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mindoflucie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.75
sslovesbooks_1's review against another edition
4.0
This was a brutal story that told the story of Aminata Diablo’s life. It follows her capture from Africa across the middle passage to the United States. Her experiences there are hard to comprehend in some places and her resilience, determination, survival it testament to her strength. The suffering and hardship in this book for made for a really difficult read.
I thought the writing made me believe she was not a character of fiction. Her voice resounded clearly to me and it look me longer to read than usual as I had to put it down a few times for a few days to process what i had read. It’s really unbelievable what life holds for some of us and slavery truly was despicable. I am a History teacher and i know a lot about the lives of those captured but this was such an in-depth description of horrendous behaviour that it really was taken aback.
This was a 4 star read for me. Heartbreaking to read, it also contained one paragraph which made me so angry I nearly threw my kindle across the floor. I did enjoy this book despite some bits being truly brutal.
I thought the writing made me believe she was not a character of fiction. Her voice resounded clearly to me and it look me longer to read than usual as I had to put it down a few times for a few days to process what i had read. It’s really unbelievable what life holds for some of us and slavery truly was despicable. I am a History teacher and i know a lot about the lives of those captured but this was such an in-depth description of horrendous behaviour that it really was taken aback.
This was a 4 star read for me. Heartbreaking to read, it also contained one paragraph which made me so angry I nearly threw my kindle across the floor. I did enjoy this book despite some bits being truly brutal.
kathleenguthriewoods's review against another edition
5.0
A big book (hardcover is 470 pages), and worth the investment. Beautifully written with a compelling narrative; a true page-turner. So many stories, most of which are lost but respectfully reimagined here. Also taught me chunks of history I hadn't before known -- from the Book of Negroes to the founding of Sierra Leone. Heartbreaking, and inspiring.
I had the advantage of being stuck in an airport for most of a day, so was able to read through this fairly quickly. In a perfect world, I would have taken longer to allow it all to soak in.
Highly recommend. It would also be a great choice for a book club. Lots of topics for discussion and further exploration.
I had the advantage of being stuck in an airport for most of a day, so was able to read through this fairly quickly. In a perfect world, I would have taken longer to allow it all to soak in.
Highly recommend. It would also be a great choice for a book club. Lots of topics for discussion and further exploration.
d52s's review against another edition
5.0
One of my all time favorite books. The gripping recount of the life of a young girl, abducted in Africa and brought to the states to become a slave.
ngreads's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
Really well written and believable book, great story, and really brings to light a lot of the horrors that happened during the slave trade in that time period in a gritty and strong way. My only protest is that the end of the book (in fact, the last 'book' in the book) felt really rushed to me, like the author just kinda wanted to get it done with. That is what is keeping me from giving it 5/5. Aside from that, awesome book.
Really well written and believable book, great story, and really brings to light a lot of the horrors that happened during the slave trade in that time period in a gritty and strong way. My only protest is that the end of the book (in fact, the last 'book' in the book) felt really rushed to me, like the author just kinda wanted to get it done with. That is what is keeping me from giving it 5/5. Aside from that, awesome book.
booksconnect's review against another edition
5.0
I believe this is my all-time favorite book.....partly because it was historical fiction-I learned sooo much..about the slave trade and the history behind it..and much of it took place in Nova Scotia-again-I learned a part of our history that I knew somewhat-but now I understand and have a new destination for the summer-Shelburne and Birchtown..I knew the basics but this book put it all together for me and put a face to the story-made it real to me..read it, read it, read it!!!!!!!! You willl not want to pull yourself away......this is what you want to discover when you read a book....at least it's the kind of book I am always hoping to find.....
kalliste's review against another edition
4.0
What an incredible read. This story is loosely based on facts about slavery in the 16th century and revolves around Aminata who is stolen from her village at the age of 11 and forced to travel months on foot to the ocean and taken over to America to work in an Indigo farm.
This reads like a biography, parts of it feel real and you want to save Aminata from the perils of her life. Although, she goes through many distressing situations she is strong and helps everyone around her and becomes an enigma of sorts, intriguing all the white folk around her (a smart black woman? never!).
I found this hard to get into initially, maybe because of the age of the character and the discussion of talk in her village but as I read more and more I wanted to know what happened to Aminata and how she had fared through her incredible journey.
Also, generally I don't like male authors writing female characters, they never seem to do it justice but Hill definitely made me forget about him and just focus on the character. Brilliant work.
This makes you think about slavery in our history and how people justify stealing people from their homes to be sold on. It is just an ugly trade and sad to know it still goes on, if not highly publicised.
This reads like a biography, parts of it feel real and you want to save Aminata from the perils of her life. Although, she goes through many distressing situations she is strong and helps everyone around her and becomes an enigma of sorts, intriguing all the white folk around her (a smart black woman? never!).
I found this hard to get into initially, maybe because of the age of the character and the discussion of talk in her village but as I read more and more I wanted to know what happened to Aminata and how she had fared through her incredible journey.
Also, generally I don't like male authors writing female characters, they never seem to do it justice but Hill definitely made me forget about him and just focus on the character. Brilliant work.
This makes you think about slavery in our history and how people justify stealing people from their homes to be sold on. It is just an ugly trade and sad to know it still goes on, if not highly publicised.
lsparrow's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely a book I would recommend - a wide range of historical facts, events, characters and issues around the slave trade told from the point of view of an amazing person who lived more than most in one life.