Homegoing (edició 2017)

I read this because of how very, very much I liked Transcendent Kingdom. For me, this didn't blow me away like TK did, but Homegoing's stories and Yea Gyasi's writing are still powerful and absorbing. From the capture of people in Africa so that they could be shipped into slavery, to life in Harlem, to the book's moving conclusion, the stories are vivid and memorable. ( )

A fascinating book, that traces the branches of two related families, both starting in Ghana in the mid-1700s. The two matriarchs are half-sisters, although neither knows of the other's existence. One marries a white slave trader and lives a life of relative luxury; the other is sold as a slave and shipped to America. The book alternates between each of these families, telling stories of each subsequent generation until we reach modern time. This isn't a long book, and each character only has a relatively brief presence, and yet the total effect is powerful and moving. Although we've heard about the slave trade in numerous ways, this telling is different, maybe because the focus is on the "home," although I'm not sure that's all of it. Anyway, an excellent book. ( )

I found Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi to be an amazing read. The book traces generations of two African families with the first stories being about two women who never meet but are actually half-sisters. The book opens in Ghana during the 1760s and we read of Effia who is married off to a white slaver. Meanwhile her unknown half-sister, Esi, is captured and sent to America as a slave. Each chapter then follows a different descendant and through these stories we learn about the emotions and dynamics of each family through the years along with their culture and history.

The horrors of slavery and the terrors of the Jim Crow era are included in this ambitious and sweeping novel and the life of both those who were taken and those who stayed are illuminated in this page-turning book. Through seven generations this exploration of family resilience held me captive and I learned a lot about the heart-wrenching history of black people in America.

Homegoing is all the more amazing when you realize that this is the author’s debut book. Although each chapter tells a new and complex story, the author has ensured that each character has been developed into a well rounded individual. This book gives a history and a voice to many of the injustices of today and gives us much to ponder upon. Spanning centuries and continents, Homegoing is a powerful and compelling read. ( )

The story revolves around two half-sisters in late 18th century Ghana--one sold into marriage to an Englishman; the other captured and forced into slavery--and follows their succeeding generations as they navigate their ways through history. The book brings to light an aspect of slavery in Africa that I wasn't too aware of, that in some instances, the winners of tribal wars would give the prisoners to foreigners to be sold as part of the slave trade. While one branch of the family deals with this legacy, the other survives its way through slavery in the plantations of the South.

"Homegoing" is an excellent book. ( )

This book is just so good. I loved how the writer moved through history through the generations of a family. The characters in each section were so well drawn and the stories of each of their lives were so engaging. I feel like I learned so much. It is a great read. ( )