ciikum's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 ⭐️ I enjoyed this book greatly, the similarities of Zambia and ours are amazing. A multigenerational book spanning many years, with various family trees. The issues faced by women early in the twentieth century are the same as we face right now.
I didn’t enjoy the last part of the book as much as the grandmothers and mothers.
I didn’t enjoy the last part of the book as much as the grandmothers and mothers.
tielqueen's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a saga that spans three generations of three initially unconnected families that cleverly, slowly brings them closer together over 500+ pages. I'll admit, for the first 2/3 of this book, I found it pretty difficult to keep track of the rotating cast of characters, for we get plunged into a new character's POV every ~50-60 pages. Serpell doesn't give the reader much guidance, neither explaining how these characters are connected, nor defining Zambian terms (Ocean Vuong does this too in his work as a way of denying the Western perspective, and I actually appreciate this).
This all paid off in Part Three, when we dive into the lives of the children. Themes of Marxist revolution that were threaded through earlier chapters take center stage here, as this generation wakes up to widespread government surveillance through phones/microchips embedded in the skin. This plotline reminds me a lot of Facebook because (a) Facebook provided free phones to millions of people in Africa and (b) Facebook is recently under huge fire due to an employee's leaked internal memo about Facebook's failure to prevent attacks on democracy and elections in dozens of countries. The author of this memo states that she "has blood on her hands," a quote exactly repeated by one of the characters in this book, when she reflects on her job microchipping Zambian residents.
Microdrones invoked by the government to quell rebellion (and more...) recall both an episode of Black Mirror and Slaughterbots, a video depicting microdrones that use facial recognition and AI to assassinate political opponents.
One last connection I drew was to Simone Browne's Dark Matters, which discusses how "contemporary surveillance technologies and practices are informed by the long history of racial formation and by the methods of policing black life under slavery." Serpell references the longstanding history of Africans/Black people being used to test new experimental medicine repeatedly. In addition, these microchips provided for free to Zambians are just a trial run for a more global adoption of the devices.
After reading Serpell's acknowledgements, it's clear she put a ton of historical research into the book, like when she talks about the Space Race and the HIV epidemic. While she doesn't mention the above sources as inspirations for her work, the dialogue between them is not to be missed.
This all paid off in Part Three, when we dive into the lives of the children. Themes of Marxist revolution that were threaded through earlier chapters take center stage here, as this generation wakes up to widespread government surveillance through phones/microchips embedded in the skin. This plotline reminds me a lot of Facebook because (a) Facebook provided free phones to millions of people in Africa and (b) Facebook is recently under huge fire due to an employee's leaked internal memo about Facebook's failure to prevent attacks on democracy and elections in dozens of countries. The author of this memo states that she "has blood on her hands," a quote exactly repeated by one of the characters in this book, when she reflects on her job microchipping Zambian residents.
Microdrones invoked by the government to quell rebellion (and more...) recall both an episode of Black Mirror and Slaughterbots, a video depicting microdrones that use facial recognition and AI to assassinate political opponents.
One last connection I drew was to Simone Browne's Dark Matters, which discusses how "contemporary surveillance technologies and practices are informed by the long history of racial formation and by the methods of policing black life under slavery." Serpell references the longstanding history of Africans/Black people being used to test new experimental medicine repeatedly. In addition, these microchips provided for free to Zambians are just a trial run for a more global adoption of the devices.
After reading Serpell's acknowledgements, it's clear she put a ton of historical research into the book, like when she talks about the Space Race and the HIV epidemic. While she doesn't mention the above sources as inspirations for her work, the dialogue between them is not to be missed.
emzireads's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
shnsrnvsn's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
chamblyman's review against another edition
4.0
This incredibly ambitious debut takes the reader on a picaresque journey through time and family trees: from the racism and class struggles of colonial era Northern Rhodesia to a speculative future Zambia full of insect sized drone-bots! Serpell takes on the scope and magical realist touches of Marquez's 100 Years of Solitude or Rushdie's Midnight's Children with aplomb, delineating the human loves and socio-political strife that make up the fabric of a place and time. Fans of Richard Powers' The Overstory or David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas should enjoy the epic multi-thread story structure and sweeping themes.
devinmzt's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hlntn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
dillarhonda's review against another edition
Opening and closing with the explosive power of Victoria Falls, Namwali Serpell’s epic novel The Old Drift traces the formation of Zambia through successive generations. The connections between the three matrilineal families are tenuous during the colonial era, but become more pronounced over time until the three strands have been woven into a single plait. From colonial times, Serpell takes us into a speculative future in which hordes of tiny drones represent both oppression and hope for the Zambian people. A story of continuous exploitation across centuries, the novel only occasionally gives in to the temptation to overexplain its points. Though the pace can seem glacial at times, the scope of the narrative, evolution of the characters, and changing political landscape make for an interesting read.
ashaliving's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
nhupp26's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0