The Book of Negroes (2007)

Vivid and compelling! ( )

Boeiend verteld verhaal over Aminata, een Afrikaans meisje dat als kind wordt geroofd en als slavin verkocht kn Amerika. Ze heeft van haar moeder de beginselen geleerd van het helpen bij bevallingen en daardoor houdt ze zich staande, ze verdient er respect mee en ook haar brood. Ze vlucht, wordt uiteindelijk vrij gelaten, reist, krijgt met haar geliefde 2 kinderen, eentje wordt als baby al bij haar weggehaald en verkocht, de andere wordt ontvoerd door een wit echtpaar en vindt ze later, kn Londen terug. Ze maakt veel omzwervingen, leert lezen en schrijven, leeft in allerlei gemeenschappen, reist naar Nova Scotia en later naar Sierra Leone, en uiteindelijk naar Londen.
Een tikje ongeloofwaardig hier en daar maar wel een mooi verhaal. ( )

There are some books out there that make themselves in their own melancholie. Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go" comes to mind as a book that really needs its melancholy to make it great. There are other books, though, that seem to be naturally predisposed for melancholy, and yet somehow manage to avoid relying on it for greatness. Lawrence Hill's "The Book Of Negroes" is just such a book. For all its sadness, it's lasting impression is one of strength and hope. It is unexpected, and that is part of what makes it great.

The real reason this books is as good as it is its heroine. Readers meet her as an intelligent and sprightly young girl named Aminata in Africa, and follow her though her journey acroos the ocean and as a slave in 18th century America and beyond. At no point is she inhuman. At no point is she uninspiring.

For all her trails, and for all the vivid descriptions of those hardships, she is entirely believable. This is a rare quality in a protagonist, where the impulse is generally to show strength at every turn. Instead, we are exposed to her weaknesses and failures, and are thankful for the many people that help her throughout her grand adventure. We admire her intellegence in not only accumulating knowledge often refused her companions, but her modesty in accepting the help that allows her survival. She is a role model in so many ways, I cannot imagine not recommending this work for any young person as a reference for the types of character virtues that we should all try to cultivate in ourselves.

I would be remiss if I did not give ample credit to the author's merciless depiction of the conditions that the african slaves endured during the time wherin this story is set. If it went without saying that these are important notes to keep fresh in our minds even centuries later, then many of the dark truths we all fail to acknowledge today wouldn't exist. This is what a good piece of fiction should be-- every bit as poignant in setting as it is in anything else. ( )

An absolutely brilliant read. Highly recommended. ( )

Excellent! ( )