It's a good month, another wonderful read. Gyasi tells the family history of two sisters born to different fathers in Africa - one who becomes the wife of a British slaver on the Gold Coast of Africa and the other who is sold into slavery and taken to America. She follows their descendants through time, teaching us the history of Africa and America from the beginning of the slave trade to modern day from the point of view of their descendants. What I appreciated is what I learned of the life of those in Africa and the perspectives of the slaves taken to America. Like the book, A Place for Us that I finished earlier this month, it taught me to look through the characters eyes and experience their lives.
The author leads us through time with the families - the end of slavery and the wars in Africa; freed slaves in Baltimore, Maryland; slavers working in the coal mines of Alabama; Harlem and the impact of prejudice and racism that is passed on. I loved how the author brings the story along subtly and indirectly, introducing each generation in their own time frame yet maintaining the continuity of their ancestors. This is storytelling at its best.
Published: 2016 Read: October 2024 Genre: Fiction
