Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

67 reviews

libbyhb's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-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 was such a beautiful, perfectly-constructed story. I loved following along with the generations, especially with how Gyasi chose at which point in their life we caught up with each character. The sheer amount of research involved in writing Homegoing truly shone through, while never feeling like these stories represented some kind of monolithic story for the character's identity at that point in history. I especially loved the Marjorie chapter and how connected she was to her parents and grandmother and Ghana. The H chapter was also so interesting and horrifying, and made me want to read more about that era of prison labor and towns like Pratt City. I will definitely be thinking about this book for a long time!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Slavery

Moderate: Sexual content and Suicide

kmtd's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Death of parent

watson_my_shelf's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

I had heard amazing things about Homegoing, but my only disappointment was that I didn't read it sooner! This is a truly beautiful book. Gyasi seamlessly transitions from one point of view to another, from one generation to another. The stories travel across multiple towns and continents. I did not think I'd enjoy the story lines switching between so many characters, but I loved it. I really enjoyed how you kept learning about a character and their life even after the story had shifted to one of their descendants. 

I highly recommend this book, even if you aren't a historical fiction fan. The writing is beautiful and I feel like I learned so much from this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Racism, and Slavery

quirpele's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Excrement, Police brutality, and Trafficking

lorenag5's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was such a page-turner, I think I read it in two nights. It's educational and makes you think broadly about the intergenerational trauma of the slave trade that reverberates to this day, but does so with specific stories of individuals that are enjoyable and engaging even apart from their historical implications. Really excellent.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Police brutality, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

sarah984's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book was a beautiful but difficult read about one family on two continents grappling with the legacy of slavery and colonialism. Each chapter was told from the point of view of one individual, moving forward in time but still linking back.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Grief

Minor: Animal death, Child death, Excrement, and Vomit

curatoriallyyours's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book is a genealogical epic, tracing the lineage of two sisters who never knew each other from their beginnings in Ghana in the slave trade era. The story is presented in vignettes - the two family lines taking turns in telling their story with each generation. A family tree at the beginning of the book is most useful in keeping track of where each narrator sits within the lineage. The aspect I appreciated most in this book is the deep dive it takes on the far-reaching effects of the colonial mindset and the slave trade. I also love the characters and how we get to know them and their struggles in each vignette. One of the other takeaways for me was the lack of agency that women had and how each woman in the story coped under the circumstances she found herself in. A beautifully written book with vivid characters and important stories to tell.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Trafficking

Minor: Addiction, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Police brutality, and Grief

Knowing this book is about slavery, most references to sensitive topics are absolutely historically contextual and, in my opinion, not overdone.