Nigeria Jones

YA fiction 

     Some books are so well crafted, rich, and nuanced that they are the hardest to do justice to in reviews.  It's sort of like the really gorgeous dresses for cosplaying I scored for my older daughter, Amber.  When I took pictures to send her they didn't half way capture the shimmer and sparkle.  So I'm looking at Ibi Zoboi's Nigeria Jones and wondering how I'll be be able to capture the intersectionality and complexity of the situations the title character finds herself in and the way she and the rest of the cast react to them.  But the alternative is not trying.  And I very much want you to know about this amazing novel.

     Nigeria is the daughter of a famous Black separatist who wants to create an entirely independent Black society that renounces all things white.  He walks the walk as well as talking the talk.  The house he and Nigeria live in is also a way station for people escaping poverty and abusive situations to join his beloved community.  All members become vegan.  And all children and teens are homeschooled to protect them from indoctrination into the racist educational system.  Her father is trying to raise enough money for them to start their own school.

     Nigeria carries the heartbreak of missing her mother who vanished after giving birth to her beloved toddler brother, Freedom.  She knows that her parents had disagreed on important issues.  Her mother, for example, had been much less of a fan of total separation of the races.  She is sure that her mother will return someday and is frustrated by how other members of her household, including her father, are moving on.

     When Nigeria discovers that her mother had gotten her accepted with adequate financial aid to the Philadelphia Friends School she is at first conflicted.

     "Part of me wants to tear this letter into pieces.  The other part of me lights up with some glimmer of hope, a spark of a dream, maybe.  Did Mama ever hear me and Kamau talking about his school?  Did she ever catch me googling Philly Friends and sensing a little bit of envy for my cousin?"

     Nigeria isn't sure that she really buys into her father's vision.  He's all about divesting and decolonizing.  She feels that maybe she wants to change the world rather than renouncing it.  But when she enrolls at the school her continued attendance is tenuous at best.  Her father is willing to do whatever it takes to get her out, seeing her decision at an affront to the Movement rather than a chance to explore the wider world and discover who she is and what she really wants out of life.

     This powerful and poignant coming of age narrative is a very timely read for teens and people well beyond this target demographic.

Jules Hathaway 

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