Homegoing
Ghana, eighteenth century: two half sisters are born into different villages, each unaware of the other. One will marry an Englishman and lead a life of comfort in the palatial rooms of the Cape Coast Castle. The other will be captured in a raid on her village, imprisoned in the very same castle, and sold into slavery. Homegoing follows the parallel paths of these sisters and their descendants through eight generations: from the Gold Coast to the plantations of Mississippi, from the American Civil War to Jazz Age Harlem. Yaa Gyasi’s extraordinary novel illuminates slavery’s troubled legacy both for those who were taken and those who stayed—and shows how the memory of captivity has been inscribed on the soul of our nation.
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Community Reviews
“We believe the one who has the power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So, when you study history, you must always ask yourself, whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story, too. From there, you begin to get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture.”
This novel follows two half sisters and their descendants over the course of eight generations. This would be a great book club pick because there’s so much to discuss.
"You want to know what weakness is? Weakness is treating someone as though they belong to you. Strength is knowing that everyone belongs to themselves."
I am struggling to find the words that adequately relay what I feel about this book.
It's a soul gripping journey through the lives of two sisters living two very different lives and how their circumstances shaped the futures of generations to come after them.
I enjoyed the writing and how the author alternated between the descendants of the two sisters but at times it was difficult to follow along so that is why it is receiving a 4 star rating from me rather than 5.
This is an important and impactful book that all should consider reading.
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