Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

269 reviews

emilyosterloh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.0

The plot description was super enticing and I'm very glad that I read this book. Gyasi is a talented writer, with just enough detail to make a reader feel as if they're present but also concise. The concept of reading through the family lines of two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, from Ghana in the 18th century who end up in different circumstances makes for a story that covers a wide range of themes, all of which are incredibly important and worth discussing. This book was not light, per se, but it wasn't overbearing either. Learning more about the history of a voice that is so missing from our typical educational curriculum is essential in my opinion, so I appreciated all the items this novel explored. It was an insightful collection of stories that I found created one cohesive story and the connections between each were plentiful. Each chapter is a glimpse into the life of members in Effia and Esi's lineage, and I loved the format of this book. 

Effia has an unfortunate past, especially seeing the way most of her family treats her, and though she lives well in a castle after being married off to a British soldier, her life is far from perfect. Esi may have had it even worse, as we see how young she was brought into the dungeon of the castle and traded as a slave, after watching it happen secondhand as a child. 

From then on, we switch back and forth between the descendants of each sister, which I loved because it allows the reader to draw comparisons and contrasts. In their lived experiences, they come upon themes such as exploration of sexuality, colorism, the absolute treachery of slavery, complicity, true love, independence, family ties, self-discovery, fatigue, privilege, persistence, superstition, police brutality, convict labor, unions and strikes, influences of religion (especially Christianity), colonialism, imperialism, loss, the continuation of evil, closure, addiction, and most of all, TRAUMA. The final descendant we read about really indicates the beginnings of a full circle completion, though I will not say much more than that. While I have just given a laundry list of themes, I was appreciative of their incorporation into these stories and found that each descendant brought great impact upon their offspring. It was also really fascinating to learn about cultures including Asante and Fante, and to see the stories spread over so many areas - we start in Ghana (and we come back to it), but we also travel to many cities in America, from the south to the north and even to the west when we look at every descendant's vignette. 

I've read reviews saying people believed the stories were too separated and not enough happened - and while I do admit there is a part of me that wishes I could have read more about many of the characters' lives, I also think it is valuable to have read what we received and I sometimes find that leaving things open can be good to turn the gears in our brains, at least in my opinion. My first 2025 book club read and the year is off to an excellent start. This read is important, especially in our political climate, and I would recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Death of parent, and War

confexxi_history's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The book is as captivating as it is heartbreaking. We find ourselves thinking of all these families and all these people who have been in the same situation and who have lived and live the horror of History.

I learned a lot from the different historical periods narrated in this novel. I highly recommend it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery

Moderate: Homophobia, Torture, and Police brutality

Minor: Violence and Sexual harassment

lmm31's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, and War

meghancolbert's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Read this book, because it contains the raw truth that white supremacists are still trying to ban. Gyasi reveals the ugly legacy of slavery and colonialism that white historians would prefer to sugarcoat. Each character refuses, in their own way, to be a passive victim of white supremacy and their stories are told from their own perspectives, rather than that of their oppressors. 

This is the first family saga I’ve read that is done well. Each successive generation gets an equal amount of attention. Yaa Gyasi has succeeded in showing how the choices of each generation (and the choices that are made for them) impact the lives of their descendants. Yes, there were a lot of generations and yes, it would have been nice to spend more time with each of them. But I feel like the intellectual and emotional effort Gyasi demands of her readers is well rewarded at the end of the story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Violence, Excrement, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Suicide and Police brutality

bseigel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

whatshanireads's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Violence, and Colonisation

nerp's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

WOW. The hype is not wrong. This isn’t a traditional story with plot and character development and what have you—it’s a family epic spanning generations and countries to paint a picture of African and American Blackness. This is a book about pain and intergenerational trauma, but it’s also a book about intergenerational survival and contentment, about the knowledge and stories held in blood and ancestry. This book is about the realities and legacies of colonialism—but more than that. This is a book worth studying for craft, as the storytelling structure and the feeling of the story being told in circles so neatly works with its thematic concerns.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Violence, Religious bigotry, and War

rizky's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

joelcharig's review

challenging dark reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.75

A fascinating (and disturbing, on occasion) journey down the lineage of two intertwined Ghanian families.

My main gripe is that it was occasionally hard to keep track of the characters. There are so many different lives you follow, and each with unfamiliar names. 
It maybe could've been better with fewer characters, swapping back and forth between their perspectives, rather than just a single chapter for each when there are as many as there are.

I kept a bookmark on the family tree page, which definitely aided me with keeping track.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Trafficking, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child death and Violence

Minor: Sexual assault

noble_editorial's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad 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

4.5

Brilliant! It was challenging to keep characters straight with such frequent generational shifts though, and I just wanted "more" from each storyline. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail