The Gilded Ones

The Gilded Ones 

• Genre: Fiction; young adult fantasy 
• Originally Published: 2021 
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 780L; grades 8-12 
• Structure/Length: 37 chapters; approximately 400 pages; approximately 12 hours, 46 minutes on audio
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The story centers on Deka, a 16-year-old girl in a patriarchal society who discovers she is nearly immortal with gold blood, marking her as a demon. The central conflict arises as Deka faces ostracization and decides join a group of warrior women like her to fight for the emperor. The narrative explores themes of identity, belonging, and fighting against oppression.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Violence and discrimination; exploration of gender roles and societal expectations; sexual content and other mature content; references to sexual assault; scenes depicting battle, gore, reincarnation, and personal struggle; profanity

Namina Forna, Author 

• Bio: Born in 1987 in Sierra Leone; raised in the United States; known for incorporating feminist themes and African mythology into her writing
• Other Works: The Merciless Ones (2022)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• Discrimination Based on Difference
• Coming of Age as the Chosen One
• The Power of Love

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Deepen understanding of systems of oppression to contextualize the story and increase understanding of the novel’s structure, conflict, and themes.
• Analyze and make text-to-text comparisons to paired poetry and nonfiction texts with a focus on elements such as themes, conflict, and character development; discuss paired texts to make connections via the novel’s themes of Discrimination Based on Difference, Coming of Age as the Chosen One, and The Power of Love.
• Discuss and analyze textual elements such as symbolism, motif, characterization, and conflict and construct essay responses on bias and discrimination, the motif of imprisonment, and other topics.
• Create an original artistic work that visually represents the relationship between a major symbol or motif within the novel and conflict, theme, and character development.