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Marvel: Okoye: To The People

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Ibi Zoboi, a National Book Award Finalist and New York Times best-selling author, joins Marvel Universe storytelling with this heartfelt novel that takes Okoye to America for the very first time.

Okoye is a new recruit for T'Chaka's royal guard: the Dora Milaje. Known for their loyalty and warrior abilities, the Dora are respected and revered in Okoye's home country of Wakanda. But when Okoye is sent on her very first mission—to America—she'll learn that her status as a Dora means nothing to New Yorkers and her expectations for the world outside of her own quickly fall apart. Chosen to accompany King T'Chaka on a humanitarian mission, Okoye finds herself trying to help teens dealing with addiction and gentrification in a forgotten neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Caught between duty to her country and listening to her own heart, Okoye must find her own way and determine the type of Dora Milaje—and woman—she wants to be.

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2022

47 people are currently reading
1324 people want to read

About the author

Ibi Zoboi

28 books2,525 followers
Ibi Zoboi's debut novel American Street was a National Book Award finalist. She is also the New York Times Bestselling author of Pride, My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich, and Punching the Air with co-author and Exonerated Five member, Yusef Salaam. She is the editor of the anthology Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America. Born in Haiti and raised in New York City, she now lives in New Jersey with her husband and their three children.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
Profile Image for Steve.
1,154 reviews210 followers
March 28, 2022
Comic book novelization, graphic novel in prose form? Check.

Badass BIPOC female teenage protagonist (prior to her more familiar, commanding big screen persona) - something new and a little different, particularly in terms of perspective? Check.

A fast, fun (and, frankly, not particularly taxing) read; a little escapist action (as a nice follow up to the heavily researched non-fiction that I just finished)? Check

For better or worse, YA (... and, in this case, this one skewed a little more towards the Y, rather than the A)? Yup. Also, consistent with the light/easy (and entertaining) reading theme, this was (surprisingly) straightforward, without much in the way of detour or derailment or deception (or complexity)....

But, again, fun? Yup. And isn't that the point?

Reviewer's Achilles Heel?: I make no apologies that I consume a healthy diet of prose super-hero literature, not only in graphic novel form (which I enjoy), but also in novel form (which, for whatever reason, really pushes my buttons). Since these books are, ultimately, suspended in that space between sci-fi and fantasy and adventure and mystery, I find that I prefer having my imagination free to roam rather than being skewed by the visual representations (even though, at times, I've found the artists (for example, during Alex Ross' heyday) ... and the color ... enhance the experience).... But, like in all things, the quality and the target audiences vary widely.... And, these days, the market is heavily skewed to younger readers (YA and teen), and ... it is what it is ... that stuff doesn't always work for me. (OK, OK, I wish the market would generate more A-without-Y superhero novelizations, but ..., my sense is that market played out nearly 20 years ago, so, it is what it is...) But I'm rarely sorry that I buy and (promptly) consume this kind of stuff.
Profile Image for Jessica.
390 reviews5 followers
May 3, 2022
This book was so fantastic! I already loved Okoye, and this just made me love her even more!
Profile Image for Antoinette.
82 reviews5 followers
February 6, 2022
A young Okoye in New York City! On her first trip to America, Okoye must come to terms with hiding who she is and wanting to use her Dora Milaje skills to help those in need. Being in New York allows her eyes to be opened to the hardships that exist beyond Wakanda's borders. This is a great story about how much power young people have, but can feel voiceless and go in the wrong direction if not guided or given support by positive influences.
Profile Image for S.A  Reidman.
345 reviews8 followers
February 28, 2024
“What part of Brooklyn is Wakanda, anyway?” - (geography challenged Brooklynite)

So, I actually loved the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Granted, I only watched it for the first time in January so I wasn't part of the "Oh No!he should have been re-cast" fantatics or the "it was a farewell and Shuri is a worthy successor" fans either. It was just a lovely piece of theatre and I was really there for the Indigenous representation. That's why for BHM2024, I had to get something Wakanda related and Okoye to the People was perfect for this month.

