H-F Alum’s Novel Could Be Basis For HBO Series

OLYMPIA FIELDS, IL - A former Homewood-Flossmoor High School tennis star who became an award-winning novelist could have her most famous book turned into an HBO TV series. Nnedi Okorafor won the 2011 World Fantasy Award for best novel with “Who Fears Death,” which is in development at HBO according to a Chicago Tribune report. Development is the first step in the process for a show to become an actual TV series.

“Who Fears Death” is set in a post-apocalyptic Africa and is centered around the character Onyesonwu, which means "Who fears death?" in an ancient language. Onye is a mixed-race child of rape who develops brilliant talents but later finds out someone important is trying to kill her, according to a review on Amazon.

Okorafor is an associate professor at the State University of New York’s Buffalo campus and splits time between there and Olympia Fields. She was a tennis star at H-F before graduating in 1992 and had professional aspirations before paralysis forced her to give up her tennis career and begin novel writing.

Read More: The Transformation Of Nnedi Okorafor From Tennis Great To Award Winning Novelist

George R.R. Martin, author of “Game of Thrones,” is the executive producer of the series in development at HBO. Okorafor is working with him and others on the project.

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