In her thirteenth year, Kirabo confronts a piercing question: who is my
mother? Kirabo has been raised by women in the small Ugandan village of
Nattetta--her grandmother, her best friend, and her many aunts--but the
absence of her mother follows her like a shadow. Seeking answers from
Nsuuta, the local witch, Kirabo learns about the woman who birthed her,
who she discovers is alive but not ready to meet. Nsuuta also helps
Kirabo understand the emergence of a mysterious second self, a
headstrong and confusing force inside her--this, says Nsuuta, is a
streak of the "first woman" an independent, original state that has been
all but lost to women.
Kirabo's journey to reconcile these feelings, alongside her desire to
reconnect with her mother and to honor her family's expectations, is
rich in the folklore of Uganda and an arresting exploration of what it
means to be a modern girl in a world that seems determined to silence
women. Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi's A Girl is a Body of Water is an
unforgettable, sweeping testament to the true and lasting connections
between history, tradition, family, friends, and the promise of a
different future.