Home

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What were your overall impressions of Home? How did it compare in tone, pacing, and/or emotional impact to the first novella, Binti?

2. How did you feel about the novella’s balance of action, introspection, and worldbuilding? Which components could have been more present and why?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Binti struggles with fear, trauma, and guilt throughout the novella. Did any of these emotions resonate with you? How did Binti’s handling of them relate to your own experiences or those of someone you are close to?

2. Have you ever experienced a return to “home” that felt unfamiliar or unsettling, similar to what Binti goes through in the novella? How did her experiences resonate with or inform your understanding of your own?

3. Binti is often caught between multiple identities. In what ways do you see this reflected in your own real-life experiences of belonging within social constructs and expectations?

4. Did the novella force you to reflect on any personal assumptions, prejudices, or biases that you may hold? How did your experiences mirror those of Binti’s?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How does the novella depict and explore the tension between tradition and progress, particularly within Himba society? How is this reflective of similar tensions within your culture?

2. In what ways does the conflict between humans and the Meduse reflect real-world ethnic, racial, or religious conflicts?

3. The Eniya Zinariya are viewed as “primitive” by others despite their advanced knowledge. What commentary is the novella making about how societies define civilization?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How does Okorafor use speculative elements (such as alien species, living ships, and advanced technology) to explore very human struggles? Identify and discuss one theme that is conveyed through these explorations.

2. In what ways does the novella rely on moments of interruption to the plot (flashbacks, visions, self-reflection) rather than linear progression to move the plot forward? How do these moments develop Binti’s character or the novella’s themes in ways that a linear plot wouldn’t have been able to?

3. How does the novella complicate the idea that knowledge is inherently liberating or beneficial? Point to specific scenes and characters in your discussion. 

4. What symbolic role do colors play in the novella? Discuss how they develop the novella’s themes or characters in the text.

5. Discuss the ways that Home follows the standard conventions of a bildungsroman. How does it subvert them?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine that you were tasked with rewriting the novella from a different perspective. Whose point of view would you choose, and why? Choose two important scenes and discuss how these would differ with the new perspective in comparison to Binti’s narration.

2. If Home were adapted into a movie or TV series, which scenes would be essential to include? How would you visually depict Binti’s fractured identity, feelings of liminality, and/or internal conflicts through this medium? Discuss aspects like color, camera angle, music, and more in your response.