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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
Everyone should read this book. It is about the slave trade and slavery in general, and I learned much that I did not know before. As the book is extremely detailed, there are definitely sections that are quite emotional and difficult to read. How on EARTH could human beings do such things to each other? Awful, just awful.
The main character, Aminata is kidnapped from her village in Sierra Leone and transported to America. Sullivan's Island to be exact, then on to Charleston. While I generally enjoy reading books that take place in Charleston, this one certainly told the truth about the terrible history of "Charles Towne". The descriptions were quite interesting, but definitely not all positive or pleasant.
Yet the book overall does not finish on a sour note. It ends with England voting to make the slave trade illegal, and describes the abolitionist movement.
The main character, Aminata is kidnapped from her village in Sierra Leone and transported to America. Sullivan's Island to be exact, then on to Charleston. While I generally enjoy reading books that take place in Charleston, this one certainly told the truth about the terrible history of "Charles Towne". The descriptions were quite interesting, but definitely not all positive or pleasant.
Yet the book overall does not finish on a sour note. It ends with England voting to make the slave trade illegal, and describes the abolitionist movement.
I have always been curious about the origins of the Black population of Nova Scotia and Canada, this easily readable tome answers my curiosity. If you are a fan of historical fiction, and particularly interested in the history of slavery in England and North America, you will probably greatly enjoy this book. I had difficulty with the lack of evolution of the main character whose charm seems to be wholly found in that she is independent and well read. She goes through a kind hell yet remains exactly the same person she was at the outset of the book even though we meet her as a young child. I found every other black character in this novel more interesting than the protagonist.
a heavy but beautiful story, another necessary read. a really excellent vehicle for learning about this time in history. felt it dragged a little in the last book but very much worth the read.
I enjoyed the storytelling and the full life exploration of Aminata. I particularly respect Hill for making it very clear which pieces of history he "bent" for the purpose of the story.
I was looking for a book as my choice for our coming year's book club. I decided to choose a book by a Canadian author as Canada is my country of birth and I want to honor that. I have read many Canadian authors but I wanted to go outside that list of authors. Not exactly sure how I Googled it but this book came up fairly close to the top of the list of results. What serendipity! With much of the news now focused on the Black Lives Matter movement, it is a good time to reflect on how we got here. I have read my share of books regarding slavery in the US; however, in the present I have just read this book and it shines. The heroine, Aminata Diallo, is so compelling - it is impossible to not feel her pain and be absolutely infuriated about her treatment, even by "good" white people.
Couldn't be bothered to read more than 50 pages. The writing is mediocre, the effect overdone ("firestick", etc) and tedious despite what would otherwise be important subject matter and an interesting story.
[aka The Book of Negroes]
I loved this book. I have been wanting something just like this for a while, but I didn't know how to find it. For some reason, I kept relating it to Ahab's Wife, one of my favorite books. The scope and historical setting (totally different in each book) were on the same level and each is an epic story centered on a woman's experiences, told in first person. This was a story of slavery from a perspective I had not come across before. The narrator Aminata Diallo is remarkable and a character who will stay with me for a long time.
I heartily recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical novels, epics like [b:House of the Spirits|9328|The House of the Spirits|Isabel Allende|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1621672028l/9328._SY75_.jpg|3374404] and [b:Ahab's Wife|7742|Ahab's Wife, or The Star-Gazer|Sena Jeter Naslund|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442524251l/7742._SY75_.jpg|10803] and books where the main character is a strong woman.
I loved this book. I have been wanting something just like this for a while, but I didn't know how to find it. For some reason, I kept relating it to Ahab's Wife, one of my favorite books. The scope and historical setting (totally different in each book) were on the same level and each is an epic story centered on a woman's experiences, told in first person. This was a story of slavery from a perspective I had not come across before. The narrator Aminata Diallo is remarkable and a character who will stay with me for a long time.
I heartily recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical novels, epics like [b:House of the Spirits|9328|The House of the Spirits|Isabel Allende|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1621672028l/9328._SY75_.jpg|3374404] and [b:Ahab's Wife|7742|Ahab's Wife, or The Star-Gazer|Sena Jeter Naslund|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442524251l/7742._SY75_.jpg|10803] and books where the main character is a strong woman.
This book had been sitting on my shelf for a long time. Having grown up in Nova Scotia, 40 minutes away from Shelbourne, I knew this was an important read about a topic not often talked about when I was a child.
This was such a beautifully devastating sweeping historical book. What I loved most about this book is how language was such an important part of Aminata’s life. The way she described the world around her changed as she did. How frightening and disorienting it was to be surrounded by people you can’t understand and in a place you don’t have the words to comprehend.
The author spent the right amount of time in each part of Aminata’s life so that you could get a glimpse of how other people’s circumstances were. While the book was based around Aminata, you didn’t feel like it was only following her life and experiences.
This a book is for anyone who enjoys sweeping historical novels that are heavily people and location focused.
This was such a beautifully devastating sweeping historical book. What I loved most about this book is how language was such an important part of Aminata’s life. The way she described the world around her changed as she did. How frightening and disorienting it was to be surrounded by people you can’t understand and in a place you don’t have the words to comprehend.
The author spent the right amount of time in each part of Aminata’s life so that you could get a glimpse of how other people’s circumstances were. While the book was based around Aminata, you didn’t feel like it was only following her life and experiences.
This a book is for anyone who enjoys sweeping historical novels that are heavily people and location focused.