of her life.The great novelist reflected on her ordeal in 'Legs." In that heartfelt essay, Okorafor reflects on how she became a writer and how a single incident changed her entire life. Paralyzed from the waist down after a surgery that went wrong, Okorafor spent her hospital time writing. "Writing kept me sane," she wrote. Through her stories, Okorafor was able to document her "fears and fantasies" during this difficult time. Okorafor discovered her writing talent because of this incident, and grappled with the idea of destiny, a recurring theme throughout many of her novels.While reading excerpts from her works such as "Binti" and "Lagoon," Okorafor details the inspiration for her ideas while examining Africanfuturism in her TED talk.You can watch the video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mt0PiXLvYlUIs the Binti Series a Trilogy?
The Binti Series is a trilogy of Africanfuturism novels. It tells the story of a woman named Binti, the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. She gives up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.The trilogy includes Binti, Binti: Home, Binti: The Night Masquerade.Through the lens of science fiction, Okorafor explores the intricacies of gender in the Binti Series. You can watch an interview with Okorafor about how she is inspired to write SciFi and magical realism in this video: https://youtu.be/tdN9-DN09vkInspiring Nnedi Okorafor Quotes
Okorafor's work is filled with incredible affirmations and insights. We've collected a few of readers' favorite quotes, a way to explore her work and discover something to think about for the rest of the week!“Flawed, imperfect creatures! That's what we both are, oga! That's what we ALL are!” ― Nnedi Okorafor, "Who Fears Death"
“We embrace those things that make us unique or odd. For only in these things can we locate and then develop our most individual abilities.” ― Nnedi Okorafor, “Akata Witch”
“I love books . I adore everything about them. I love the feel of the pages on my fingertips. They are light enough to carry, yet so heavy with worlds and ideas . I love the sound of the pages flicking against my fingers. Print against fingerprints. Books make people quiet, yet they are so loud.” ― Nnedi Okorafor, “The Book of Phoenix”
“It's ok to care about what other people think, but you should give a little more weight to what you, yourself, think...The habit of thinking is the habit of gaining strength. You're stronger than you believe.” ― Nnedi Okorafor, “Zahrah the Windseeker”
“People are too focused on money. It’s supposed to be a tool, not the prize to be won.” ― Nnedi Okorafor, “Akata Witch”
“I want you to write yourself into history because no matter what history books say, even you are a part of it.” ― Nnedi Okorafor, “The Shadow Speaker”
“To know someone's pain is to share in it. And to share in it is to relieve some of it.” ― Nnedi Okorafor, “The Book of Phoenix”
“There are more valuable things in life than safety and comfort. Learn. You owe it to yourself.” ― Nnedi Okorafor, “Akata Witch”
“We prefer to explore the universe by traveling inward, as opposed to outward.” ― Nnedi Okorafor, “Binti”
Keep reading on Fable
Reading together with friends, family, and co-workers is a great way to enjoy the full mental and physical benefits of reading. We call this “social reading.” The Fable app is built for social reading could include everything for sharing highlights, comments, insights, links, pictures, and videos as you read together. Find a book club to join for free!We also make it easy to launch your own free book club. With our platform, you can host every aspect of an online discussion at a single destination, to reach readers and build safe online communities regardless of location or time zone.Start your own book club today!You can sample our ever-growing collection of Folios, exceptional book recommendations from some of the world’s great tastemakers. Each Folio covers an important theme, and some of our Folio curators include LeVar Burton, Paulo Coelho, Wolfgang Puck, and Jasmine Guillory. Discover great book recommendations!
Hayley Dennings