Bibliographic Information:
- Title: The Gilded Ones
- Author: Namina Forna
- ISBN: 978-1984848697
- Publisher: Delacorte Press
- Copyright Date: 2021
Genre [Format of the Title]:
-
Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopia/Utopia [book]
- subject tags: sisterhood, feminism, dismantling patriarchy
- none as of April 2021; only recently published February 2021.
- Reading Age: 12-17; Grade level 7-9 (Amazon.com)
Plot Summary:
When Dekka’s blood runs gold during the blood ceremony, her father and her community ostracize her. But a woman sent by the emperor saves her and takes her to the emperor’s realm where she and other girls like her are trained as warriors to fight against the dreaded Death Shrieks. She befriends several other girls who, like her, are a special breed of cursed people. As she learns to harness her powers, her ability to kill Death Shrieks increases but she is troubled by these Death Shrieks who seem to be telling her that she has betrayed them.
When Dekka’s blood runs gold during the blood ceremony, her father and her community ostracize her. But a woman sent by the emperor saves her and takes her to the emperor’s realm where she and other girls like her are trained as warriors to fight against the dreaded Death Shrieks. She befriends several other girls who, like her, are a special breed of cursed people. As she learns to harness her powers, her ability to kill Death Shrieks increases but she is troubled by these Death Shrieks who seem to be telling her that she has betrayed them.
Author Background:
Namina Forna was born in January 1987 in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Due to the ongoing civil war, Forna’s father, the Honorable AG Sembu Forna decided to send Namina to live with her mother in Atlanta, Georgia. Forna’s father who died in 2018 was a high ranking and well-regarded politician in Sierra Leone (Kanu, 2018). Her mother, Ebun Strasser-King is currently Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Senegal (Wikimedia Foundation, 2021a). Namina speaks very highly of her mother’s immigrant grit as her mom attended law school in the US while raising her and working as a waitress, and when no one would hire her mom after law school, her mom started her own law firm (Barnes & Noble, 2021).
Namina Forna graduated from Spelman College and went on to attend University of Southern California where she earned her MFA in TV & Film Production (Wikimedia Foundation, 2021b). Her experience in Spelman, an all women HBC, was crucial to her formation as a strong Black female and it’s also an inspiration for the sisterhood in her book, The Gilded Ones (Barnes & Noble, 2021). She currently works as a screenwriter in Los Angeles, California.
Namina Forna was born in January 1987 in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Due to the ongoing civil war, Forna’s father, the Honorable AG Sembu Forna decided to send Namina to live with her mother in Atlanta, Georgia. Forna’s father who died in 2018 was a high ranking and well-regarded politician in Sierra Leone (Kanu, 2018). Her mother, Ebun Strasser-King is currently Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Senegal (Wikimedia Foundation, 2021a). Namina speaks very highly of her mother’s immigrant grit as her mom attended law school in the US while raising her and working as a waitress, and when no one would hire her mom after law school, her mom started her own law firm (Barnes & Noble, 2021).
Namina Forna graduated from Spelman College and went on to attend University of Southern California where she earned her MFA in TV & Film Production (Wikimedia Foundation, 2021b). Her experience in Spelman, an all women HBC, was crucial to her formation as a strong Black female and it’s also an inspiration for the sisterhood in her book, The Gilded Ones (Barnes & Noble, 2021). She currently works as a screenwriter in Los Angeles, California.
Critical Evaluation for Books and Non-Print Items:
The book starts out leisurely, almost too slow but it’s a setup for the intensity of what transpires once Deka becomes part of a group of demon slayers. Deka learns to harness her power and we witness her growing strength and control over her supernatural abilities. As she gets stronger, she realizes there’s more to the story than she is told. The story itself is an allegory for toppling the patriarchy and for strength in sisterhood as Deka and her fellow gilded ones band to dismantle the current oppressive system that works to keep people like her in permanent captivity. While the book ends in a satisfactory action-filled bloody battle, there is a hint that more challenges and changes are bound to happen. Regardless, this book can stand alone.