It was nice, like a cup of tea and scones - sugarless scones deserving of a 2.75⭐ rounded up to 3. Plus it's middle grade, technically "for the kids" so I got to take a break from all the heavy books. Lies - this book deals with... a lot.

Plot/Storyline/Themes:
Yeah okay I fully admit that I put on Ludwig Goransson's Black Panther OST and Wakanda Forever OST on while reading and let me just say..it worked for a few scenes. This book had way too many unlikeable characters hogging up page space and messing with the vibes I was trying to recreate. In a book I can tolerate one or 2 shitty characters. Give me a city block and that's 100 times my unlikeable character quota.

Two Sentences, A Scene or less - Characters:
Okoye as a young bright-eyed and bald-tailed, Dora Milaje is not something I thought I could imagine. But this was just okay with it's youthful hope and the weight of being tasked with a national mission to international borders. It was lovely "seeing" Wakanda and Brooklyn through Okoye's youthful outlook. They're hella snobs but almost likeable snobs. Almost.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Scene:
✔️King T'Chala, Okoye and Aneka go to Brownsville for the first time. I am still surprised African Americans can be ao shitty to Africans, that's like Japanese Americans spitting on Motherland Japanese folk - it's unheard of. Or any other diaspora group. Most other groups kind of have a gentle ribbing or rivalry with the mainland group but they don't call each other names like Dusty African. It's a pity.

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Quotes:
🖤 “Okoye fidgets with her wig: a flattering bob that feels as if a lazy hyena is sprawled out over her head.” (On "assimilating" to American expectations of African women in NYC)
🖤 “It is just like Wakanda. Except faster and . . . less civilized.” (New York still exciting even to snobby Wakandans)
🖤 “Here, no one is direct. No one says what they mean and means what they say.” (New York, New York)

Favorite/Curious/Ludicrous/Unique Concepts:
■ Dora Milaje (I mean duh)
■Upanga Training Facility
■Kimoyo Beads
■ Xhosa not Huasa but who can write the click sound of XH🤷🏽‍♀️
■Pyrobliss

StoryGraph Challenge: 1800 Books by 2025
Challenge Prompt: 150 Fantasy Books by 2025
Profile Image for Sarah Sammis.
7,950 reviews247 followers
September 29, 2022
Ibi Zoboi's stories often feature an outsider character whose unique perspective provides well needed commentary on the inequities of American life. She does this with an addition of the supernatural or in this case, Wakandan high tech.

The majority of the novel takes place in a neighborhood that the city and the world has forgotten about. It seems to be actively hidden much like Agloe is in The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd (2022). You have to be invited there or know someone who knows where it is to get there.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2022/comm...

Privileged City Railroad 000000
Profile Image for Sara Weather.
499 reviews
July 6, 2022
#143

The Good

Looking at the story it had good ideas.

The Bad

I. Telling vs showing & being lectured at.

It spent so much time telling (lecturing) Okoye the same things over and over instead of letting the story unfold that it lost many things.

a. nuance/short changed conversations- Was the diaspora conversations given the space to fully breathe? Did they feel jammed in? Why are we not giving more focus to someone selling drugs to people in community especially when some of them are kids?

b. seeing things on ground happening - would it not been more entertaining to see manifestation of powers & build of tension/mystery then introduce Bliss all while showing how they are dealing with gentrification differently? It felt like we were above the actual interesting action of the story.

II. Point of View

Okoye should have not been the point of view/lense that this discussion was told from. Instead people from the community or regular degular folks should have been at center of the story.

I think about how Static Season One (comic) and Black Lightening (the show) handled similar conflicts happening in them. So I do wonder why not use heroes like Static Shock or Miles Morales?

Thoughts

I. Diaspora Wars

Every time (in prose) we see Wakanda/Wakandians there is a diaspora conversation undercurrent which can be tough to read and messy but also kind of frustrating as a comic reader.

