Here’s another one going on my “give to all my friends” list! This book is really, really good. Each chapter is a vignette of one person per generation, starting with two half-sisters, Essie and Effia. One is sold into slavery, the other married to a British slaver. The chapters follow six of each of their descendants in Ghana and America. As you might expect, 6 generations of African and Africa-American history includes some seriously ugly chapters: colonialism, explicit and implicit racism, the transatlantic slave trade, the Fugitive Slave […]
“Strength is knowing that everyone belongs to themselves.”
4.5 stars. I hate to say I sometimes judge books by their covers, but it’s the truth. It wasn’t until I saw the stunning UK cover that I really stopped and paid attention to this book everyone has raved about. No regrets! This was a stunning debut novel and absolutely worth a read. Homegoing is a generational tale that starts with two half sisters in the Gold Coast, Effia and Esi. One becomes the wife of a white slave trader and the other is sold […]
Just stop what you’re doing and go get your hands on this book. Now.
I just… I… I don’t even know where to begin with this review. This book is a-mazing. It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time, and should be required reading for everyone. The story starts on the Gold Coast of Africa (Ghana), with the parallel tales of two half-sisters who never know each other – one is married off to a white slave trader, and one is captured and sold as a slave. Each chapter alternates between the next generations of each woman’s […]
A top pick for 2017…and it’s only January!
One of my top five! And it’s only January! This book is soooooo good, you guys. It’s eye opening and tragic and heartwarming and epic and so many other things. Yaa Gyasi (last name sounds like “Jesse”) is a Stanford graduate, born in Ghana and raised in America. On a visit to Ghana, while researching her book, she saw the Cape Coast Castle. This is one of many forts in Africa used by European traders. It is also the genesis of Gyasi’s fictional story, which […]