Literary Fiction by People of Color discussion

Our discussion book for September is the African post-apocalyptic novel Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor. Since this book is new and I would imagine that some of us have not obtained a copy of it yet, I was happy to see that the first 2 chapters have been posted online! You can find them at this link:

http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com/20...

I just placed the hold at my library and noticed that they have 9 copies in the system, and they are all checked out. I'd never seen this writer's work before, but she appears to be quite popular. Good for her!

picked it up the other day. very interesting so far.

Hey all- hope folks are finding the book, starting it, enjoying it, all of that. Just wanted to post a heads up that once we get started with the discussion of the book in the beginning of the month, it'll be with the assumption that the book is completed, insert all appropriate language about spoilers alerts, etc. Looking forward to it!

I just got mine yesterday. I started last night. I am impressed so far. Rashida thanks for the to be completed announcement. I belong to a few groups and sometimes I get confused who does what.:)

finished it yesterday.

i encourage people to read this. it's intense, scary, different. it's also, it seems to me, a literary child of the great octavia butler. and it reprises some of the themes of tananarive due's Living Blood trilogy. should make for a great discussion.

Wilhelmina wrote: "Our discussion book for September is the African post-apocalyptic novel Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor. Since this book is new and I would imagine that some of us ..."

Thank you, Mina. This looks promising. And of course, it's endorsed by jo! :-)

Are the tribes in the book based on real African tribes?

no. says jo categorically without a smidgen of research or any knowledge whatsoever of african tribes: but i'd be very surprised. for one, there is no real "tribe." still, i don't want to get ahead of myself.

Rebecca wrote: "Are the tribes in the book based on real African tribes?"

I will whet everyone's appetite this morning by saying that my first discussion question (point to ponder may be more accurate) will have to do with this very question. But, I have a beastly day ahead of me at work, and I won't be able to get down into this until this afternoon. To hold you over, here is some biographical info about the author, taken from her website, http://nnedi.com

Nnedi Okorafor was born in the United States to two Igbo (Nigerian) immigrant parents. She holds a PhD in English and is a professor at Chicago State University. She resides in the suburbs of Chicago with her daughter Anyaugo.

Though American-born, Nnedi's muse is Nigeria. Her parents began taking her and her siblings to visit relatives there when she was very young. Because Nigeria is her muse, this is where many of her stories take place, either literally or figuratively.

Because she grew up wanting to be an entomologist and even after becoming a writer maintained that love of insects and nature, her work is always filled with startlingly vivid flora and fauna.

And because Octavia Butler, Stephen King, Philip Pullman, Tove Jansson, Hayao Miyazaki, and Ngugi wa Thiong'o are her greatest influences, her work tends to be...on the creative side.

Her first novel, Zahrah the Windseeker (published in 2005 by Houghton Mifflin and an illustrated version was published in Nigeria in 2008 by Kachifo Ltd.), takes place in a highly technological world based on Nigerian myths and culture.

Zahrah the Windseeker was the winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature, shortlisted for the Parallax Award and Kindred Award, a finalist for the Golden Duck and Garden State Teen Choice awards and nominated for a Locus Award (Best First Novel).

Her second novel, The Shadow Speaker (Hyperion Books, 2007) has characters from and takes place in the countries of Niger and Nigeria. The Shadow Speaker is the winner of the CBS Parallax Award. It was a Booksense Pick for Winter 2007/08 and a finalist for the Essence Magazine Literary Award and the Andre Norton Award. It is also an NAACP Image Award nominee, a Tiptree Honor Book and a Locus Magazine Recommended Book.


Also, a link to an article about Nnedi and this novel in particular: http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by...

So, here we go. I'm going to start us off generally, and as we go into the month, get more specific. Reminder spoilers may be discussed, and I'm jumping right to the end here.

A test for dystopic fiction that I like to deploy is to ask how easily can I believe that our society would devolve into the one presented. Most of the time, I end up coming away thinking that the authors have done a good job of warning the reader about current social ills, but that the very nature of humanity is good enough that I don't believe entire societies would realistically turn into whatever dystopia is portrayed.

I also like to try and spot current technologies and events that appear as history/legend/archaeological scrap in these future worlds.