A. Messy/Tough

We keep (voluntarily) getting how Wakanda is failing the diaspora specifically Black Americans.
In general, even outside the diaspora stuff the more Wakanda is represented the more they look bad.

B. Frustrating

Sometimes it can feel like the Wakanda prose is stuck on the Black Panther movie greatest hits so they explore diaspora war stuff instead of fighting aliens or problems in Wakanda. They are missing what made Black Panther fun.

II. Was this the right medium or way to tell this story? Would this have worked better as a comic?
Profile Image for fer.
654 reviews106 followers
December 31, 2023
Nao gostei muito na real. Achei que algumas cenas sao meio repetitivas. Os dialogos todos achei muito artificiais e nao naturais. Me irritou um pouco a "inocencia" dos wakandanos quanto a pobreza e preconceito fora de wakanda. Sei que isso foi escrito assim pra mostrar como em wakanda eles nao tem esses tipos de problemas por isso nao sabem com o que estao lidando, mas tambem me pareceu excessivo, repetitivo e com isso deixou eles com uma vibe de inocentes ou desinformados demais que eu nao gostei. O rei de wakanda e a Aneka me irritaram muito o livro todo nao querendo ajudar as pessoas pq "o dever deles é apenas com Wakanda" e tambem nao gostei do pantera negra aparecer no final, o livro todo a Okoye resolvendo os trem pra no final chegar o pantera negra pra ajudar. Acho que ela que tinha que ter resolvido o role todo. Enfim, nao gostei muito.
Profile Image for Caroline.
352 reviews33 followers
July 6, 2022
At first, I was excited once I saw this book and read the blurb about Okoye, a badass Dora Milaje, as a prequel story before she became her well-known portrayal as one of the Avengers' allies and a strong warrior in her own right.

Unfortunately, I was left sorely disappointed and bored as I couldn't connect with ANY of the characters or the story.

Another thing that left me wondering what the heck?!?! 🤦‍♀️

Why on earth would King T'Chaka and the Dora Milaje not give better training not to mention a better cover story where Okoye would be easily able to follow the script and draw less attention to herself, it just made her look silly, temperamental, and undisciplined, the complete opposite what the Dora Milaje is all about!!

The main villain being stereotypically white and the drug that gave youth pyrokinetic powers to destroy buildings unintentionally? Are you serious?!? That's it?!?! This villain goes out of her to create this drug, to spread her influence not just over Brownsville but trying to set her sights on Wakanda, it just all fell flat, perhaps it was due to being told through Okoye's POV and not shared through the teens' POV perhaps Tree or even Mars?

Overall, I just found the writing very poor and could've been better as everything took so DAMN LONG to get moving, I was bored to tears waiting for something to happen and nothing ever did, even the conclusion was very lack-luster.

Perhaps this would've been better in comic form??
Profile Image for Beth.
226 reviews3 followers
February 2, 2022
What I liked most about this book was the return to 'true' YA- our readers who are aging out of J and into YA, or readers who are needing to move up their reading level will enjoy this one. I'm certainly not complaining, but most YA these days feels like it was written more for new adults than fourteen-year-old readers- this book is perfect for that demographic. Well-paced and written in a simple style.
Profile Image for Justin.
561 reviews49 followers
March 21, 2024
This wasn’t your standard superhero story; it doesn’t center on a superhero, per se, and it isn’t really action-packed. But what it is full of is a lot of heart and a bold heroine, super or not. Okoye is one of my favorite Marvel characters and her battles in this story - against colonization, gentrification, white supremacy, and poverty - are righteous and noble. This is a great book for teens who are finding their voice and who want to make change happen in the world, one community at a time.
Profile Image for Kayla Burton.
203 reviews9 followers
April 17, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

Okoye to the People gets off to a very slow start. A young Okoye is sent on a diplomatic mission to New York City with the king and her captain. While there, she gets involved in a mystery surrounding Brownsville, where fires are being set by teenagers and no one is doing anything. This book took me a very long time to get into, and I had lots of questions about Pyrobliss, a mysterious drug, because it was very convoluted until three quarters of the way through.
Profile Image for Brandy.
1,264 reviews56 followers
June 30, 2024
Ok this was such a brilliant adventure. I love Okoye and her sense of right and wrong, and determination to make the world a better place. Loved it!!
Profile Image for Greg.
515 reviews2 followers
September 15, 2022
This is a modern YA novel, so it's an unusual book for me to read and review, and maybe I shouldn't, but I love Okoye and all things Wakanda (and Marvel), so I bought it for my daughter.

