a book
Homegoing
Yaa Gyasi · 2016 · 305 pages
INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE'S JOHN LEONARD PRIZE • WINNER OF THE PEN / HEMINGWAY AWARD FOR DEBUT FICTION • 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.
One of Oprah’s Best Books of the Year, 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.
One of Oprah’s Best Books of the Year, 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.
recommended by 6 people
sourced from public statements
Trevor Noah
“Thanks to the trans-Atlantic slave trade, America and Africa are linked in more ways than we usually think about. This is a fascinating novel about the legacy of slavery and white supremacy on both continents.”↗
Priyanka Chopra
“It has a commentary on family, it has a commentary on the slave trade and what that did. It has a commentary on being a Black woman in America today, where the book ends actually. And it really makes you think about life and the privileges that come along with it. What is destined for you and what are the choices you make that change your destiny.”↗
Tressie McMillan Cottom
“@jessicashortall @choo_ek That damn book will gut you in a good way.”↗
Alice Korngold
“My favorite books (fiction & non) that have helped me understand #racialjustice: #Homegoing #YaaGyasi #TheLoveSongsofWEBDuBois @BlkLibraryGirl #IKnowWhyTheCagedbirdSings #MayaAngelou #Becoming @MichelleObama #TheWarmthOfOtherSuns @Isabelwilkerson #JustMercy #BryanStevenson”↗
