Not sure that I would classify this as a novel as the plot wasn't linear but seemed more like a group of short stories meshed together. Bulawayo is brilliant at showing us Zimbabwe through the eyes of ten-year-old Darling and her friends. I have read many books about southern Africa in particular, and this one really lacked direction and a compelling heroine. Thu 20 Jun 2013 10.00 BST We Need New Names is a novel by NoViolet Bulawayo that follows the life of Darling, a young girl who grew up in Zimbabwe. Oh stars, ratings. For really, what is the purpose of suffering in literature, especially in a coming-of-age novel, but to serve as midwife to spiritual and psychological growth? What does it mean to be American? • Helon Habila's Oil on Water is published by Penguin. The first half of the book is set in a small village in Zimbabwe, and, while there is evidence of terrible things happening, the danger is told about in more of an abstract way. We Need New Names follows the (mis)adventures of Darling and her friends, Bastard, Chipo, Godknows, Sbho and Stina, in and beyond their ironically named shanty neighbourhood Paradise. wow. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo – review NoViolet Bulawayo has extended her Caine prize-winning short story about a Zimbabwean girl coming of age in the US into a novel. This makes her the first black African woman and the first Zimbabwean to be shortlisted for that prize. Did I mention that one of the children, 10- or 12-year-old Chipo, is pregnant after being raped by her grandfather? An audiobook excerpt of We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo read by Robin Miles. The narrator's voice has a wonderful innocence, even as she and her playmates (I'd say schoolmates but the teachers have all left the country and the school closed) play such games as "Find Bin Laden." May 30, 2013 • In We Need New Names, NoViolet Bulawayo tells the story of Darling and her friends, desperate children who live in a shantytown called Paradise. In We Need New Names, her ferocious debut novel, NoViolet Bulawayo creates a human scale narrative of the vast African diaspora. Enjoy this free preview Unlock all 35 pages of this Study Guide by subscribing today. I haven't read Godwin's book so to me he is just some white guy, and I've gotta say I hate the gendered word feisty which is supposed to mean 'spirited' but throws off sexual connotations and also 'feral' which means wild like a free undomesticated animal and in, It took me almost to the end to get my interpretation of this book straight, since I was thrown off the scent by a snippet of praise from Peter Godwin "NoViolet Bulawayo is a powerful, authentic nihilistic voice - feral, feisty, funny". This book got a few things very right, but alot of other things were below average. Come visit Novelonlinefree.com sometime to read the latest chapter of We Need New Names. Discussion of themes and motifs in NoViolet Bulawayo's We Need New Names. ... Then she lifts those metals and says, 'I will be going on a fruit diet.'" Get started. Little, Brown, May 21, 2013 - Fiction - 304 pages. In Darling’s world, coat-hanger abortions are interpreted as a game, rigged elections are just town drama, AIDS is seen as a mysterious illness that maybe Reverend Bitchington Mborro can pray away, and prostitution simply seems like mysterious … This book was really a disappointment after I read so many positive reviews. In America, the narrator does grow when she finds out that, despite the material wealth, all she has dreamed of won't necessarily come true. We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo focuses on a 10-year-old Zimbabwean girl named Darling. And finally, the last step, which is to say the words out loud and have them sound just right. The main character in … Then the child i. I don’t think I’ve ever rated a book based mostly on its second-last chapter, but I think that’s what I did here. This Study Guide consists of approximately 22 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of We Need New Names. “We Need New Names,” a debut novel by NoViolet Bulawayo, straddles Zimbabwe and the United States and nearly collapses under the strain. Absolutely brilliant. A few years ago I was listening to one of those. This had been on my radar for a while, but due to a few disappointing reviews I doubt I would have bothered with it if I hadn't been reading the Booker longlist. Print Word PDF. Most impressively, Bulawayo keeps the narrative just as compelling when (sort of a spoiler, but not really) Darling moves to America halfway through the book. Highly recommended for high school and above, and the scene which gives the book its title . (I can't say that I ever really succeeded.) The atmosphere of Paradise changes as the adults prepare to vote in an election. ‘NoViolet’ is a tribute to Elizabeth Tshele’s mother Violet, who died when Elizabeth was only 18 months old. Summary. deeply felt and fiercely written first novel. It felt like a bunch of observations and anecdotes, some standalone short stories even, not really a cohesive novel. Welcome back. They spent their days stealing