Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Zahara was born dada which means with a full head of hair that has little green vines growing in it. Being dada is to be suspect, kind of like a bad talisman. Her best friend Dari doesn’t think that though and constantly encourages her to explore the gifts that come with being dada, namely the ability to fly. Trouble comes when they step foot in the mysterious (and forbidden) greeny jungle. Dari is bitten by a snake and Zahara must search the jungle for the antidote.

This is the very definition of a coming of age story. Zahara starts out shy, unsure, and almost self-loathing. Through trial she discovers who she is and the value of what she is. She builds confidence by surviving the dangers of the mysterious greeny jungle. Her character development is masterful. The setting, however, almost overshadows Zahara’s story. The Ooni Kingdom and the Mysterious Greeny Jungle are so richly described that it sticks in the imagination. The whole Ooni culture is fascinating. Okorafor, through her narrator, describes a people who are inherently vain, but also invested in living in harmony with their environment. All their technology is plant based. They grow their buildings from specially bred plants, their lights come from a bioluminescent pod, and they even grow a plant version of a computer.

It’s a very fun, well written story aimed at high schoolers.


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