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Broken Places & Outer Spaces: Finding Creativity in the Unexpected (TED Books) Hardcover – June 18, 2019
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Nnedi Okorafor was never supposed to be paralyzed. A college track star and budding entomologist, Nnedi’s lifelong battle with scoliosis was just a bump in her plan—something a simple operation would easily correct. But when Nnedi wakes from the surgery to find she can’t move her legs, her entire sense of self begins to waver. Confined to a hospital bed for months, unusual things begin to happen. Psychedelic bugs crawl her hospital walls; strange dreams visit her nightly. Nnedi begins to put these experiences into writing, conjuring up strange, fantastical stories. What Nnedi discovers during her confinement would prove to be the key to her life as a successful science fiction author: In science fiction, when something breaks, something greater often emerges from the cracks.
In Broken Places & Outer Spaces, Nnedi takes the reader on a journey from her hospital bed deep into her memories, from her painful first experiences with racism as a child in Chicago to her powerful visits to her parents’ hometown in Nigeria. From Frida Kahlo to Mary Shelly, she examines great artists and writers who have pushed through their limitations, using hardship to fuel their work. Through these compelling stories and her own, Nnedi reveals a universal truth: What we perceive as limitations have the potential to become our greatest strengths—far greater than when we were unbroken.
A guidebook for anyone eager to understand how their limitations might actually be used as a creative springboard, Broken Places & Outer Spaces is an inspiring look at how to open up new windows in your mind.
- Print length112 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSimon & Schuster/ TED
- Publication dateJune 18, 2019
- Dimensions5 x 0.6 x 7 inches
- ISBN-101501195476
- ISBN-13978-1501195471
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Product details
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster/ TED (June 18, 2019)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 112 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1501195476
- ISBN-13 : 978-1501195471
- Item Weight : 8 ounces
- Dimensions : 5 x 0.6 x 7 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,199,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,769 in Black & African American Biographies
- #18,700 in Motivational Self-Help (Books)
- #34,701 in Memoirs (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Nnedi Okorafor’s books include Lagoon (a British Science Fiction Association Award finalist for Best Novel), Who Fears Death (a World Fantasy Award winner for Best Novel), Kabu Kabu (a Publisher's Weekly Best Book for Fall 2013), Akata Witch (an Amazon.com Best Book of the Year), Zahrah the Windseeker (winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature), and The Shadow Speaker (a CBS Parallax Award winner). Her adult novel The Book of Phoenix (prequel to Who Fears Death) was released in May 2015; the New York Times called it a "triumph". Her novella Binti will be released in late September 2015 and her young adult novel Akata Witch 2: Breaking Kola will be released in 2016.
Nnedi holds a PhD in literature/creative writing and is an associate professor at the University at Buffalo, New York (SUNY). She splits her time between Buffalo and Chicago with her daughter Anyaugo and family. Learn more about Nnedi at Nnedi.com.
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the memoir interesting, fascinating, and inspiring. They also appreciate the writing style, describing it as well-written and readable.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book interesting, fascinating, and inspiring. They say it's a quick read that takes them into the story. Readers also mention the book has enough detail to keep things moving.
"...over time, which made me sad because it's a well-written and interesting memoir. Highly recommend!" Read more
"...as expected based on it being a TED book, but there is enough detail to keep things moving while drawing the reader in...." Read more
"One of the most engrossing books I've ever read. It's written in a beautifully readable style that takes you into the story. And what a story it is!..." Read more
"This was a really well written and inspiring quick read about Nnedi’s healing journey after becoming paralyzed from the waist down due to a back..." Read more
Customers find the writing style well-written, quick, and inspiring.
"...length of the book down over time, which made me sad because it's a well-written and interesting memoir. Highly recommend!" Read more
"This was a quick read and a small glimpse into the trauma that redirected her life and sparked her writing passion...." Read more
"One of the most engrossing books I've ever read. It's written in a beautifully readable style that takes you into the story. And what a story it is!..." Read more
"This was a really well written and inspiring quick read about Nnedi’s healing journey after becoming paralyzed from the waist down due to a back..." Read more
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