*

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi was my book club’s pick for last month, and I ended up reading the entire thing, cover to cover, the day before our virtual discussion. I started with a loaner copy but stopped to buy my own after 50 pages or so so that I could underline like crazy (and make notes about how each of the MANY characters connect). I typically don’t enjoy books where there are so many characters because it feels hard to connect with and see the development of those characters. That is far from the case in Homegoing, which follows the divergent paths of two half-sisters from Ghana and their decendents as they navigate everything from British colonization in Africa to the slave trade to the antebellum South to the renaissance in Harlem. Each chapter follows a different descendant and while challenging, this book is also extremely rewarding. This story beautifully captures the importance of family, connection, culture, and memory in ways that reminded me of The Water Dancer, Kindred, and The Deep. I don’t think I’ve ever read a negative review of this book and now I can count myself among the masses of people encouraging you to pick this up if you haven’t already! TW: rape, slavery, abuse, substance abuse Image description in alt text! via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/CMj-xI_Lmzx/