4.29.2005

Book Review: A Girl Named Disaster

A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer

SUMMARY: Twelve-year-old Nahmo, fleeing an impending marriage to a cruel man with three wives, sets out for Zimbabwe on a leaky boat. Soon, strong currents sweep her entirely off track and she struggles to overcome drowning, starvation, and attacks by animals. Nhamo's journey brings her closer to the African spirit world as she struggles against lonliness and toward a new life.

OPINION: Although this book is set in Africa, it is not fantasy like Farmer's book The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm. It is historical fiction, set in the early 1980s, when Mozambique and Zimbabwe had recently won their independence from colonial Portugal and Britain. This book deals with the intersection of tribal traditions and modern lifestyles, and tells a gripping story as well!

No comments: