The other thread follows Esi and her children into America. One thread of Homegoing follows Effia’s descendants through centuries of warfare in Ghana, as the Fante and Asante nations wrestle with the slave trade and British colonization. Unbeknownst to Effia, her sister, Esi, is imprisoned beneath her in the castle’s dungeons, sold with thousands of others into the Gold Coast’s booming slave trade, and shipped off to America, where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. Effia is married off to an Englishman and lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle. Written with tremendous sweep and power, Homegoing traces the generations of family who follow, as their destinies lead them through two continents and 300 years of history, each life indeliably drawn, as the legacy of slavery is fully revealed in light of the present day.Įffia and Esi are born into different villages in 18th-century Ghana. The unforgettable New York Times best seller begins with the story of two half-sisters, separated by forces beyond their control: one sold into slavery, the other married to a British slaver. “ Homegoing is an inspiration.” (Ta-Nehisi Coates) One of Buzzfeed's Best Fiction Books Of 2016 GradeSaver, Web.Winner of the NBCC's John Leonard First Book Prize Next Section Homegoing Summary Buy Study Guide How To Cite in MLA Format Cohen, Madeline. The New York Times Book Review listed it as an Editor's Choice, it was selected as one of the National Book Foundation's 2016 '5 under 35' award winners, and it received the John Leonard Prize for publishing year 2016 by the National Book Critics Circle and the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for 2017. The book immediately received positive reviews from critics and the public alike.

Gyasi used historical accounts written by Africans and African-Americans to center each chapter of the book around important historical moments. Gyasi was struck when she visited the Cape Coast Castle by the idea of African women living in the top levels of the castle as the wives of colonists while others were kept in the dungeon to be sold as slaves. Though Gyasi was born in Ghana, her family moved to the United States when she was an infant and had never taken a trip back. Following the descendants of an Asante woman named Maame, the novel paints a complex picture of the intertwined histories of Ghana and the United States from the 1700's to present day.Īccording to Gyasi, the idea for the story came to her when she visited Ghana during college. Homegoing is the first novel by Ghanaian-American author Yaa Gyasi.

Homecoming yaa gyasi