When #BLM Meets Fantasy: Tomi Adeyemi

Tomi Adeyemi has said many times before that Children of Blood and Bone was written in response to cases of racism and police brutality in America. Now, almost 6 weeks after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, I want to analyse Adeyemi's debut novel in light of this tragedy, and how it made a mark on the Black Lives Matter movement.

'Children of Blood and Bone was written during a time where I kept turning on the news and seeing stories of unarmed black men, women and children being shot by the police. I felt afraid and angry and helpless, but this book was the one thing that made me feel like I could do something about it.' (Tomi Adeyemi, 2018)

I read this book back in 2018 when it was first published, and instantly knew it was one of my favourite books I had ever read. I decided to re-read it the day after George Floyd was murdered, and was overwhelmed by just how powerful the story is to the BLM movement. As a privileged white girl, I felt like Children of Blood and Bone was paramount in educating and enlightening me to the black experience in modern day America, and here in the U.K. too. Not only is the book well written, has fantastic world building and excellent characters, but the parallels with the real world are more obvious than ever. 

Kosidán vs Diviners

In Orisha, the Kosidan are regular citizens who are not able to do magic, unlike the Diviners. The Diviners have much darker skin and bright white hair, so much so that it is obvious to tell who is who just by looking at them. Straight away, the parallels are clear: Diviners are visibly different from the rest of society and are therefore treated differently as a result. Does that ring any bells?

Throughout the book, King Saran is adamant that Diviners are the reason he lost his family. He claims Burners, those from the Ina Clan, killed his family in a quasi-civil war between Diviners and Kosidan, and therefore dedicates his entire reign to destroying magic. Saran makes Diviners out to be evil, when, in reality, the royal family are the violent ones who declared war on Diviners in the first place. He holds a grudge against all Diviners because a select few killed his family. This automatically reminded me of signs held up at BLM protests, such as this one.

Some people are quick to say 'not all cops are bad!!' as a response to protests, and I'm not disputing that. What I think Adeyemi makes clear in COBAB, however, is that no one race should be judged and punished for the actions of a select few in that community, including both Kosidans and Diviners. Saran is convinced magic is evil because a few Burners used magic to kill his family, the same way police in America are more likely to arrest and harm black people purely because of the colour of their skin.

The guards and police brutality

The guards in this book are absolute monsters. They rape Diviners, are violent towards them and steal their belongings in the name of the King. King Saran enables and encourages his guards to be discriminatory towards Diviners because of his own personal agenda. Once again, the parallels are loud and clear...

'The only difference between them and criminals is the uniforms they wear.' (314)

This quote from Zelie represents exactly how Americans feel towards police up and down the country. It reminds me of the statistic that American police spend significantly less time in training than other police officers around the world. The extremely high number of fatal police shootings in America is a direct correlation to this. American police are not sufficiently trained before they are given a uniform and the ability to control other citizens.

Older vs younger generation

On a lighter note, COBAB also shows the difference in attitudes between the older generation and the younger generation. As we know, Saran refuses to accept that Diviners aren't evil. However, his children, Amari and Inan, are more exposed to the Diviner experience as they befriend Zelie and Tzain. They are shown the effects of Saran's devastating reign, the pain and suffering he has caused to an entire community. They are more empathetic, and take the time to understand their experiences. This is a story of the younger generation coming together to change the outdated perceptions of their parents. 

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Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone was just as powerful the second time round, and is incredibly important in highlighting the horrific situation in modern day America. This is a book that I believe every young person should read to empathise and understand what it feels like to be at the receiving end of such discrimination.