Unfortunately, although her people are peaceful on the whole, the same cannot be said for the Khoush, who fan the flames of their ancient rivalry with the Meduse.įar from her village when the conflicts start, Binti hurries home, but anger and resentment has already claimed the lives of many close to her. Through her friendship with Okwu and her discovery that she can make more otjize on her new planet, Binti begins to feel more secure in her new identity and even calls home to speak with her family.'Prepare to fall in love with Binti.'-Neil Gaimanįor the first time in hardcover, the conclusion to Nnedi Okorafor's Hugo and Nebula Award-winning seriesīinti has returned to her home planet, believing that the violence of the Meduse has been left behind. The sting turns her hair into okuoko, blue Meduse-like tentacles, that mean Binti cannot braid her hair into the special pattern of her family-but the okuoko allow her to communicate with the Meduse. She must give the Meduse her jar of otjize, and a Meduse stings her. Through doing this, Binti’s identity fundamentally changes. When Binti discovers why the Meduse are headed for Oomza Uni, she uses her skills as a master harmonizer to convince the Meduse to trust her-and the researchers at the university to hand over the chief Meduse’s stinger. She forms a fragile friendship with a Meduse named Okwu and begins to learn about Meduse culture and share information about her own. Over the course of the next five days, Binti learns how to use the edan, which allows her to communicate with the Meduse. When disaster strikes and Meduse aliens hijack the ship, killing everyone but Binti, Binti clings tightly to a device she found known as an edan, which seems to protect her.

This helps Binti feel more secure in her choice to leave home. Things improve once she discovers that all her future classmates love math just as much as she does-and though they’re all Khoush, they can all still connect over this shared interest. Even as Binti experiences instances of racism and overt rudeness, she remains proud of being Himba and is especially proud of the otjize that covers her skin and hair and denotes her Himba identity.

Himba generally never leave home, but Binti’s love of math and her desire to pursue her education is strong enough to cause her to leave. This presents major issues because Binti is Himba.

Because of her talents, Binti was accepted to Oomza University across the galaxy on a full scholarship. Binti is a gifted mathematician and “master harmonizer” she, like many Himba, can manipulate mathematical currents and create sophisticated devices like astrolabes. Binti is the novella’s titular protagonist she’s a 16-year-old girl from the Himba tribe.

Binti book 3