We Need New Names
A Novel
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
We Need New Names
Buy Now for $25.23
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Robin Miles
-
Written by:
-
NoViolet Bulawayo
About this listen
Finalist for the Booker Prize: the "deeply felt and fiercely written" story of a young girl's journey out of Zimbabwe and to America (New York Times Book Review), from the author of Glory.
Darling is only ten years old, and yet she must navigate a fragile and violent world. In Zimbabwe, Darling and her friends steal guavas, try to get the baby out of young Chipo's belly, and grasp at memories of Before. Before their homes were destroyed by paramilitary policemen, before the school closed, before the fathers left for dangerous jobs abroad.
But Darling has a chance to escape: she has an aunt in America. She travels to this new land in search of America's famous abundance only to find that her options as an immigrant are perilously few. NoViolet Bulawayo's debut calls to mind the great storytellers of displacement and arrival who have come before her—from Junot Diaz to Zadie Smith to J.M. Coetzee—while she tells a vivid, raw story all her own.
"Original, witty, and devastating."—People
©2013 NoViolet Kulawayo (P)2013 Hachette AudioWhat the critics say
Winner of the 2014 PEN / Hemingway Award for Debut Fiction
Winner of the 2014 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction
Shortlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize
Winner of the 2013 Etisalat Prize for Literature
Finalist for the 2013 Guardian First Book Award
One of the New York Times Notable Books of the Year for 2013
One of National Public Radio's Great Reads of 2013
"A deeply felt and fiercely written debut novel ... The voice Ms. Bulawayo has fashioned for [Darling] is utterly distinctive—by turns unsparing and lyrical, unsentimental and poetic, spiky and meditative."—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
"Bulawayo describes all this in brilliant language, alive and confident, often funny, strong in its ability to make Darling's African life immediate ... She demonstrates a striking ability to capture the uneasiness that accompanies a newcomers arrival in America."—Uzodinma Iweala, The New York Times Book Review
"Bulawayo mixes imagination and reality, combining an intuitive attention to detail with startling, visceral imagery ... This book is a provocative, haunting debut from an author to watch."—Elle
What listeners say about We Need New Names
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Godfrey Mabaleka
- 2023-08-22
Excellent depiction
Loved the book - an excellent portrayal of our lives growing up, and lives in foreign lands. Most of the vivid descriptions match my memories and recollections. Very eye opening indeed.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story1 out of 5 stars
- ahmad
- 2019-12-17
Over exaggeration and washroom references!
Horrendous title and story, the use of descriptive language especially pertaining to childbirth, and washroom visitation to defecate coupled with descriptive detail of how a specific kind of scream can mean specific things. The author dedicated approximately an entire chapter about the topic of childbirth and defecation, highlighting; one scream means; "a Guava has cut your anus", while another scream means someone is calling your name to see something. Let me tell you this if you want to waste 9 hours listening to a book detail the fake "African" international student life this is for you, it is laced with an unrealistic premise, filled with extensive exaggerations, and disgusting description for shock value. This is the perfect piece of garbage to buy and realize you were swindled. As an African, born in former Rhodesia and raised in South Africa and Mozambique and of African descent, I can assure you this story has nothing to do with the reality on the ground, this book is a blatant attack on African society, this can not be considered a piece of literature as it enforces and unfortunately strengthens the idea of African underdevelopment, it is a fabrication laced with lies, I certainly recommend other authors, such as Jamaica Kincaid, whos works have highlighted the plight of all Africans, in the Carribean and across the world.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!