A Girl Is a Body of Water
In her thirteenth year, Kirabo confronts a piercing question: who is my mother? Kirabo has been raised by women in the small Ugandan village of Nattetta--her grandmother, her best friend, and her many aunts--but the absence of her mother follows her like a shadow. Seeking answers from Nsuuta, the local witch, Kirabo learns about the woman who birthed her, who she discovers is alive but not ready to meet. Nsuuta also helps Kirabo understand the emergence of a mysterious second self, a headstrong and confusing force inside her--this, says Nsuuta, is a streak of the "first woman" an independent, original state that has been all but lost to women.
Kirabo's journey to reconcile these feelings, alongside her desire to reconnect with her mother and to honor her family's expectations, is rich in the folklore of Uganda and an arresting exploration of what it means to be a modern girl in a world that seems determined to silence women. Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi's A Girl is a Body of Water is an unforgettable, sweeping testament to the true and lasting connections between history, tradition, family, friends, and the promise of a different future.
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With each new work, Makumbi cements her position as a writer of great influence in our time and for future generations.
In her characteristically page-turning and engaging style, Makumbi lays bare the complex power dynamics of patriarchy, capitalism and neocolonialism, not through academic jargon but via that most effective tool of education--storytelling. An achingly beautiful tale.--Sylvia Tamale
Ugandan literature can boast of an international superstar in Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi.
Makumbi writes with the assurance and wry omniscience of an easygoing deity.
A magnificent blend of Ugandan folklore and more modern notions of feminism. . . . This book is a jewel.
Superb. An intoxicating tale that combines mythic and modern elements to make the headiest of feminist brews.--Irenosen Okojie, author of Nudibranch
This beautifully rendered saga is a riveting deconstruction of social perceptions of women's abilities and roles.
A Girl is a Body of Water is captivating, wise, humorous and tender: Makumbi has come back stronger than ever. This is a tale about Kirabo and her family, and her place in the world as she searches for her mother and a true sense of belonging. But most of all, this is a book about the stories that define us, and those we tell to redefine ourselves. A riveting read.--Maaza Mengiste, author of The Shadow King
