20 legendary Black science-fiction authors you need to know

Nnedi Okorafor

Nnedi Okorafor is one of the most widely-recognized creators of African science fiction, a subset of the genre that’s been around for quite a while but is only getting wider recognition in recent years.

Okorafor was born in Nigeria, though she eventually moved to the United States while still a child. She was set to become a tennis and track star or an entomologist. However, spinal surgery for scoliosis nearly paralyzed her from the waist down, though she eventually regained the ability to walk on her own. During her long recovery, Okorafor began writing her own science fiction stories, starting off her career as a writer.

She made a name for herself by writing well-regarded young adult fiction, like Zahrah the Windspeaker and The Shadow Speaker. Her first adult novel, 2011’s Who Fears Death, brought her even more attention and acclaim.

Who Fears Death takes place in Sudan, though it’s a futuristic world ravaged by apocalypse and racial tension. The light-skinned Nuru people widely abuse the dark-skinned Okeke. Onyesonwu, the central character, is the daughter of Najiba, an Okeke woman who was raped by a Nuru man. Onyesonwu faces suspicion because of her birth and sorcerer father. As she grows older, Onyesonwu realizes that she also has her own magical powers and must defeat the man who created her.

Okorafor is also the author of the Binti novella series. These books concern a young woman, the titular Binti, who learns that she’s been accepted to a prestigious university far from her home planet. While on the way to her new school, Binti’s ship is attacked by the alien Meduse, an alien species at war with humans. Binti, however, may have the ability to actually communicate with the Meduse unlike anyone else before. Can she broker peace and save both her people and the Meduse?