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A teenage orphan’s quest of self-discovery in Equitorial Guinea, and a "unique contribution to LGBTQ literature" (Kirkus Reviews).
“Though I live a world away from Equatorial Guinea, I saw so much of myself in Okomo: a tomboy itching to be free and to escape society’s rigged game. I cheered her on with every page, and wished—for myself and all girls—for the bravery to create our own world.” —Maggie Thrash, author of Honor Girl
The first novel by an Equatorial Guinean woman to be translated into English, La Bastarda is the story of the orphaned teen Okomo, who lives under the watchful eye of her grandmother and dreams of finding her father. Forbidden from seeking him out, she enlists the help of other village outcasts: her gay uncle and a gang of “mysterious” girls reveling in their so-called indecency. Drawn into their illicit trysts, Okomo finds herself falling in love with their leader and rebelling against the rigid norms of Fang culture.
Honor Book in the Global Literature in Libraries Best Translated YA Book
Chosen for the American Library Association's Over the Rainbow List
Chosen for the American Library Association's Rainbow Book List
World Literature Today's Notable Translations of 2018
"Obono's voice is assured and vital, and her tale of queer rebellion in Fang society is an exceptional take on the coming-of-age novel." —Publishers Weekly
"A unique contribution to LGBTQ literature." —Kirkus Reviews
"A powerful exploration of culture and tradition.” —Asymptote
“The story will stay with you long after you've closed the book.” —BUST Magazine
"Compelling." —Lonely Planet
"An invaluable contribution to lesbian and gay literary culture.” —Cheryl Clarke, author of Living as a Lesbian
"A breakthrough novel that tells the world, from an Equatorial Guinean perspective, that there is so much necessary life outside of, beyond, before, and after patriarchy. For those of us who have been told that we do not exist. That we cannot exist. That we should not exist. This groundbreaking story full of love and nurturing is a spell for remembering that we do exist, we have existed, and that we must support each other to exist and thrive as who we are." —Alexis Pauline Gumbs, author of M Archive: After the End of the World
“Though I live a world away from Equatorial Guinea, I saw so much of myself in Okomo: a tomboy itching to be free and to escape society’s rigged game. I cheered her on with every page, and wished—for myself and all girls—for the bravery to create our own world.” —Maggie Thrash, author of Honor Girl
Trifonia Melibea Obono is a journalist and a professor at the National University of Equatorial Guinea. Currently, she is pursuing her doctorate in gender studies and human rights from the University of Salamanca, Spain.
Lawrence Schimel is an award-winning author and anthologist, and has been internationally recognized for his queer anthologies, gay and lesbian erotica, and children's books. His writing has been translated into over twenty languages. He served as cochair of the Publishing Triangle, an organization of lesbians and gay men in the American publishing industry, for two years, and also served as the Regional Advisor of the Spain Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for five years.