Binti

From the Publisher:

Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs.

Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has long warred with the Meduse, an alien race that has become the stuff of nightmares. Oomza University has wronged the Meduse, and Binti's stellar travel will bring her within their deadly reach.

If Binti hopes to survive the legacy of a war not of her making, she will need both the the gifts of her people and the wisdom enshrined within the University, itself — but first she has to make it there, alive.

My Thoughts:

I am an old sci fi geek but I started reading more minority literature because science fiction seemed so white centric. This book, however, is a perfect combination with a protagonist who is just as marginalized in this futuristic society, but through the ancient knowledge of her people, she is able to survive when no one else does. I also learned a new word while reading some reviews: Afropolitan. Binti is an Afropolitan, meaning she is of African descent but lives globally "not citizens, but Africans of the world" and in this case, of the universe.

I was so sad to find out that this was a novella, especially since I was on the waiting list at my local library for months. Who knows how long I will have to wait for the next one, but this is a rare treat of sci fi and Indigenous knowledge used as a shield and a weapon.