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erin52's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Trafficking, War, Racial slurs, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Addiction, Child abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Slavery, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, and Genocide
thereadhersrecap's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I can't believe this book was her debut novel! The writing was spectacular. She has a way of transporting you out of your body and into the characters mind. The characterization was the best and meat of the book and Gyasi nailed it.
The novel follows two ancestry lines of Ghanian children as the embark on separate but destined journeys. Two half sisters, Effia and Esi, born to different villages in the 18th century lead two very different lives. One is married off to an Englishman and lives in the castle on the shore, the other is imprisoned beneath her and sold into the slave trade where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. We see each character navigate historical events such as The Civil War, The Great Migration, Jim Crow, Harlem and heroin.
The books is told through a series of chapters dedicated to on individual of the ancestry. Although each chapter looks at a new character's life, Gyasi still presents a complete and cohesive story.
Weakness is treating someone as though they belong to you. Strength is knowing that everyone belongs to themselves."
The portrait of slavery is one I will never understand, but with books like these it truly helps to paint a picture of the atrocities African's withstood. It's frustrates me that this part of American history is just a blurb in the history books. Gyasi shows the impact slavery plays on everyone spanning generations, robbing families of spouses, killing, and structuring the world at an unfair advantage.
“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? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story too. From there, you begin to get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture.”
This book will stay with me forever.
CW: abandonment, addiction, death, classism, colonization, confinement, drug abuse, forced institutionalization, hate crime, physical abuse, police brutality, racism, religious bigotry, violence, torture, sexual assault
Graphic: Murder, Slavery, Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Child death, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Torture
jae_bird's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Sexual violence, Child death, Child abuse, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Slavery, Infidelity, Confinement, Death of parent, Violence, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Mental illness, Blood, Colonisation, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Excrement, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Police brutality, Murder, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Addiction, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug use, Drug abuse, Bullying, War, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death, Vomit, Suicide, and Homophobia
marissasa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Gore, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Blood, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, Racism, Vomit, War, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Classism, Hate crime, Infidelity, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Violence, and Kidnapping
artsyxbookish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Colonisation, Rape, War, and Racism
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Cursing, Excrement, Racial slurs, Colonisation, and Blood
words_and_dreams's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
The story starts in Ghana in the 1700s and follows two half sisters who don't know each other. One is given to a British Army Officer as his 'wife' and the other is sold into slavery by a rival tribe and shipped off to America. It is structured much like a family tree and each large chapter follows the next descendant, swapping between both sisters family line. It takes us right up to more modern day, 80s 90s.
Considering that we really only get a snap shot of each character at one point in there lives, we learn so much about who they are as a person and what is stolen from them. Threads follow through right until the end and handled beautifully.
Discusses slavery, colonialism, abuse, racism, police brutality and identity.
Heartbreaking, brutal and visceral and intimate whilst spanning such a large time period. At times it was a hard read, uncomfortable and hard to reconcile with. Truly shows the ugly side of humanity, black and white yet also humanity and hope. I think everyone should read it.
Graphic: Slavery and Racism
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Rape, Racial slurs, Bullying, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicide and Child death
jaimeeslitlife's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
HOMEGOING reads like a series of interconnected short stories, with each chapter focusing on moments from one character's life. Each story flawlessly hands the baton off to the next, providing the reader with enough context to connect the characters while also leaving space for the imagination to fill in gaps. Through this brilliant format, Gyasi emphasizes the cumulative effects of trauma, racism, and slavery; each character's story lives on through their descendants - whether they know it or not.
“We believe the one who has power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So when you study history you must ask yourself, Whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth? Once you have figured that out, you must find that story too. From there you get a clearer, yet still imperfect, picture.”
Graphic: Racism, Violence, War, and Rape
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Child death
daniimcc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Slavery, Racial slurs, Violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual violence and Torture
Minor: Child death
hnagarne's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Rape, Slavery, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Drug use
Minor: Death of parent
readingwithkt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Trafficking, Drug use, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Racism, Abandonment, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Bullying, Child abuse, Mental illness, Violence, Addiction, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Rape, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Slavery