Homegoing winner of the pen hemingway awardwinner of the nbccs john leonard awardshortlisted for the british book award debut of the yeara new york times notable booka washington post notable bookone of the best books of the year. An interview with yaa gyasi, author of the most powerful debut novel of 2016. Homegoing is an epic narrative that is sure to become a treasured staple. She worked all day like this, listening to the sounds of the south. While many writers write short stories that feel like a snack, joness short stories feel like full meals. Jun 04, 2016 slavery scars a transatlantic family tree in yaa gyasis homegoing yaa gyasis debut novel follows. This book, however, is possibly the most ambitious family saga i have ever read. Tanehisi coates an unforgettable new york times bestseller of exceptional scope and sweeping vision that traces the descendants of two sisters across three hundred years in ghana and america. I was struck by how it was a love story but not an easy or happy one, she recounts. The insistent buzz of mosquitoes, that screech of cicadas, the hum of slave gossip.
Tanehisi coates the unforgettable new york times best seller begins with the story of two halfs. The symbol of fire in homegoing from litcharts the creators. With racial inequality at the forefront of americas consciousness, homegoing is a reminder of slaverys rippling repercussions, not only in america, gyasi points out, but around the world. When people talk about all the things fiction can teach its readers, theyre talking about books like this. In yaa gyasis debut novel, homegoing knopf, a boy greeting the line of mourners at his grandfathers funeral encounters a beautiful girl. Handpicked recommendations to other books that have a similar writing style or theme to.
Homegoing follows seven generations, fourteen perspectives in total. Here you can find handpicked readalike recommendations for more than 4000 contemporary books and 3000 authors. Yaa gyasis debut homegoing tells the story of two sisters whose different experiences of the slave trade go on to shape the lives of their family for generations. The symbol of fire in homegoing from litcharts the. The story behind homegoing stanford magazine medium.
Click on a title, author name or category to see similar books. Effia marries james collins, the british governor in charge of cape coast castle, while her halfsister esi is held captive in the dungeons below. She was missing all but her four front teeth, evenly spaced, as though they had chased all of the other teeth out of her mouth and then joined together in the middle, triumphant. I felt like i had to piece together the other side of the story based off of this one side, which was the only side to have a voice. A novel 97811019475 by gyasi, yaa and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Npr, time, harpers bazaar, san francisco chronicle, mother jones, esquire, elle, paste, entertainment weekly, the skimm, popsugar, minneapolis star.
Her back was perpetually hunched forward, and she walked with a cane made out of a rich black wood, carved to look like a snake was coiled around it. Homegoingthe title is taken from an old africanamerican belief that death allowed an enslaved persons spirit to travel back to africais rooted, like the bible, in original sin. Respectfully, i will not shake the hand of a slaver, she says, withholding the customary gesture of condolence. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Tanehisi coates the unforgettable new york times best seller begins with the story of two. Yaa gyasi was born in mampong, ghana and raised in huntsville, alabama. Mar 26, 2020 the best books to dig into right now are transportive reads that make the hours fly by, according to gqs editors. Homegoing is a sprawling epic, brimming with compassion. Homegoing, by yaa gyasi yaa gyasis debut novel traces the terrible impact of slavery on generations of an african family, beginning with two sisters in 18th century ghana one who stayed, and one shipped to america. Gyasis debut novel opens in the mid1700s in what is now ghana, as tribal rivalries are exploited by british and dutch colonists and slave traders. Effia watched a ship just like this once she and james finally got to his room. Jan 10, 2017 yaa gyasi discusses her new novel, homegoing. She walked to where he stood, where the fire met the water. Jun 07, 2016 a novel of sharply drawn character studies immersed in more than 250 hard, transformative years in the africanamerican diaspora.
