Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor (5 points)

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor is something that I was actually asked to read last semester by another liberal arts teacher. So for this reading this week I went through a browsed for a few refreshers.

I found this story to have some very strong harry potter vibes. One of the prominent things I noticed about this novel was how the character that was considered "different" by society, was also secretly actually different in that she had magical powers. 

I absolutely love how this book brings women empowerment to light. She felt like a real protagonist with compelling growth and not overly "girl power" incarnate. If only the conflict was a little more present in the overall story and this would be high on my "favorite books" list.


The archetype of witches - or at least in the American sense - has been broken in my opinion in this novel. The go-to vision of witches for most Americans is from, for example, the TV shows like The Circle, Legacies, The Vampire Diaries... honestly you could probably go on forever talking about witches.  The idea of having magical powers translating to physically looking different is lost in Akata Witch. 


I always recommend people to read this book, especially those who feel different or left out.  This book is a huge home run in dealing with those feeling of being an outcast but still powerful.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood (6 points)

After reading Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake, I described it as "the COVID-19 conspiracy theory that my grandpa sent me on crack." The shocking similarity to our current state, and the outcome of the book attributing itself to the worst parts of capitalism made it all the more hard for me to digest the novel. I personally did not enjoy it for mostly that reason, but looking at it from an objective standpoint has shown me that Oryx and Crake is a very well-written commentary on many things in our current society. Going in, I had a feeling that I would be reading something on the more literary side masked by a very specific type of genre writing; I was already familiar with Atwood's style due to having read The Handmaid's Tale. When picking a novel, I usually go for something on the more genre fiction side. I enjoy escaping into tales of possible futures, odd worlds, adventures beyond my wildest dreams; it is just that, an escape from our current lives and a form
Read more

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (6 points)

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is absolutely a classic. I can't tell you how many different times I have been asked to read this and I enjoy every second of it.  The biggest thing I find on a daily basis is how many people  ATTEMPT to recreate Frakenstien and always portray the monster with the name. However we know that the Doctor is infact Frankestien... Curiousty begs the question of how that got lost in translation.  The realization of how closely correlated the stories of both Frankenstein and his creature were.  Both of them introduced themselves into this story as beings of hope, who loved everything around them.  They were both  positive individuals and looked to the brighter side of hope . Within both of their corresponding storylines the reader could watch the arc of each of their characters slowly begin to focus on nothing but the other.  The creature, of course, quickly took my interest over Frankenstein, which I feel is how most people begin to think the story is named F
Read more

The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman 5 points

 I love love loved this when I was a kid and honestly I just got better reading it as an adult.  I really love this book because I have always grown up with animals and I love the concept of having an animal basically being connected with you on a whole other level.  I love my dog. And to think that I could actually communicate with him and that we could talk and go on adventures and have another level of understanding just blows my mind. Not only that but when he is young he can shape shift until he chooses a form. UGH there are not enough words to talk about how freaking cool this would be. I'm getting way to into it. Lyra is just an amazing representation how little girls should grow up to be. Strong willed, freedom seeking, and just getting down and dirty. She is an amazing friend to put herself in danger to make sure her friends are safe. I think as a kid the movie was awesome. But now that I am not I think the book just does a way better job of discussing the emotions and fee
Read more