Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba

"Nzingha:Warrior Queen of Matamba" is a really good book. I enjoyed the story a lot, and I love learning about history, especially history about non-Western cultures, because I think that historically, from what I know, many of these cultures are very rich and well worth learning about, unlike the somewhat stiff and formal Western cultures in history-for example, England in the early 18th century, which I learned about in my history class. I actually studied the real Nzingha in my history class, and in my opinion, she was a very intelligent and interesting woman, which is why I wanted to read a fictional diary about her. I thought that the history of Nzingha's country is colorful and well worth learning about. "Nzingha", like "Anacaona: Golden Flower" and "Sondok: Princess of the Moon and Stars", is one of my favorite Royal Diaries featuring a non-Western royal figure.

This book is my introduction to the Royal Diaries series, it has propelled me to seek out more from this line. I loved the story of a strong, independent, and determined young girl growing to become a woman in a male-dominated time. I feel this book was very informative and am truly disappointed by some of the reviews for this book. I do wish it was longer, as I found the story quite intriguing. Young Nzingha learns that not all your enemies are your enemies, with friends among the foe. I love the insight into the Mbundu people. I feel it was meant to give you a view into the people, not of the land of Angola. I will definitely be adding this one to the shelf for my daughter.

The year is 1595, and princess Nzingha is living a life of luxury in Angola, Africa. Her father is the respected ngola of Ndongo and many predict that he will be suceeded by his first son, Mtambi. Nzingha writes about her life in Africa as an important royal in the African Royal family. Nzingha lives an active life as she goes hunting with her friends and learns about the evil Portugese. She earns her say in court and is pretty much happy with her life, until she learns that her people are being enslaved by fiendish Portugese slave-traders. Eager to gain the leadership of Ngola and respect of all, Nzingha sets out on an important mission to save her people from the realm of the Portugese Slave-traders.

This book was really good in my opinion. It wasn't a perfect life for her, she had to deal with betrayal and differences in her family. She doesn't have a great bond with her father but they start to bond and it gives you a new perspective when you read it. It is a great story and I think that it is excellent for any young girl to read.

I'm confused by the other reviews. I adored this book--it fascinated me maybe more than the other Royal Diaries books. I learned much of the African vocabulary in this book and how harsh the Portugese were to slaves. This book told of Nzingha's ability to improvise... When she had no chair, she called a servant to make a chair with his body... Treachery, love, and fighting for rights make this book definetely worth a try.

Although it was rather short, it was one of my favorite books in a long time! It was a little bit too fictional at times, and in the Historical Note they said all of the things that DIDN'T happen, and there were quite a few. Nevertheless, it was well written, and interesting. Form the Historical Note, I learned the things they didn't tell in the book, and the things they exaggerated, and the things that didn't actually happen until later. The Historical Note was very interesting and thorough, and the pronunciation guide was superb. Who cares how long it is? If it's good, it shouldn't matter, and this was most definitely good.