Use the alphabetical lists below to look up a favorite book or author and then click see readalikes to discover similar books. Winner of the nbccs john leonard first book prize a new york times notable book a washington post. Roxane gay, new york times bestselling author of bad feminist moving and haunting, homegoing is a compelling story that takes us further along the road of understanding who we are. I didnt read them backtoback on purpose, but it worked out well. Oct 05, 2017 i think i needed to read a book like this to remember what is possible. Homegoing was similar and set in ghana united states between the 1700s and present day. Winner of the nbccs john leonard first book prize a new york times 2016 notable book one of oprahs 10 favorite books of 2016 nprs debut novel of the year one of buzzfeeds best fiction books of 2016 one of times top 10 novels of 2016 homegoing is an inspiration. Yaa gyasis debut novel, homegoing, is an astonishing epic set in ghana and the united states, about the legacy of slavery through generations. The books that influenced homegoing author yaa gyasi. Powells books interview yaa gyasi, author of homegoing. Homegoing, by yaa gyasi yaa gyasis debut novel traces the terrible impact of slavery on generations of an african family, beginning with two sisters in 18th century ghana one. Gyasi gives voice not just to a single person or moment, but to a resonant chorus of eight generations. We were thrilled to ask yaa gyasi, author of the breathtaking homegoing.
Jun 07, 2016 winner of the nbccs john leonard first book prizea new york times 2016 notable bookone of oprahs 10 favorite books of 2016nprs debut novel of the yearone of buzzfeeds best fiction books of 2016one of times top 10 novels of 2016homegoing is an inspiration. I like to say that my research was wide but shallow. Homegoing is the debut historical fiction novel by yaa gyasi, published in 2016. The fear that marcus had felt inside the castle was still there, but he knew it was like the fire, a wild thing that could still be controlled, contained. The homegoing quotes below all refer to the symbol of fire. Tracing the descendants of two sisters torn apart in. Homegoing, the wildly ambitious debut novel by a 26yearold writer named yaa gyasi, tackles some 250 years of history on two continents. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading homegoing. Jan 08, 2017 yaa gyasis debut novel, homegoing, is an astonishing epic set in ghana and the united states, about the legacy of slavery through generations. Homegoing is an ambitious work that lives up to the hype.
Each chapter in the novel follows a different descendant of an asante woman named maame, starting with her two daughters, who are half sisters, separated by circumstance. A lot of the books that i was reading were written by british men. This is a family drama with sweeping scope that leads the reader. Bookbrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and. Ron charles ron charles writes about books for the washington post. I think i needed to remember what happens when you pair a gifted literary mind to an epic task. Yaa gyasis 5 favorite books from childhood brightly. If there are any other books like this historical fiction that would be amazing. It all begins with two half sisters effia and esi who will never know each other. Her first novel, homegoing, was a sunday times bestseller, won the national book critics circle award for best first novel and was shortlisted for the penrobert w. Born in ghana and raised in huntsville, alabama, yaa gyasi has written a debut work that embraces her extended world in all its complexity. I know that homegoing started out as a family tree. I really loved the book so much and the historical fiction aspect of it.
I love books that span over many years and generations, i have read a few books based around the slave trading times and i find the subject interesting, so i had high hopes for this book and i wasnt left disappointed. Homegoing yaa gyasi page 33 read online free books. Slavery scars a transatlantic family tree in homegoing npr. Tanehisi coates the unforgettable new york times best seller begins with. Find books like homegoing from the worlds largest community of readers.
If you liked homegoing by yaa gyasi, here are some books like this. To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it. At night, she would return to her quarters, beat out her pallet until dust billowed from it, wrapping around her like a hug. Dec 05, 2016 born in ghana and raised in huntsville, alabama, yaa gyasi has written a debut work that embraces her extended world in all its complexity. Tanehisi coates the unforgettable new york times best seller begins with the story of two halfsisters, separated by forces. Homegoing is an inspiration tanehisi coates, national book award winning author of between the world and me wildly ambitious debut by a 26yearold writer. Handpicked recommendations to other books that have a similar writing style or theme to homegoing. On her blank screen, as she started the book, she spelled out a guiding query. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one.
He took her hand and they both looked out into the abyss of it. A flickering of yellow light announced its presence on the water, and with that light, effia could just barely make out the boats silhouette, long and curved like the hollowed out skin of a coconut. Jun 16, 2016 y aa gyasis debut novel, homegoing, is a lean epic that spans two continents and some 250 years of history, delving into the transatlantic slave trade, the angloashanti wars, the convict leasing system, and harlems heroin epidemic, to name just a few of its paths of historical inquiry. We have several patrons who like to borrow the books from our library whenever possible.