Black magic and African fantasy/Afrofuturism is having a heyday! Twenty-four-year-old Nigerian-American author, Tomi Adeyemi, only released the first instalment of her young adult trilogy two weeks ago and it has already shot up to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
‘Children of Blood and Bones’ has been described as a “Black Lives Matter-inspired fantasy novel”. The novel follows the story of Zélie Adeola, a young African girl on a journey to bring magic back to her home after the ruling elite kill her mother and other members of her community, and turn dark skin and magic into things to loathe. Adeyemi’s story draws heavily from the rich culture and traditions of the Yoruba people of Nigeria.
What’s more? Reports say Adeyemi has landed two seven-figure deals for the books’ publishing and film rights. Fox 2000, which produced other classic fantasy films, such as Twilight, Maze Runner, The Fault In Our Stars, Love Simon and The Hate U Give, secured the film rights for Adeyemi’s novel even before it was released.
Adeyemi was born in the U.S. and currently lives in San Diego. Upon graduating from Harvard University, she received a fellowship to study West African mythology and culture in Salvador, Brazil. She coaches others in creative writing on her award winning website here.
Watch a clip of her recent interview with Robin Roberts of Good Morning America below.
BY BRIDGET BOAKYE
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