We Need New Names
What is the title referring to
The motif of names is one of the strongest in the story, starting from the title of the book itself. NoViolet Bulawayo uses a pen name herself constructed from her mother's name, Violet, the word "No" which means "with" in Bulwayo's home language, and the name Bulawayo which is the name of the author's home city in Zimbabwe. Bulawayo has also spoken about how the naming practices in Zimbabwe often lead to names chosen for meaning, and the way she has tried to translate this in the name of characters in her book.