Reviews

Type of read: Commuter read.

What made me pick it up: Reese's Book Club pick.

Overall rating: I may have gone on a library rental binge and ended up with less than two days to finish 'Sankofa,' definitely not mad. Even if I didn't have such a short time to take in this book, I think I still would have finished it as fast. 'Sankofa' is a beautifully melancholy telling of Anna's finding herself and her family. While 'Sankofa' started off a bit slow for me, I did enjoy it once it finally found its rhythm. I do feel like the last third or so of the book was a bit jumbled. There was just a lot of different things happening that didn't seem to match or make sense but it did all come together. It honestly felt like some portions of the book were given too much priority and then other portions weren't given enough, so when they came up and it was this big grand thing, it didn't really make sense or fall into line with what had been done. Overall, I'm glad I read 'Sankofa.' It's not the typical style and storyline of book that I'd read and I appreciate that it gave a different perspective. I would recommend 'Sankofa' with some disclaimers.

Reader's Note: There is some language used in 'Sankofa' that would/could be considered offensive. There are open discussions of eating disorders.

lynda_ohhh's review against another edition

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3.0

This book is about woman who loses her mother. While going through her mother’s belongings she comes across her estranged father’s journal and learns he is alive. The rest of the book follows her journey to track him down

It started off pretty slow but picked up towards the middle! Overall it was good

basil_touche's review

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adventurous emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was such a well paced story, with a subtly that really brought the fictional country of Bamana to life. I found it was a breeze to read through while allowing the reader into the headspace of Anna, whose longing for connection was palpable and her decisions, while some I may disagree with, only made her feel more like a real person. Anna's feelings of isolation, of her experiences of racism in the uk, to being seen as a white tourist in Bamana, was heartbreaking and I really wanted to see her have some closure by the end.

Her relationship with her father was interesting and by the end it is left up to the reader to decide if he was the dictator many said he was

tricking Anna into imprisonment does leave some credence but he also freed the country from British rule and does show care to Anna, as examples

. Francis Aggrey or Kofi Adjei?

It is a book about identity, race, being mixed-race, fatherhood and the impact colonialism has on the countries it has effected. I did find the ending a bit rushed (

although beautiful where Anna meets her ancestors

) and some things weren't as fully explored I as wished but this is still a book I enjoyed very much

Content Warnings

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