How You Grow Wings
About the Webinar
This Children's Africana Book Award Webinar, part of the Global Read Webinar Series, took place on February 15, 2024 at 7 pm EST with a presentation by Rimma Onoseta, author of How You Grow Wings.
About the Book
Sisters Cheta and Zam couldn’t be more different. Cheta, sharp-tongued and stubborn, never shies away from conflict—either at school or at home, where her mother fires abuse at her. Timid Zam escapes most of her mother’s anger, skating under the radar and avoiding her sister whenever possible. In a turn of good fortune, Zam is invited to live with her aunt’s family in the lap of luxury. Jealous, Cheta also leaves home, but to a harder existence that will drive her to terrible decisions. When the sisters are reunited, Zam alone will recognize just how far Cheta has fallen—and Cheta’s fate will rest in Zam’s hands. Debut author Rimma Onoseta deftly explores classism, colorism, cycles of abuse, how loyalty doesn’t always come attached to love, and the messy truths that sometimes, family is not a source of comfort, and that morality is all shades of grey.
About the Author
Rimma Onoseta is a Nigerian writer whose work explores identity, familial bonds, and the colonial corruption of African spirituality. She holds a degree in finance from Northeastern University and an MBA from Suffolk University and is currently pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting from Boston University. Onoseta grew up reading late into the night, under her covers, with a flashlight and snacks. She writes stories she wanted to read when she was younger, stories about young Nigerian girls who are chaotic and fierce and who question what they’re taught. When she’s not writing, Onoseta enjoys traveling and watching documentaries.
Watch the Webinar
About the Global Read Webinar Series
Once a month, the World Area Book Awards (Américas Award, Children's Africana Book Award, Freeman Book Award, Middle East Book Award, and the South Asia Book Award) sponsor a 60 minute webinar on a book recognized by one of the awards. The series of webinars is called Global Read Webinar Series. Each webinar features a presentation by an award-winning author with discussion on how to incorporate multicultural literature into the classroom. All sessions are free and open to the public.
The Children's Africana Book Awards is sponsored by the Outreach Council of the African Studies Association. The Center for African Studies at Howard University is the institutional base for the Awards.