To the first point, Okorafor doesn't stretch too far from what humanity has already known in terms of slavery, apartheid, and prejudice that I was so convinced this was an impossible future. I hope we would resist, but could I be sure? No. So, she wins on that. But, having read her biography, and because of Onyesonwu's name, I assumed that the novel was set in Nigeria, or at least geographically close to there. I was imagining an apocalyptic environmental event that essentially resulted in the Sahara extending far to the west of it's current boundaries.

But then came that closing line. Well, the quasi-closing line, before the re-writing, a point which I want to return to.

"It was the most we could do for the woman who saved the people of the Seven Rivers Kingdom, this place that used to be part of the Kingdom of Sudan."

This sentence, hit me like a sucker punch to the gut, and where I had been somewhat detached and analyzing throughout the entire thing, I immediately began to cry. Because, unfortunately, it became clear that Okorafor IS basing this on real people in Africa. Maybe not in all literal ways, but this novel went from a flight of fancy to a powerful indictment against the current genocide and strife that region is experiencing, and a huge shame on us for not doing more to speak out against it. Reading that she was inspired by an article about targeted rape in the Sudan, entitled "We want to make a light baby," only added to the emotional depth of the novel.

Hope I was able to express that coherently.

What I'd love to hear from others is: excepting the magical elements, how realistic did this future seem to you? Were you able to buy into this concept, that this could be us in many thousand years? What does this novel have to say about the durability of the best and worst of our cultures? Acknowledging that different cultures the world over have different norms, morals, and mores, do you think that there are any characteristics so fundamental to humanity that they will always be present, no matter how drastic the changes to environment or technology? Are these "good" or "bad" characteristics? Do you think Okorafor was aiming to touch on these types of musings with this novel? Was she effective? How did you react overall? And did you like it?

well i was going to be quiet for a bit but i can't. i liked this book very much. it's a hard book to read, not because of its violence (something some people in this group i know fear), but because of its length, maybe, the frill-free quality of its writing, and the relentless power of the vision it presents. with rashida, i assume readers of this thread are automatically warned about spoilers, so i'll go on and say that onyesonwu's plight, her fight with the evil within is tough to take. the young woman is in a state of serious physical/psychological pain for most of the novel. and i'm not even sure okorafor goes for the sympathetic character. if you are like me, there are no characters in this book you are going to get emotionally attached to. this is not a sentimental, lyrical book. it's a brutal look at genocide and mass violence, and at the horror we must confront inside ourselves if we want to improve things.

to answer rashida, i don't think this is how we are going to be in thousands of years. i think this is how we are now. the futuristic element seems almost marginal to me.

the questions you present about culture and durability and values are difficult one to tackle this late at night so i'll leave them for another day, but are excellent one. this book is very much about culture -- african culture, human culture.

in fact, i hadn't thought about the book in the terms you present, rashida, and i'm happy you are making me do so.

it seems to me okorafor is one of those rare writers who write as if in a trance. it's like they get given the story from up high and what they have to do is to put it down on paper. her labor here doesn't seem that different from onyesonwu's. writing this book must have been terribly, terribly hard. there is a sense of mission, purpose, testimony to this book that felt very palpable to me. okorafor is not a pretty writer. like octavia butler, whom she mentions as one of her main influences, she strikes me as a writer who doesn't take anything into account except her own vision. this doesn't seem to me a novel that aims to please, or be enjoyed, or be valued for its aesthetic merit. this seems to me a novel written with the tremendous urgency of a story that demands to be told, and in the face of which the writer is pretty much helpless.

so yeah, i think she was effective. and yeah, i loved it.

jo wrote: "okorafor is not a pretty writer. like octavia butler, whom she mentions as one of her main influences"

Was this a turn off for anyone? Honestly, I struggled with it. Love the thought and ideas that went into this novel, but technically... yeesh. It read like a first novel in a lot of ways, even though it wasn't. But she is making the transition from writing young adult to adult, so maybe there were a bit of growing pains. Because there was a lot that seemed YA in tone (though not subject matter) to me. But while I found some of the dialog and exposition wooden, the book jacket has praise for your her short, punchy sentences. So, I'm also more than aware that it can be a matter of personal opinion.

What did others think?