guavas,getting into mischief and daydreaming about the typical things African kids do- about eating good food and ultimately becoming rich overseas, in places such as Dubai and the USA. Refresh and try again. But you'll see when you read it. London: Reagan Arthur Books, 2013; pp 290. And this is all in the first hundred pages, before the narrator is whisked away to America – to Detroit, Michigan, or as the children call it, "Destroyedmichygen". The story follows the lives of various people in a shanty town called Paradise in Zimbabwe. If you have any question about this novel, Please don't hesitate to contact us or translate team. The children discuss what happens when you vote while putting up posters that say “Change, Real Change” (61) on the door of every shack, as they have been assigned by other children named Bornfree and Messenger. "); there are street children – from the ranks of whom the narrator, Darling, finally emerges and escapes to America and a better life. The language is simply beautiful -- fresh, genuine, evocative. So poignant I can't do justice describing it, so I won't try. Seems there isn't a country in Africa without strife and turmoil and so many Africans view America as the promised land...but once they're here and spent time they realize that while life might be slightly better the living is hard and they are never assimilated into this country or accepted. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Darling spends her days with her friends, playing games and going into Budapest to steal guavas. Bulawayo' s writing has effectively depicted such a bleak picture in my brain of life in Zimbabwe, life in America, life anywhere, that I am thoroughly depressed and somewhat shamed. That would be impossible. But I digress. The first part with the child narrator in Zimbabwe was ok, but so scattered and not overly interesting (how many times can the kids steal guavas, eat guavas, get constipated from guavas?). Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published Then you have to carefully arrange those words in your head. What we turn to literature for is its ability to transport us beyond the headlines. The first half of the book focuses on Darling and her childhood friends, and the way that they comprehend what is going on in their country, since they are living in a time of turmoil and distress in Zimbabwe. Darling seems to just feel sorry for herself, being subjected to stupid Americans, their TV, pornography, ignorance and bad speech. by Reagan Arthur Books. . Then you have to carefully arrange those words in your head. NoViolet Bulawayo’s debut novel has just been added to the long list for the 2013 Booker Prize. Chapters 1-3. W. This book was really a disappointment after I read so many positive reviews. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. After her family's home was bulldozed in the midst of a political upheaval, she, her family, and many more are forced to set up a village called Paradise. 2 SUMMARY NoViolet Bulawayo 3 born 1981 in Tsholotsho, Zimbabwe grew up in Bulawayo until 18 immigrated to aunt in Detroit, USA "We need new 4 More like 3.5 stars...the beginning while raw and realistic was slow for me...the second half picked up and was more engaging. She grew up in Buluwayo, Zimbabwe, but never really names the country or its leader until in her acknowledgement at the end of the book. Even the most horrifying and heart-wrenching scenes are leavened by the children's incredulity, defiant mischievousness and bursts of humor. A remarkable literary debut shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize: the unflinching and powerful story of a young girl's journey out of Zimbabwe and to America. There's even a rather inexplicable chapter on how the Chinese are taking over Africa, and how, as one of the street kids puts it, the Chinese "are not even our friends". Oh stars, ratings. We Need New Names: A Novel (NoViolet Bulawayo) - Kindle edition by Bulawayo, NoViolet. As I interact with other readers in book clubs and online, am finding it interesting how many readers want to rate a book highly for just one or two positive attributes. One of the panellists, in passing, accused the new writers of "performing Africa" for the world. A short story of hers called “Hitting Budapest” won the 2011 Caine Prize for African Literature and became the first of several astounding chapters in. It is therefore a critique of moving to the Diaspora as a solution to challenges in one’s country. We are talking child soldiers, genocide, child prostitution, female genital mutilation, political violence, police brutality, dictatorships, predatory preachers, dead bodies on the roadside. Also, the character development wasn't flushed out for some of the characters...the pregnant friend, the dying father, the crazy uncle...as soon as their stories began they ended. I accepted that, because Darling, the main character, is only 11 or so and the novel is told exclusively with her voice. In "We Need New Names," NoViolet Bulawayo has written an anguished and angry tale of the African Diaspora. 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