Homegoing

I chose this book on a whim for my book club because of the good reviews, and because it seemed like something different then we’d been reading. It normally wouldn’t be a book that I’d have picked for myself, just based on the summary. But I honestly think I’d go so far as to say this book had an impact on me and my life. I LOVED IT. I genuinely love all people and consider myself a really welcoming and open minded person, but this book opened my eyes to just how ignorant I still am… to the struggles black people have faced in the past, to how white people and christians in America have probably been taught just one version of history, not necessarily the right version, a reminder that all people are just people, and bigger than that, how both chance and our ancestors have such an effect on our lives today. It made me feel both part of a bigger picture of family history, and also so small– just one generation that will die off and then the world will be left to my descendants. On top of that, the writing is beautiful and I got completely lost in the stories of each generation.

A multigenerational story of 2 families from Ghana from Africa to the US. The authors descriptive narrative is both beautiful and disturbing. The book is rich in symbolism and examination of black experience. What I found difficult and frustrating was only brief introductions of characters and as more is revealed about each of them and when you begin to care about them and want to follow their stories, the author leaves them and introduces another character. There is some referring back to them through later generations but still frustrating. Also it was hard to follow time periods ( no dates were given) and African names, which family a new character was related to , etc. If you read via Kindle would highly recommend printing out the genealogy chart at the beginning of the book. The cruelty and inhumanity was also hard to read. Its a heavy book.

“Homegoing” is why I love to read. The stories in this novel span eight generations of a single Ghanian family. By merest circumstance, Effia’s branch stays free in Ghana while Esi’s branch is sold into slavery in the American South. Each chapter tells the story one member of the family. Stories alternate from one side of the Atlantic to the other though the novel begins and ends in Africa. And while the book is ambitious spanning both time and geography, the stories themselves are personal and intimate. The American stories, in particular, ring true as Ness, Jo, H., Willie, Sonny, and Marcus live in slave-holding, Jim Crow, and segregated America. How someone as young as Ms. Gyasi can write such touching and beautiful prose as is found in “Homegoing” is beyond me. This book deserves to be read by every American.

Finished Homegoing this weekend and was left with so many thoughts. Found myself stopping to shed a tear numerous times as I read the interconnected stories of the lives Yaa Gyasi shared and created from such well-researched histories. I was reminded of how many people had to live life, with all its happiness and ugliness, loss and love, for me to be here, at this place, in this time, in this body. The sacrifices and choices that each of our ancestors made or were forced into living with, are the reason each of us have been granted this gift of life, of experience, and in many cases, the freedom to live and to make choices in a way those who came before us could only dream of. And yes, through all the horrors they – and sometimes we – have had to face, this book reminds us how special and precious the gift of choice in life really is. It reminds me of how important our lineage is, and how significant the names we are given and carry through each lifetime are as the evidence that we were here, and that we’ve had breath so that another could breathe. I loved this book, and will likely read it again. Highly recommended.

I like the style of writing, and the story form. I liked the structure and the texture of the fiction. I was not able to follow the story that showed the parallel lives of two sisters. I dont know why I was unable to grasp the main point, but I think the hyperbole of the individual story segments distracted me from the story arch. As a writer, I was in some awe of this first effort by this author. I didnt trust my own view of the novel and bought no less than five hardback volumes of it to gift to persons more intelligent than I. I was careful to give volumes to persons of color as well as to a Caucasian, and a mixed-race individual, trying to rule out any racial bias. I got something of an underwhelming response. None of the persons that I gave the book to would give anything but cursory feedback, and I would say they all gave it mediocre reviews. I read this novel twice in a normal reading, and the third time, I charted this novel using the method set forth in STORY GRID and could not find a solution to my problem with the novel, that being that I did not follow the theme as I had been lead to expect that I would in the hype that accompanied the publication of this book. I do recommend that you read this book and ask yourself the questions that the publicity suggests are treated and presented. I would like to think myself blind on this book and am quick to admit that I am puzzled by it. I did not find it an enjoyable book to read, and that is because of the overly flowery language and design of the plot.

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