The book to me was quite maddening..thats the only way I can put it..I wish GR would let one rate on half stars because I gave it 3 but to me its more like 2 and a half. Somewhere between it was ok and I liked it. I'll give it props first and then weigh in on what I didn't like later...It is the only book that I was so engrossed in that I almost missed a 10 ton diesel spewing bus...Another 2 seconds and it would have been gone. Nnedi O. can conjure a vivid picture of a post industrial Africa. The overall themes are one not tackled in traditional S.F. or novels in general so central ideas like mass genocide and female rape and mutilation that you never hear about otherwise came to the forefront. If your are an idea person it was great. If you like superior writing skills...eehh...not so much..more on that topic in future posts...

William wrote: "The book to me was quite maddening..thats the only way I can put it..I wish GR would let one rate on half stars because I gave it 3 but to me its more like 2 and a half. Somewhere between it was ok..."

It's very disappointing, isn't it, when you find a great premise, good plot, really original ideas, but then the writer doesn't have the skill/artistry to do them justice.

I hear warning bells...

wait. is there one way to write? can you write an engaging, compelling, profoundly challenging story and be a bad writer? i don't think so.

i myself said that okorafor is not a "pretty" writer, but i do not believe for a second she is a bad writer. i think, in fact, that she is an exceptional writer!

good writing is not just beautiful sentences. it's also story construction, individuating key issues and developing them properly, communicating ideas and feelings powerfully to the reader, and, most of all, having something mind-blowing to say. can anyone doubt that Who Fears Death possesses these qualities?

jo wrote: "wait. is there one way to write? can you write an engaging, compelling, profoundly challenging story and be a bad writer? i don't think so.

i myself said that okorafor is not a "pretty" writer, bu..."

I couldn't disagree more, jo. I as a reader trust that the writer will be able to convey her big ideas in an agreeable and satisfying manner. I should not as a reader have to suffer through clunky dialogue and amaturish exposition. I'm not going to pronounce Okafor a good or bad writer, the book buying and reading public will do that. My point is that great themes and ideas are diminished by inartful storytelling. To wit: Onye herself tells her age as 20, then 19, then 20 again in the spaces of a few pages without the benefit of time travel, (something a good book editor should have picked up easily). On page 131 Onye says that her mother for the first time in her life spoke above a whisper. WHAT! I thought that sometimes my mother could be annoying but can you imagine a mother that for 20 years never spoke above a whisper!!! I imagined it and came to the conclusion that such a statement or the mother was surely ridiculous. Then towards the end of the book when Onye is with the red people everyone who touches her recieves a debillitating near death experience...One of the other characters actually takes the words right out of my mouth (mind) and asks her whats going on..why is she causing these problems. Onye considers it but then NEVER ANSWERS HER QUESTION! She just goes on shocking and maiming people for no apparent reason..it doesn't advance the plot..the people are supposed to be her friends...
I am reminded of the far superior book, "Tears of the Desert" by Halima Bashir. All of the themes of culture, religious, and ethnic warfare and genocide, female genital mutilation, historical male/paternal chauvanism and domination are explored in present day Sudan and Darfur(Durfa?). And Bashir is a doctor by trade not a writer. Her book lets me know that it is possible to talk/write about a profoundly challenging story and still be a graceful writer.

Some of the other posters have stated what I found I did not like in Who Fears death. The mixture of cultures which also happened in Shadow speaker also threw me off here as well as the unemotional storytelling. I found myself flipping over some pages of dialogue and exposition that became too repetitious and thus boring. On the ideas side, I admire Nnedi for raising some salient issues in the book and I have started some conversations with topics she raised in Who fears death.

William wrote: "jo wrote: "wait. is there one way to write? can you write an engaging, compelling, profoundly challenging story and be a bad writer? i don't think so.

i myself said that okorafor is not a "prett..."

Well said, William. I understand.

William wrote: "jo wrote: "wait. is there one way to write? can you write an engaging, compelling, profoundly challenging story and be a bad writer? i don't think so.

i myself said that okorafor is not a "prett..."

some of the things you point out, bill, are poor copy-editing. this in an increasingly serious problem in the publishing industry. i noticed them too. there are some sequences (unlike you, i can't remember them) when the copy-editing is just atrocious.

From todays Washington Post, a short review, (second paragraph).

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

What did folks think of Okorafor's depiction of the 11th year rite? I thought she did a really good job of balancing respect for different cultures with defense of women's rights.

