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Feb 12, 2018forbesrachel rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A fantastic and original sci-fi short story. Binti is a character who is caught between what she wants and what her people want. As a part of the Himba people, she knows that she should not leave home. No Himba has ever left. Part of her also doesn’t want to leave, because she loves her family, follows her people’s traditions, and holds fast to their values. However, Binti desperately wants to go out and learn, and she knows that she has a lot to offer the larger universe. This is the core struggle throughout her story, but it isn’t the only one. Many don’t understand, and while this young woman puts on a brave face, their subtle racist attitudes do bother her. As an “outsider”, this may be why she is able to listen to, and feel compassion for the misunderstood Meduse, the alien race who attacks her ship. The author is not so much concerned with explaining how everything works, so there is a bit of a fantastical element to events, but everything is so wonderfully described and unique that this is fine. Binti is so short, that there is no excuse not to pick it up, you’ll be done with it before you know it, and you’ll be wanting more.