Stefen’s Bookclub – December

Who Fears Death
by Nnedi Okorafor

I’ve been thinking about putting this one up for the book club for a while, but the lack of a local release meant that availability would have been a bit of an issue. There still isn’t a local edition, but the announcement that the book is being adapted by HBO means that there are other stores getting copies in as well so now is probably the time to do it.  Who Fears Death is set in a post-apocalyptic Africa and seems to sit somewhere between science-fiction and fantasy. And the setting isn’t just a place to tell the same sort of story that could be set anywhere it’s integral to the story and the characters, and results in a post-apocalyptic book unlike any other. This one also comes with a warning. There are some confronting scenes in the book regarding sexual violence and genital mutilation, which has resulted in some criticism and there are several interviews where Nnedi Okorofor discusses this. This could be a difficult or challenging read for some people and the book club is supposed to be enjoyable, so if some folks want to sit it out that’s perfectly fine. Nevertheless, I think this is an important book and I’d like to read and discuss it with the group