1. The reporter who interviews Binti in the opening chapter asks "Which do you think is more important...jobs or free speech?" to which Binti replies "It depends on how poor you are." Is Binti's answer consistent with the argument of the book? How so? Do you personally agree with her answer?
2. Talking about her radio show character, Binti explains that "Mr. Waijiru says my character is so awful because she teaches people how not to be." Are there other examples of such characters in this book? Do you think that this is an effective strategy to employ in children's entertainment?
3. Gogo has a long speech about her family and society's denial of AIDS at Binti's father's funeral, which leads to the marginalization of Binti and her siblings at the hands of their relatives. Later, Jeremiah argues that "The truth can hurt sometimes, but lies hurt even more." Is this argument consistent with the events of the book? Drawing from the book, devise some arguments both in defense of lying and in defense of telling the truth in the context of Malawi and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
4. The book features a budding romance between Junie and Jeremiah, both of whom have HIV. Is this an empowering representation of life with HIV, since it shows they can still love and be loved? Or, given that they do not fall in love with people who are HIV-free, could it be a problematic representation? Can we imagine how differently the relationship might be represented or received if one of the characters was not HIV positive?
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1 comment:
What chapter is this?
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