The book compels me for these reasons alone. Baked into this fast-paced fantasy adventure, we also learn about the multitude of cultures and languages alive among Nigerians (in part a remnant from Nigeria's oppressive colonial history). Her new friends help her discover her own magical powers, and she learns she is a part of the world of the Leopard People.Ī serial killer stalks Nigeria murdering children, and Sunny and her friends are chosen to stop him. Now living in Nigeria, she's a light-skinned and light-haired albino in African country, drawing suspicion and taunts from locals. As groundbreaking as The Sorcerer's Stone may have been when released 20 years ago, Okorafor's Akata Witch features a protagonist whose cultural identity is both complex and, I sense, too, deeply symbolic of the issues young adults face when counting many identities among those defining who they are.Īs we begin Akata Witch, we meet twelve-year-old Sunny Nwazue, who was born in America to Nigerian parents and grew up in the states until only recently. Reading a book as fantastic as Akata Witch has definitely set me on a path towards more reading outside of my comfort zone. One of the reasons LPL identified Okorafor as a Beach Author Series hopeful was to encourage our community to read diverse voices.

It undersells Okorafor's storytelling capabilities, and, in particular, her ability to weave deep cultural symbolism into what amounts to both an entertaining read at least on par with Harry Potter combined with a cultural education for readers like myself, who might not know a lot about Nigeria.

“The idea of the world being a magical place, a mystical place, is normal ,” she is quoted as saying in the article.Īnd as I wade into the Akata series, I find myself less and less convinced about that 'Nigerian Harry Potter ' label. But, as Okorafor herself attests in the aforementioned Times piece, magic isn't total fantasy. In fact, I have never read Harry Potter, so take my (otherwise pretty knowledgeable) opinion with a grain of salt! To catch up, I'm reading her critically-acclaimed work, beginning with Akata Witch, the first book of her beloved Akata series, which fans often refer to as 'The Nigerian Harry Potter' according to a New York Times author profile.įirst, a disclaimer: I struggle to read fantasy, especially for kids and teens. I am so excited about Nnedi Okorafor's visit to Lawrence this November! I'm a bit behind the times discovering the amazingness that is Ms.

Akata witch series