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
kidcorvus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Rape, Colonisation, Racism, and Slavery
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Infertility, Grief, and Racial slurs
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
kkocik'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Suicide, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Torture, Alcoholism, Body horror, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Grief, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Slavery, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Death, Violence, Trafficking, Abandonment, Self harm, and Sexual assault
kallan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Injury/injury detail, Violence, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual content, Racism, and Death
Minor: War
lucy12345's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Slavery, Colonisation, Grief, Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Child death, Violence, Trafficking, Torture, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping, Drug abuse, Drug use, War, and Sexual violence
Minor: Police brutality, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
callica'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and War
theasbookworld's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug use, Genocide, Grief, Child death, Colonisation, Death, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Racism, Rape, Slavery, War, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Confinement
seanml's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Trafficking
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Animal death, Cannibalism, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Dysphoria, and Stalking
sweekune'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
- Each chapter has a different point of view, starting with the original sisters and flowing down the generations to modern day. You feel the weight of the ancestor's experience influencing the lives of the descendents. Despite the short time spent with each protagonist, the author's writing draws you in and you feel in your heart for each and every one of them.
- This book documents extremely well the challenges of black people from the slave trade, colonialism, segregation, gaining independence, workers' rights, drug addiction and so much more. This is the sort of book that should be studied in schools and used to spark discussions on history and the awful things white people did (and still do) to black people and forge a better future.
- The language used is beautiful and Gyasi's prose paints all these places and points in time so it's like you're there. The ending of one chapter almost made me vomit the imagery was so strong. It takes amazing skill to write something that produces such a visceral reaction and I am in awe of her talent.
Absolutely and irrevocably scarring in the best way. I will carry Homegoing with me for a long time and I felt it within me. Everyone should read this book.
Graphic: Addiction, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Injury/injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Vomit