She was wrapped up in other books and schoolwork, so I read it myself.

It's in present tense, I'm guessing to approximate African oral history, maybe something told to imaginary Wakandan kids at bedtime. Or perhaps like someone is reading/narrating a comic book out loud. Examples:

"Okoye stops just as the dirt road leading out of the forest..."
"She holds her spear as a deceptive smile spreads..."

I'm not sure I've ever read a novel written this way, and often it pulled me out of the plot to consider the author's choice. Imagine if this review was written in present tense: "He is reading the book and he is wondering why it is in present tense..."

Anyway, it's not how Westerners are used to reading, so maybe it's good to get jolted out of that minset and ponder why nearly all our stories are in past tense.

Much of the plot involves meetings with politicians and NGO officials (who may or may not have ulterior motives), putting us in The Phantom Menace territory: an adventure story where people are constantly in meetings and boardrooms, doing dull corporate stuff. Blah.

There are a few flourishes of action and adventure, but rarely (never?) suspense or tension. Even kids will know who the villain is immediately, and very little description is given to people or places.

One or two clever descriptions stood out, to paraphrase one: In America you can wear sneakers with anything. LOL.

Lest all this seem too negative, it is fantastic to have a story about powerful Africans and black Americans fighting injustice and righting wrongs, filling a woeful void in American literature, YA or otherwise. Excelsior! as Stan Lee would say.

Zoboi also gives the evils of modern-day colonization (gentrification) the thrashing it richly deserves, in terms I think kids will understand. Although the target audience (depending on age) is probably well aware of them. Zoboi offers a few instructions for combatting gentrification. (With no need for super heroes to do so.) So that's good.

It's also probably tough for Zoboi or any novelists to write within the confines of the Marvel Universe, as this novel is as much commerce as YA literature, with sales targets, branding requirements, and the constraints that come with writing about established characters and an imaginary nation. That can't be easy. And readers will need some knowledge about Marvel and Black Panther's world to get a lot of the references.

For example, She-hulk is mentioned long before she exists in the Marvel Universe timeline. But obviously that's nit-picking of a ridiculous degree.

It is a YA novel though, so I don't really feel all that qualified to review it in the first place. I will say that few or no books like this existed when I was a kid, so it's wonderful that it exists and kids in the crosshairs of urban redevelopment will likely see themselves in the story.

Also, you do learn a little more about the Dora Milaje and Wakanda, and there's a special guest at the end.

Which is another issue. It's great that the Dora Milaje are powerful, smart women (and young Okoye is a rebellious one with her heart in the right place) but they all work for a King, and defer to him in just about everything. Sigh. Maybe that changes in Wakanda Forever, which I can't wait to see.

I'll be sure to update this if/when my daughter or son get around to reading it. I'll definitely try to make that happen.
Profile Image for Colleen.
140 reviews3 followers
December 1, 2021
This is a different type of book than what I normally read, but let me just say WOW. I received an ARC from the ALAN conference and now that I have read this book, I can't wait to introduce my students to the book. The main characters are from a small African country Wakanda and belong to the countries Royal Guard. Okoye and her captain are chosen to accompany the king on a trip to New York. There they meet many people and learn the truth about different areas in New York. Okoye wants to help the group of children that they meet. Can they help the children while still keeping the king safe and keeping the secret of their country Wakanda?
314 reviews65 followers
Want to read
February 22, 2022
Omg I read Ibi Zoboi’s Punching the Air and LOVED it, AND I love Black Panther, and this novel combines both??? Can’t wait
Profile Image for Dhaivyd Hilgendorf.
420 reviews9 followers
March 6, 2022
Real estate mogul villain? Cool. Gentrification is the new colonization? Nice. Empowered strong back female protagonist? Good. Drug addiction cycles in impoverished communities? Yes- a reflection of our urban reality. But Pyrobliss? Ruined it. I love Ibi Zoboi’s books that reflect her personal experience. This one seemed contrived and I kept thinking that the plot was someone else’s idea, and the author just had to fulfil the contract and stick to the script. Suspension of disbelief non-existent. Surprisingly disappointing.
Profile Image for Laura.
172 reviews56 followers
Want to read
September 30, 2021
OKOYE IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED MARVEL CHARACTERS AND I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!

