"While journeying to Zimbabwe, eleven-year-old Nhamo struggles to escape drowning and starvation and in so doing comes close to the luminous world of the African spirits. "
This amazing adventure story is about a girl named Nhamo who must escape to Zimbabwe, to live with her father, and to get away from a horrible marriage to a cruel man. From page one to the end Nhamo keeps the reader in suspense because of the many "life or death" situations!
The book A Girl Named Disaster,'by Nancy Farmer, tells of the sometimes exciting life of Nhamo, a girl from Zimbabwe and gives interesting insight on African culture. She travels the areas of Zimbabwe and Mozambique on the River Muzengi in a fascinating way. In the book, Nhamo lives in a primitive African village in Zimbabwe with her aunt and uncle and their family, including her grandmother. With her mother dead and her father presumed missing she is ordered around like a servant while her cousin lies in the sun. When her village is struck by malaria, they go to the Wiseman to find out the cause and find out that her father murdered a man who haunts her. To appease the spirit she must marry a cruel man with three wives, but she rebels and runs away on a boat down the river to abandon all she knows. I recommend this book because of the excitement and mystery that surrounds Nhamo's life. Nhamo's life is shrouded with mystery since she knows nothing about her family.
That mystery lends excitement to the story and makes a good cliffhanger. Where is her father? Why has he never contacted her? What is the mysterious being which seems to follow her wherever she goes? All these mysteries and more are solved in the story. Another excellent part of the book is the insight into the life of the African Tribes. One will discover the barbarism of the tribes in the anxiousness to save themselves and also a bit of their culture and how they are treated. This is amazingly clear and easily read for the open-minded. People might not recommend the book because of it's slow moving plot. Though it does move slowly the plot actually pulls you in. Also, even though it is slow to start up it blossoms after the first hundred pages. Therefore, that reason is not enough to stop you from reading this Newberry Nominated Book. So, if you want to read of another culture, while experiencing an adventure talk my advice and read the non-disastrous book, A Girl named Disaster.
