From there, Onyesonwu feels a bond with the three other girls who undergo the rite at the same time. Okorafor links sexuality to her protagonist quite early in the book, with Onyesonwu describing how she undergoes genital mutilation at eleven to make herself “fit in” with the other girls of her village. But along the way, Onyesonwu must contend with everything from conflict amongst her friends to her own uncertainty about her role in a vague, intentionally distorted prophecy. Suspect as a result of this heritage, she nevertheless becomes the student of her village’s sorcerer, who helps her unlock the powers she will need to take on her Nuru father-also a powerful sorcerer-and quash the Nuru’s final invasion of the East and extermination of the Okeke people. Onyesonwu, the eponymous narrator, is an Ewu, a child of rape and violence. Although I didn’t enjoy this as much as I wanted to (and probably won’t watch its adaptation), I think I understand why it has captured the imaginations of so many people, and I think I’d enjoy seeing it become a classic. The narrative, while slightly more straightforward than Dhalgren, still challenges and requests a certain level of involvement. Nnedi Okorafor explores the intersections of tradition, sex, and sexuality of history and intertextuality. Who Fears Death reminds me a lot of Dhalgren, another seminal work of post-apocalyptic speculative fiction.
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