Profile Image for Precious Asoore.
7 reviews
June 4, 2025
I love the storyline. She was a perfect character for the story. The book shed light on some of Okoye's development overtime. A lovely read
Profile Image for Richard Winters.
33 reviews
January 17, 2022
Gentrification. This is the big idea to the latest Teen Marvel novel based off of one of their properties, specifically the world of Black Panther.
Okoye, who we see loom very large in the MCU movies, is brand new to her job as one of the protectors of her people. In fact, she is still trying to find her place in the Dora Milaje when she is called for a surprise mission. She is to accompany her captain, Aneka, and her King, T’chaka, to New York for humanitarian work. She will have to pretend to be someone she is not (a supermodel!) in a new place while still trying to figure out who she is. The king has been invited on behalf of a group called No Nation Left Behind, led by Stella Adams, and at the first benefit Okoye is approached by Lucinda Tates. Tates, a councilwoman who represents the area of Brownsville (which she feels the representatives of Wakanda will feel at home with fellow brothers and sisters), pleads with her to convince her King to come to a community center opening. She also warns her of Mrs. Adams. The trip to Brownsville reveals more than just poverty, but something more sinister in the community. A drug called Pyrobliss. The King and Aneka walk away from everything, but Okoye is conflicted in feeling the need to help these people. Now, she must fight a war on multiple fronts. How to get the people of Brownsville, who have no reason to trust anyone, to trust this supermodel from the poor, little area of Wakanda? How to sneak around behind her King’s back as he does not want to get involved? And how to win a war when even the small battles seem impossible?
Ibi Zoboi took what should have naturally been an action packed novel and turned it into a novel about community, about suffering, inequality and social problems. I say this part for myself. Despite this, the novel is a good read. I will not say excellent. There are points where it feels like we drag a little and spend too much time dwelling, especially in the head of Okoye with needless repetition. Other than this flaw, the writing is well-done and the story is a necessary one that helps give us a good background on Okoye and a little more insight into the fallen leader of the Wakandan people who influenced King T’Chala so much. It is easy to brush off this novel as merely a race issue novel, but it is not.
The truth about the heart of the novel is bullying. When do we stand up? Why do we stand up? Who is going to help the person who needs it against the bully? This is the people of Brownsville. They have a bully who is destroying their home and their lives, but no one will stand up for them. And Okoye has to decide if she will be the one who stands up to the bully.
Would you?
Profile Image for Renata.
2,926 reviews438 followers
March 28, 2022
Man I was really looking forward to this but this one just didn't work for me. I think the problem for me is that, the concept here is to show a young Okoye before she was the total badass of the movies/comics. But in order to make her more relatable to young readers it's just kind of weird vibes, like why are the Dora Milaje sending her to New York without fully preparing a cover story, so that she has to keep improvising something that doesn't quite make sense?? MESSY, the Dora Milaje are better than that even if Okoye is young!! And like it happened like...5 times. She's a student. She's a model. She's a bodyguard. She is not prepared to answer literally any questions about this. Whew. It's not like she ran off in a hurry and didn't have time to prepare. This was like, an honored mission. There was training. There was a long flight that she could have read a little file folder on. Help her. Please.

