I finished this book a couple of months ago. I saw @brightytighty talking about it on Instagram and B’s word is good with me and she directly suggested it to me after I asked about it. It has taken me a couple of months to write a post about this book. Without spoiling the book (info from the back cover of the copy I read), Yaa Gyasi writes a historical fiction piece that everyone should read, particularly Americans. The story revolves around two half sisters born in eighteenth century Ghana, who are unaware of each other, and their family legacy paths. One marries an Englishman and lives in the Cape Coast Castle (a real place); the other is captured as her village is raided, imprisoned in the Cape Coast Castle, and sold into slavery and becomes one of the millions of Africans stolen and forced into the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Yaa Gyasi captures themes of separation, loss, pain, love, and struggle throughout the book. I don’t know everything about my family but I know we didn’t arrive here by choice. The book forced me to ask myself: how much of this story is my family’s story? I won’t be able to answer that in full, ever in my life. I cried in many spots while reading this, simply because of that question, because I have been systematically denied connectivity to many of my ancestors. I’m left with my own imagination about what my family might’ve been through and that is hard for me sometimes. This was a hard book for me to read. I stopped a few times to process. This book is fictional but to me, it is millions, perhaps billions, of people’s story and it is written in a captivating and honest manner. There are parts that include violence, sexual abuse, mental & physical abuse. Difficult parts but necessary in order to tell the whole story as best as possible. I kept notes while reading, which helped me make connections to relevant history that is alluded to in the book. Gyasi’s writing is stellar throughout; her world-building and character development and connection were highlights, from a writing style perspective. Highly recommended book. #homegoing #yaagyasi #mrkliterature #existintheinfinite #jaaamaccordingly https://www.instagram.com/p/BxyHP56AmT0/?igshid=1ohbmtdo4mcz0
