Binti: The Night Masquerade

In the final installment of the Binti trilogy, Binti goes through some serious growing pains. The previous books had her discovering new aspects of herself. Everything she learned seemed to take her further from her family of origin, even the things she learned about the history of that family. And so here she must learn how to balance all this growth with staying true to herself and her values.

This book, and the whole trilogy really, explore how far you can stray from your roots while remaining rooted. How much can you change and still be recognizable as the same person? What's that essential bit of you-ness that remains immutable?

By the end, Binti is both unrecognizable, having been modified with alien DNA, microbes, and technology, and essentially the same person, a math whiz who values knowledge and harmony. She's still in the process of accepting all the change she's gone through. But the ending is optimistic that she'll fully integrate her new experiences with her old values. Rather than changing into someone new, she becomes ever more true to herself.

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