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A review by _askthebookbug
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
4.0
Homegoing.
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"We believe the one who has the power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history, you must always ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth?" - Yaa Gyasi.
~
There are thousands of books written about slavery that took place back in the 18th century on the lands of Africa. Many movies such as 12 years a slave, were made so as to show the World, the horrors that people had to witness when they were captured and sold to rich white men. Families back in the villages used to wait for the arrival of their husbands, brothers, sisters and sons while they were stuffed into the chambers of a slave ship, sailing towards an unknown destination. Homegoing is one such book which talks expressively about slavery and the stories of people who were once slaves.
~
When I started reading this book, little did I know that it would be so intense and in-depth. What starts off with two sisters kept apart and never to meet, the author then carefully takes us through their generations. There are innumerable characters, all related to each other to the point of confusion. You cannot afford to lose concentration even for a minute for this book is a complicated one. The horrible days of slavery and how people from villages tried to sell their neighbours within the city of Ghana was shocking. They worked with the British in buying and selling of slaves for more than many decades. The disgusting behaviour of the white men towards the blacks broke my heart. The conditions of slave chambers in the slave ships, the scars on their faces and backs, the lack of freedom to speak their own language - it's so clear that I can almost see it.
~
The book then proceeds to talk about the migration of Africans to the US where they were discriminated for the colour of their skin, the perpetual fear of being evicted and sent back to Ghana, all these facts were extremely painful to read. Post watching many movies, I still cannot comprehend the amount of hatred that these people harboured. Another significant part of the book was how blind and interesting the African cultures were back then. A must and phenomenal read.
~
Rating -4.3/5
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"We believe the one who has the power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history, you must always ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth?" - Yaa Gyasi.
~
There are thousands of books written about slavery that took place back in the 18th century on the lands of Africa. Many movies such as 12 years a slave, were made so as to show the World, the horrors that people had to witness when they were captured and sold to rich white men. Families back in the villages used to wait for the arrival of their husbands, brothers, sisters and sons while they were stuffed into the chambers of a slave ship, sailing towards an unknown destination. Homegoing is one such book which talks expressively about slavery and the stories of people who were once slaves.
~
When I started reading this book, little did I know that it would be so intense and in-depth. What starts off with two sisters kept apart and never to meet, the author then carefully takes us through their generations. There are innumerable characters, all related to each other to the point of confusion. You cannot afford to lose concentration even for a minute for this book is a complicated one. The horrible days of slavery and how people from villages tried to sell their neighbours within the city of Ghana was shocking. They worked with the British in buying and selling of slaves for more than many decades. The disgusting behaviour of the white men towards the blacks broke my heart. The conditions of slave chambers in the slave ships, the scars on their faces and backs, the lack of freedom to speak their own language - it's so clear that I can almost see it.
~
The book then proceeds to talk about the migration of Africans to the US where they were discriminated for the colour of their skin, the perpetual fear of being evicted and sent back to Ghana, all these facts were extremely painful to read. Post watching many movies, I still cannot comprehend the amount of hatred that these people harboured. Another significant part of the book was how blind and interesting the African cultures were back then. A must and phenomenal read.
~
Rating -4.3/5