So many works of speculative fiction seem to center around gender roles in the future, who they change, same the same, the impact on society and vice versa. It seems that Okorafor thinks that, at least in this part of the world, society is fixed on their gender roles, and even after unknown apocalyptic events, they will remain. It's not just the fact that these girls experience the ritual that they've been performing so long nobody can remember why they do it anymore. It's also reflected in Onyesonwu's constant chafing against Mwita's efforts to fit their relationship into rigid roles.

do you think that Okorafor has risked sales of her book by including such controversial subjects? Or do you think that ultimately it will help push her book?

I was a little surprised that Onyesonwu was actually eager to take part in the 11th year rite but then upon reflection its not so out of the ordinary that she would be eager to please. As a child of rape and the victimization that she endures daily by a society that blames the victim for their circumstances there is all sorts of self-destructive behaviours. And from what I know of the practice through readings, some of the staunchest proponents of female circumcision are elder females. Onye had a desperate need to prove herself worthy to her parents and other elders in the society. No one should doubt the power of culture and tradition on the individual.
I definitely think that the raw subject matter will draw those with hearty stomachs to the book...

I think she was trying to find a way to be accepted in her local society, rather than prove herself to her parents, in particular as her mother clearly didn't push the idea and I don't recall reading anything to suggest her father did either. She had no friends at all until she did undergo it and then the group she formed with the other girls and their shared experience proved strong enough to protect her from much of the prejudice she experienced. I think this sort of thing, these women's groups, makes the practice so difficult to irradicate, as anyone who doesn't undergo circumcision is excluded from any possibility of being a full member of that society. this sort of thing continues on with the immigrant groups in Europe and the US as well these days.

As I recall Onye wanted to prove herself worthy to her parents, she felt she was an embarrassment to them, but both were distraught, the mother because it was not a part of her tradition and the father as a "forward thinker" proven by his accepteance of Onye in the first place, when they found out that she had snuck out behind their backs to do it. She at the same time was seeking approval from the elders and her peer group.

could be. I finished the book several weeks ago and my wife's wrapped up in it now. however, the main point that Onye, and other women in many African societies can't be fully accepted or participate in many women's groups without undergoing circumcision remains valid. If Onye hadn't undergone the rite, she would have had no peer group.

No doubt about that...thats the point I was trying to convey when I said that the power of tradition and culture outweighs the individuals notions of rebellion and morality. Where will you live and thrive and be accepted if your an outcast for not accepting societal norms even if those norms are repugnant to advanced (?) or other (Western?) societies.

I'm running behind this month - I just got the book from the library - but I wanted to mention that I was reading Amazon.com's book blog and saw the post "2010 Novels: The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year So Far?" To my surprise, out of the 9 books selected, three were writen by women of color. In addition to Who Fears Death, the blog post lists The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin and Redemption in Indigo: a novel by Karen Lord. This has got to be a first!

http://www.omnivoracious.com/2010/09/...

I'll have to keep an eye out for them.

William, it seems we're using different words to say pretty much the same thing.

Wilhelmina wrote: "I'm running behind this month - I just got the book from the library - but I wanted to mention that I was reading Amazon.com's book blog and saw the post "2010 Novels: The Best Science Fiction and ..."

Thanks for that, Mina. I second the praise for NK Jemisin. That was an impressive first novel. And I'm chuffed that Karen Lord has Caribbean roots! Remember when Octavia Butler was the only sister on the SF/F team?

I certainly do!

I too was excited when I saw the Amazon Best SF Fiction list. I was thought it would just be a quick glance and there was stopped in my tracks when I saw the cover for the Karen Lord book and I quickly downloaded the sample chapter to my Kindle and so I was surprised at the number of AOC who made the list.

Another book that was published this year - A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott is a YA novel with a Kindred like theme.

There is another SF writer - Nisi Shawl whose short stories collection - Filter House who one of the SF awards a year or two ago.

I agree that NK Jemisin is a good writer and her writing is more graceful to me than Nnedi Okorafor.

If in the NYC area - Jemisin & Lord are scheduled to be on a panel at the Brooklyn Book Festival today.

Rashida wrote: "So, here we go. I'm going to start us off generally, and as we go into the month, get more specific. Reminder spoilers may be discussed, and I'm jumping right to the end here.

A test for dystopi..."

A lot of questions. But to the line in the book that actually references Sudan - that also got me a little off guard and it named a specific place as opposed to speaking in general about societies on how they destroy & rebuild themselves in almost the same images as before.

