Homegoing – Yaa Gyasi

Wow! We had terrific attendance last week. Couldn’t believe that on a hot day in Sequim so many would show up! Yeah, yeah – it was probably because the meeting room is always cool (as in temperature!). Really, I know it had everything to do with the book we were reading. And what a book, right?

Homegoing, by Yah Gyasi was such an incredible journey to go on. Spanning about 300 years, it follows two half-sisters in Ghana back in the 1700’s and the very different experiences they had – one sold into slavery and one married to a white English trader. From those two sisters, come the stories of each successive generation, giving us a peak into how different life-events and challenges impacted the generations that followed. This really is the story of the African-American experience that begins with slavery and ends in present-day California.

The way the book was written took a little getting used to but once I got into a rhythm, it was no problem to navigate the stories. Each chapter represented a different character in a different time period. There’s not a lot of time spent in the book character-building but there can’t be because the author is walking us through 300 years of history. So although our windows into those stories were somewhat brief, it was enough to understand the cultures in the different worlds that the soon-to-diverge generations experienced. It was mind boggling and educational. I learned more about the slave history than I had ever known before. I’m guessing most of you did as well.

For those that may not have read the book, take the time to experience this novel. You’ll be glad you did.