Also the idea of Okoye having her eyes opened to poverty among Black communities in the US is a little jarring because--and I know these books aren't necessarily operating in the same universe as the movies, but--it's really kind of a rehash of the Oakland scenes of the Black Panther movie, except those were much more effective than this book IMO.

Also the central plot was like, a little too convoluted for me. Like I'm all for calling attention to the problems of gentrification but the specifics here were like.......what.

Anyway, I know Ibi Zoboi is a great writer and I've enjoyed non-Marvel books of hers, and I love Okoye's character in the movies and comics, but for me this was 2 great tastes that did NOT go great together. Wah!

And I don't know, teens might just be excited to have a book about Okoye but I kind of feel like the teens who love her in the movies are going to have a similar confused reaction here, maybe I'm wrong but it just felt off to me.
Profile Image for Tiffany.
213 reviews1 follower
January 23, 2022
ARC provided by Disney Books in exchange for an honest review.

Okoye is a young woman, focusing on her commitment to the Dora Milaje kings guard and training alongside best friend Ayo. Okoye travels to New York City for her first international mission protecting King T’Chaka. There, she meets a real estate mogul Stella Evans, who has an uncomfortable interest in King T’Chaka and the young people of Brownsville, a neighborhood who is in the midst of a crisis.

Brownsville teenagers are selling PyroBliss, a drug that encourages its users to start fires and soon Brownsville is up in flames every day. Against the wishes of the Wakandan delegation, Okoye investigates and finds that the very real estate mogul who is courting King T’Chaka is responsible for the gentrification and pretense of drugs in Brownsville. Okoye simply cannot walk away from a neighborhood in need and so she works to help the young people in Brownsville break free of their dependence on PyroBliss and come together to take back their neighborhood.

At its core, Okoye to the People is a discussion of the effects of gentrification and drug dependence in Black communities. Brownsville is just one example of the current state of POC communities in New York and beyond. These communities are being pushed out by real estate companies tearing down old building are replacing them with businesses and homes that the original residents cannot afford. Where outsiders see these communities as places to be completely changes, the residents are fighting to protect their way of life.

The parallel theme in this novel is that Brownsville is seen very much as Wakanda is from the outside world, a place that isn’t worth much until it’s “fixed.” I liked the authors use of Okoye’s conflicted feelings to portray the similarities between the two places. Okoye knows that Wakanda is a place of vibrant culture and technology and has to bite her tongue when it comes to correcting people. She also sees quickly that the young people of Brownsville truly love their neighborhood and want to make it better without replacing the families that make it great.

Okoye to the People is an enjoyable novel that puts the focus on one of the most popular Black Panther characters and its themes of gentrification and community displacement is really powerful stuff coming from a young adult novel!
Profile Image for Becky.
204 reviews6 followers
February 22, 2022
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this advance listener copy and advance reader copy.

Description from NetGalley:
Before she became a multifaceted warrior and the confident leader of the Dora Milaje, Okoye was adjusting to her new life and attempting to find her place in Wakanda’s royal guard. Initially excited to receive an assignment for her very first mission and trip outside Wakanda, Okoye discovers that her status as a Dora Milaje means nothing to New Yorkers.
When she meets teenagers not much younger than herself struggling with the gentrification of their beloved Brooklyn neighborhood, her expectations for the world outside her own quickly fall apart. As she gets to know the young people of Brownsville, Okoye uncovers the truth about the plans of a manipulative real-estate mogul pulling all the strings—and how far-reaching those secret plans really are.
Caught between fulfilling her duty to her country and listening to her own heart urging her to stand up for Brownsville, Okoye must determine the type of Dora Milaje—and woman—she wants to be.
Okoye is one of my favorite characters from the MCU. So a book about her and the Dora Milaje? Sign me up. The narration was fantastic at bringing the characters to life. The book felt very true to what I know about Okoye and the Dora Milaje (to be honest that might be not as in depth as I would want to be overall since I have only seen the movies). The story is straight forward, which is what I would expect of this age group. Just like with the recent middle grade Black Panther books, they bring Okoye to the US and definitely bring that personal conflict into play.
I would recommend this book for any middle grade/YA reader that is into the Marvel universe, particularly fans of Black Panther.
Overall: 3.5/5

Profile Image for Olivia Downey.
119 reviews
February 23, 2025
My second Ibi Ziboi of the year! I ordered this book through Disney Rewards, so it was free with points.

