A Girl Named Disaster is a children novel written by author Nancy Farmer. It was published in 1996 by Orchard Books. This English novel has 320 pages. In 1997, the author won the Newbery Honor for the novel. It was also a finalist for the National Book Award for young people’s literature. A Girl Named Disaster sheds light on the qualities needed to survive in a hostile environment (particularly by a woman), coming-of-age and the availability of spiritual guidance.
The list of characters in this novel are: Nhamo Jongwe (the book’s main character), Aunt Chipo (Nhamo’s aunt), Masvita (Nhamo’s cousin), Aunt Shivai (Nhamo’s younger aunt), Uncle Kufa (Nhamo’s uncle & Chipo’s husband), Ruva (Aunt Chipo’s second daughter), Ambuya (Nhamo’s grandmother), Crocodile Guts (a fishermen), Sister Gladys (a nurse), and Muvaki (witchfinder).
The novel was set in Shona village that is located in Mozambique around 1981 and centers on Nhamo, an eleven-year-old girl. She was raised with the knowledge and customs of her tribes. As her name translates (Nhamo means disaster in the Shona language), her life was full of scandals and wrongdoings. The same experience can also be said of her mother. After a series of these ill-experiences, she flees the land with her dying grandmother’s blessings, wise words, and her meager survival skills. Nhamo steals a boat and supplies under her grandmother instructions. She uses the river as her road to Zimbabwe where she faces the threats of wild aquatic animals that try to kill her. In this, she tries to deal with the pressure of becoming a woman.
The story reaches its peak during this time of her journey to Zimbabwe. She spent a year on her journey instead of a normal two-day trip. She faces starvation and the threat of hungry or aggressive animals. Nhamo finds a lush, haunted island and lives with a troop of baboons. Daily conversations with sports combat Nhamo’s loneliness and provide her with sage and practical advice. She nearly dies of starvation during these trying periods. She was to let go of the evil spirits that possess even when she arrives in Zimbabwe and lives with scientists before meeting her father’s family. Nhamo must learn to live in modern society (clothing, behavior, and literacy) now that she’s in a new territory.