I did think that Okorafor was placing the story more in the eastern part of Africa by the description of the geography and the genocide which is happening there.

I think of of the fundamental themes touched upon in this book - is the need for people to organize themselves to belong to a "group" and for a "group" to want to dominate another "group", as a way for the dominate group to validate themselves and to wager war. I think the history of civilization keeps proving the point that war is the more natural state than peace. We, as people, seem to struggle much harder to maintain peace, and then it does not last much longer.

Another theme that I saw in this book - is the use of rape and the sexual nature of women as a control weapon. Are women the basis of our humanity and by controlling women do you control society?

Rashida wrote: "jo wrote: "okorafor is not a pretty writer. like octavia butler, whom she mentions as one of her main influences"

Was this a turn off for anyone? Honestly, I struggled with it. Love the thought ..."

Rashida - I will have to agree with you. I thought this book especially the first part was very YA in nature. I struggled through the first part but thought the novel read much better starting with Part 2 and was really meeting its strive in the last third of the book.

As the character matured I thought the writing matured and some of those growing pains transitioning to an adult novel disappeared.

The violence did not turn me off. I thought it was essential to the telling of the story to have the reader realize the evil in this world and how casually people do it and accept it.

To be accepted by a group - an individual can be willing to accept cruel cultural practices. Showing Onyesonwu volunteering to the female circumcision to be accepted (or at least not giving them another reason for her to be unacceptable.
I thought the writing of that scene was an indication on how Okofaror wanted us to see the violence/evil acts in this book. There was not much emotion written into this scene - it was done and of course the young girls did not know the true consequences but it what was expected to them.

William wrote: "No doubt about that...thats the point I was trying to convey when I said that the power of tradition and culture outweighs the individuals notions of rebellion and morality. Where will you live and..."

So true - almost all societies have some ritual for the passing from childhood to being accepted as an adult by society.
The outcome of this practice is that a woman would not want to participate in sexual activities. Thus a control move by society.

I just finished the book and I will write more later, but I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. It is definitely not literary fiction, it's speculative fiction without a doubt. The heart of this book is story, story, story. I agree that she left some loose end hanging and could have used a continuity editor, but the story is unusual and kept me captivated.

I thought that she chose circumcision not for herself but to avoid increasing the shame she felt that she brought to her parents:

I had brought dishonor to my mother by existing. I brought scandal to Papa by entering his life. Where before he had been a respected and eligible widower, now people laughingly said he was bewitched by an Okeke woman from the bloody West, a woman who'd been used by a Nuru man. My parents carried enough shame. - p. 33

Of course she also hoped that the ritual would help her to become more "normal" - to stop the strange events that had begun to occur. But what did you all think about her UNcircumcision? And all of the difficulties that resulted in her friend group?

The cultural mixing was a bit unsettling - she had elements flying in from everywhere - but, hey, it's speculative fiction. Rashida mentioned that this book read like a first novel, and it really is her first for adults. I have read quite a bit of SF/fantasy literature in my life, and it does tend to be story driven, as this book certainly is. But if someone tells me a good story, I'm a pretty happy woman.

Myne wrote: "On the ideas side, I admire Nnedi for raising some salient issues in the book and I have started some conversations with topics she raised in Who fears death. ..."

Myne, curious what some of those topics are and what the responses are that you've gotten from the conversations, if you don't mind sharing.

Wilhelmina wrote: "Of course she also hoped that the ritual would help her to become more "normal" - to stop the strange events that had begun to occur. But what did you all think about her UNcircumcision? And all of the difficulties that resulted in her friend group?..."

You know FGM or circumcision is an issue that I've never quite been able to wrap my mind around. Tolerance of diversity v. abhorrence of sexual violence has always twisted me into loops over what the reaction should be for an outsider from the culture. Slippery slopes, moral relativism, it all comes together and immobilizes me from being able to formulate a coherent opinion on the matter.

I thought that Okorafor's decision to have her protagonist choose the ritual, and not be "forced" (or was she?) into it showed an ambiguity and gray area that isn't usually presented in a black and white debate. I couldn't guess easily at what direction the author wanted me to take, and it again got the brain firing and thinking. I like that. Raise complex issues and let me figure it out, don't tell me what to think.