Okoye is probably my favorite female Marvel character, so I was excited to see there was a book with her as the protagonist. This is a prequel to the films, so she is acting as a guard for King T’Chaka throughout.

Zoboi is not afraid of having the hard conversations and landing on a decision for an issue. I think a problem I have with a lot of authors is that they will write thoughtful political debate and yet come out still neutral to the topic overall. That is not the case here. Brownsville, a part of Brooklyn, is being gentrified and used for the gain of “white savior” character Stella Adams and her organization which purports to help communities in need but is actually actively creating and circulating drugs amongst the communities to empower her group.

It’s a complex plot, especially for a YA novel, and very thoughtful. Wakanda’s isolationist policies come into question, but there is also a fine line between helping a group of people and completely taking over to become yet another unwanted savior/colonizing figure. This book treads the issue well, and the characters feel real and fleshed out. Okoye is very fish-out-of-water and more naive in this book than she is in the films, but she is young, and this is her first “outing” from Wakanda, so it’s understandable.

Overall, this was a solid read, and I’d recommend it especially to anyone who loves Marvel and Black Panther. I still prefer Pride by this author, but I have enjoyed her writing on both counts.
Profile Image for Drea.
Author 7 books13 followers
August 4, 2022
Okoye to the People: A Black Panther Novel by Ibi Zoboi gives us a look at a young Okoye new to the Dora Milaje, taking her first trip to America. The novel sends us on a journey with Okoye, as she follows King T’Chaka on a trip as the African representative of the World Humanitarian Aid Council. While in New York City, a mystery unfolds before Okoye’s eyes, taking her attention away from her duties with the King. Within the city, Okoye’s eyes truly open to the differences between her home of Wakanda and the United States, particularly New York, when she discovers the neighborhood of Brownsville battling gentrification.

As a Marvel fan, and a Black Panther fan, I had to have this novel. I listened to the audiobook, and it kept me engaged to the very end. I enjoyed the way we get to see Okoye interact with her friend, Ayo, at the start of the book, and the most captivating part for me is her inner struggle. Throughout the book, she experiences culture shock, and also the inner turmoil of defying orders from her King.

Okoye adamantly believed in resolving the mystery surrounding Brownsville and helping the residents who inhabit the neighborhood. She must trust her gut instincts even if she’s in a foreign place with customs and processes she doesn’t understand.

This book renewed my love for Okoye and even in YA form, she still maintained that badass Okoye flair! This was definitely a five-star read for me!
Profile Image for Susan.
1,585 reviews31 followers
February 13, 2022
Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, Disney Audiobooks, and Marvel Press in exchange for an honest review.

A story about Okoye (the badass leader of the Dora Milaje) as a teenager written by Ibi Zoboi and narrated by Bahni Turpin was an absolute no-brainer read (well, listen) for me. OKOYE TO THE PEOPLE does not disappoint. While this novel deals with some serious subject matter, this is a YA title I can happily put into tweens hands knowing that it's a YA title that was written for teens, meeting them on their level, rather than a YA title written for adults pretending it's for teen readers.

On a trip to NYC, Okoye meets the teens in Brownsville, a neighborhood in Brooklyn and realizes that something bad is happening. She finds herself going against her Dora Milaje training, and testing the limits of her King's understanding as she investigates - even after being told to let things be. Okoye is smart, but she's not perfect, she stumbles along the way. I found the narrative to be engaging, the characters interesting, and how gentrification and colonization destroys neighborhoods (and countries) impactful.

