Nnedimma Nkemdili Okorafor was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1974 to Igbo Nigerian parents who travelled to America in 1969 to attend school but purportedly could not return to Nigeria due to the Nigerian Civil War. Okorafor is the third child in a family of four children and grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and would often travel to Nigeria to spend her holidays with her extended family. Her first name is Igbo for "mother is good".
What is the meaning of "Nnedi" in Nnedi Okarafor's name?
"Nnedi" is the short form of her full name "Nnedimma" which translates to "mother is good", in Nigerian Igbo language.