The book starts out leisurely, almost too slow but it’s a setup for the intensity of what transpires once Deka becomes part of a group of demon slayers. Deka learns to harness her power and we witness her growing strength and control over her supernatural abilities. As she gets stronger, she realizes there’s more to the story than she is told. The story itself is an allegory for toppling the patriarchy and for strength in sisterhood as Deka and her fellow gilded ones band to dismantle the current oppressive system that works to keep people like her in permanent captivity. While the book ends in a satisfactory action-filled bloody battle, there is a hint that more challenges and changes are bound to happen. Regardless, this book can stand alone.
Namina Forman and other YA writers discuss their books (Barnes&Noble, 2021)
Creative Use for a Library Program:
The Gilded Ones inspires me to explore West African and indigenous stories and tales or a night of storytelling where the theme would be storytelling from around the world. A monthly storytelling series could be included in the library newsletter as a way of expanding cultural awareness and cultural literacy.
The Gilded Ones inspires me to explore West African and indigenous stories and tales or a night of storytelling where the theme would be storytelling from around the world. A monthly storytelling series could be included in the library newsletter as a way of expanding cultural awareness and cultural literacy.
Speed-Round Book Talk or Short Book Trailer:
Deka bleeds gold and that means she’s cursed. By chance she is rescued from death and sent to fight for the emperor with the goal of killing the Death Shrieks, demons that are plaguing their land. Deka finds her power and ability to slay demons, but Deka is not sure she’s doing the right thing. She must figure out whether she’s really fighting the Death Shrieks or something even larger and beyond her.
Deka bleeds gold and that means she’s cursed. By chance she is rescued from death and sent to fight for the emperor with the goal of killing the Death Shrieks, demons that are plaguing their land. Deka finds her power and ability to slay demons, but Deka is not sure she’s doing the right thing. She must figure out whether she’s really fighting the Death Shrieks or something even larger and beyond her.
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation:
The world of Deka is extremely violent and bloody. There is mysoginy, child abuse, and lots of other traumas (some alluded to and left to one’s imagination). This is a fantasy story and one must suspend their disbelief and again, remember that this is fiction and a work of the imagination. Providing different worlds, even worlds that only exist in one's imagination is a healthier alternative to a sanitized world that is likely more Stepford Wives than we think. Students have a first amendment right to read what they want and censoring this book tramples on that right (American Library Association, 2019).
The world of Deka is extremely violent and bloody. There is mysoginy, child abuse, and lots of other traumas (some alluded to and left to one’s imagination). This is a fantasy story and one must suspend their disbelief and again, remember that this is fiction and a work of the imagination. Providing different worlds, even worlds that only exist in one's imagination is a healthier alternative to a sanitized world that is likely more Stepford Wives than we think. Students have a first amendment right to read what they want and censoring this book tramples on that right (American Library Association, 2019).
Reason for Inclusion:
I loved the cover! And the fantasy world is so beautifully crafted one can easily get transported into the story.
I loved the cover! And the fantasy world is so beautifully crafted one can easily get transported into the story.
REFERENCES
American Library Association. (2019, July 13). First Amendment and Censorship. Advocacy, Legislation & Issues. http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/censorship.
Barnes & Noble. (2021, February 17). YA Black voice panel [Video file]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/d7-X8P9iUhU
Forna, N. (2020). "The must-read epic fantasy of the year!". Namina Forna. https://naminaforna.com/bio
Kanu, K. (2018, November 17). APC gives grand farewell to late veteran A.G. Sembu-Forna. Cocorioko. https://cocorioko.net/apc-gives-grand-farewell-to-late-veteran-a-g-sembu-forna/
Wikimedia Foundation. (2021a, March 1). Cabinet of Sierra Leone. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_Sierra_Leone.
Wikimedia Foundation. (2021b, March 29). Namina Forna. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namina_Forna.
Barnes & Noble. (2021, February 17). YA Black voice panel [Video file]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/d7-X8P9iUhU
Forna, N. (2020). "The must-read epic fantasy of the year!". Namina Forna. https://naminaforna.com/bio
Kanu, K. (2018, November 17). APC gives grand farewell to late veteran A.G. Sembu-Forna. Cocorioko. https://cocorioko.net/apc-gives-grand-farewell-to-late-veteran-a-g-sembu-forna/
Wikimedia Foundation. (2021a, March 1). Cabinet of Sierra Leone. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabinet_of_Sierra_Leone.
Wikimedia Foundation. (2021b, March 29). Namina Forna. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namina_Forna.
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