This is a quick read that Marvel and non-Marvel fans will enjoy. You definitely don't need to be familiar with Black Panther, the Dora Milaje, or Wakanda to enjoy this novel.
Profile Image for Macaela.
214 reviews3 followers
March 19, 2022
Okoye has been picked to travel with King T’Chaka and her captain Aneka to New York City where the king is being hosted by a humanitarian group called No Nation Left Behind (NNLB). Okoye feels very out of place in NYC and feels something is off with Stella, the woman hosting them. After visiting a rundown part of Brooklyn called Brownsville. There they meet a woman trying to open a community center and find out that there is a new drug in the area, one that starts fires. Okoye insists that they do something, but there isn’t much they can do without showing the truth behind Wakanda. This was a fun read, it was great seeing Okoye coming finding her voice, without risking her position. She found that balance of helping others, while still serving and protecting her King. Some of the dialogue was stilted, but it showed the difference between how each of the different cultures we meet communicate within their own communities and with others.

Thanks to Disney publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy.
Profile Image for CPL Teen.
125 reviews
April 21, 2022
Okoye is a new recruit for T'Chaka's royal guard: the Dora Milaje. Known for their loyalty and warrior abilities, the Dora are respected and revered in Okoye's home country of Wakanda. But when Okoye is sent on her very first mission—to America—she'll learn that her status as a Dora means nothing to New Yorkers and her expectations for the world outside of her own quickly fall apart. Chosen to accompany King T'Chaka on a humanitarian mission, Okoye finds herself trying to help teens dealing with addiction and gentrification in a forgotten neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Okoye to the People is an easy to read and enjoy novel that is filled with both action and powerful themes of gentrification, community displacement, and drug dependence in a small black community. Brownsville is just one (fictionalized) example of the current state of POC communities around the world. As said in the book "Gentrification is the new colonization. Despite the heavy topics, there is plenty of action and Marvel fans are given a new view of one of the most popular Black Panther characters.
Profile Image for Hannah.
627 reviews1 follower
July 29, 2022
I picked this book up because I love the female characters in Black Panther and after finishing the Shuri series this summer I was curious what Okoye’s book would be like. I wasn’t disappointed. The story takes place with Okoye going on her first mission to the US for a humanitarian mission. While there looking after King T’Chaka, she befriends the people of Brownsville who are in crisis due to a drug called PyroBliss that seems to be supplied by the corporation that is supposedly helping them. The story explores race issues, gentrification, and poverty and explains these issues well to young adults. I also liked that while Okoye is a hero in her own right, she was able to show the people of Brownsville that they can also be heroes in their communities. The story is creative and I think any fan of Black Panther will enjoy this book.
Profile Image for The Cosmic Circus.
23 reviews1 follower
November 27, 2022
Okoye is younger but she is still a little stiff and formal. This causes the beginning of the book to drag on a little. As she becomes more impassioned about Brownsville and NNLB her emotions begin to come through and the story flows better. Despite the slow start, it is an interesting look at a fan favorite who is often overlooked by the larger stories she’s involved in.

I liked seeing her find her footing as a warrior. Watching her learn how to balance thinking for herself with following orders was highly relatable. And seeing her have the strength to fight for what she believed in, even in the face of her king, was wonderful. Anyone who likes Okoye or the Dora Milaje will love Ibi Zoboi’s take on young Okoye.

Read the full review at: https://www.thecosmiccircus.com/book-...
Profile Image for Anne.
5,130 reviews52 followers
December 6, 2022
Before Okoye became the leader of the Dora Milaje, she went on a trip to Brooklyn with King T'Chaka. She was excited to visit America but was shocked to discover how different things were outside of Wakanda, especially in a part of Brooklyn called Brownsville. Here there were strange things going on and Okoye's heart goes out to the young people there who are adversely affected by a substance called Pyrobliss. She is torn between her duty to her king, her desire to help these teens, and her need to keep her identity a secret.
With the release of a new Black Panther movie, this should be a big hit. The beginning is a bit slow and there are a few other parts that could have used tighter editing for better clarity. Overall, an enjoyable read, especially for those familiar with the world of Wakanda.
CW: racism, drug use/addiction
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