However, I thought that with the advancement of the plot- the ultimate revelation of the bad juju put on the ritual, the extreme pain and regret it caused, and the ultimate fix being to reverse the procedure- Okorafor did move into that "tell me how you really feel" territory and she lost some of the subtlety. Which is fine, her novel, and she's free to espouse as many of her ideas and opinions as she wants. But it did seem a shift.

Storywise, I think readers enjoy a brisk romance more than a tragic thwarted love, eh? And we had to get to the conception of the child at some point, so I guess the uncircumcision was absolutely necessary.

But back to jo's point about unlikeable characters. Geez, that Diti was a piece of work, huh? With friends like these... But, the other friend, who stuck there to the end, was priceless, I thought, and ultimately one of the most likable characters. I cannot remember her name. Book not with me. Someone help me out.

What do others think?

Luyu, and I liked her also.

well, Diti was more of a friend than Onye had ever had before. And she did head out into the wilderness with her, away from her own family and friends, so I think we shouldn't be too harsh on her. obviously not without her flaws though.

I liked Luyu also.
But, I also related the characters going off with Onye - like most groups that go off into a struggle. Each individual joins/follows a "leader" into a stuggle for different reasons. And like in most groups - an individual finds out this is not for them and leave and some others may come more zealous in the pursuit of the ultimate goal. This was very realistic. But, in some ways Luyu and Diti were both doomed - it is the path that each chose that would determine their own fate. Everybody may believe in the same ultimate goal but the path to get there may be different from all.

As far as the FGM that was pretty central to the arc of the story...I'm still not sure what to take away from it. What the point of view of the author was even though the constant discussion of it was probably what the Wash. Post critic was referring to when she said the book came close to being a polemic. I still wonder why she had Onye volunteer for the circumcision only then to later on spend much time and energy UNcircumcisizing herself and her friends. And although Rashida says, "And we had to get to the conception of the child at some point, so I guess the uncircumcision was absolutely necessary", there is no relationship between conception and circumcision. ANd to muddle it even futher I've been told by African female aquaintances that have been circumcized that there is no lessening of the female sex drive that it is supposedly meant to curb! And one in particular had a large number of children.
But I do agree with you Rashida in that although the author spends a great deal of time in book talking about FGM she neither indicts nor defends the practice. I'm left feeling muddled about just what was the point being made.

William wrote: "As far as the FGM that was pretty central to the arc of the story...I'm still not sure what to take away from it. What the point of view of the author was even though the constant discussion of it ..."

In terms of anatomy, I wouldn't expect mutilation to decrease the sex drive. It would impede orgasm, but nothing else, except indirectly (eg via shame, distress). Of course, these practices have no basis in science. :-)

And thats where things turn upside down...while we as outsiders may view the practice as shameful or distressful...the only reactions I've ever ascertained from my limited contacts with those who've undergone it ranged from pride in having passed from childhood to womanhood and fully invested member of society to a shrug of the shoulder nonchalance and indifference...

To be clear, in referring to the uncircumcision as necessary to the conception, I meant in the rules of the book, only, not our real world. The magic placed on the ritual made the women ill with any sexual arousal, and seemed virtually impossible to have a completed sexual experience. Assuming the male half of the couple loved the woman, I don't see there being any babies made without the magic of the ritual, even if not the physical being reversed. That was the source of Fanasi's distress, and possibly one of his motivations for going out on the journey with them.

Oh yeah..I did forget about that...

William wrote: "And thats where things turn upside down...while we as outsiders may view the practice as shameful or distressful...the only reactions I've ever ascertained from my limited contacts with those who'v..."

There are other views, William. Further to Rashida's point, the memoirs by women who have 'survived' mutilation usually describe some degree of distress. (I'm thinking of that Somali/Dutch activist/academic... What's her name?) Of course, these are usually 'Westernised' women, aren't they?

Well aware of the worldwide revulsion and condemnation of the pratice, Hazel. To which my voice is added. Just relating some of the impressions I was left with after talking to some women who have actually gone through the procedure. But certainly it is the Westernized not the indigenous voice that speaks loudest on the subject.

Hard to know, isn't it? And hard to judge.

This puts me in mind of so-called honour killings which take place here from time to time. There's always an outcry, and a sense that certain attitudes/practices are engrained in some traditional communities, and that those of us on the outside don't understand them, nor how commonly they are accepted in that community.

So, what did folks think of the double ending? Do you believe one or the other? Would having only one have made the book stronger or was there something about the main message of this book that made the rewriting necessary?