Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Homegoing

Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

524 reviews

mndy's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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marissaheffler's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

This book was incredibly well written and moving. Using chapters to separate the snapshots of individual stories was really helpful in keeping the pace of the book and preventing any chapter from being too emotionally difficult to get through. Gyasi did an incredible job of capturing a moment in a characters life while sharing enough context to be meaningful and enough specificity to put you exactly in the key moments. Following the generations and seeing how previous events showed up in later chapters was a really cool way to illustrate the impact of our ancestry on our lives in both visible and unconscious ways - it made me think about the chain of past and future we’re all living in.

Content wise, it was interesting to read about the experience of those in Ghana both during and after the slave trade. This is not a perspective that is usually centered or that I have had much exposure to. Pairing it with the peers in America was a really powerful way to highlight the branching impact of this system throughout the generations.
(~6 hr read, physical book)

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nessreadsalot's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

This book begins in the 18th century with two half sisters who have never met. One marries a white slave trader and the other is captured and sold into slavery. The story is written with each chapter following someone from each subsequent generation up to present day.
The short insights into each characters lives and how slavery and colonisation has affected and shaped their lives are so well written that each chapter leaves you wanting more about that person's story. I found it a little difficult to keep up with who was related to who at times because of the quick pace of the chapters and in the audiobook there was no chapter title to indicate the move to another character. I have seen others mention a family tree is printed in the physical book which would be very useful to help follow.

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summeryoder's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

It's an amazingly well crafted novel that spans decades and generations. While each family member's story is captivating, it's a bit disorienting to leave a character after just one chapter, never to come back to them. At times it felt that some of the brutality and sexual content veered into gratuitousness rather than being a necessary storytelling vehicle.

Content Warnings