The Book of Negroes
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Follows the story of Aminata Diallo, as she is kidnapped from her village in Africa and put to work in a slave plantation in South Carolina, to her journey back to Africa through Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone.
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mbazal thinks this title is suitable for 16 years and over
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Summaries
Add a SummaryLawrence Hill's fictional biography, The Book of Negroes, grabs the reader from the first sentence. Aminata Diallo lives in the village of Bayo in West Africa and, because her mother and father come from different groups, speaks both their languages. In 1745, at eleven years old, Aminata is stolen from her village by slavers and marched three months westward to the Atlantic Ocean. Once there, she is placed on a slave ship and transported to South Carolina where she is sold to an indigo producer. The girl endures hellish conditions both in the slave ship and on the indigo plantation, but is finally sold to a family her takes her to the infant city of New York. Aminata never loses her determination to escape captivity and to return to her village, but her life leads her into paths that she cannot predict. Hill not only tells a fascinating story, he also presents a very readable history of the conditions and economic levers driving slavery. The book takesthe reader across continents, oceans, and countries, as well as through the factors that forced Britain to outlaw slavery at home and in its colonies.
Notices
Add a NoticeViolence: This title contains Violence.
Sexual Content: This title contains Sexual Content.
Quotes
Add a Quote"I have escaped violent endings even as they have surrounded me. But I never had the privilege of holding onto my children living with him, raising them the way my own parents raised me for ten or eleven years until all of our lives were torn asunder." - Aminata Diallo
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Add a CommentDefinitely at the top of my top ten list. This is a story you can totally get lost in; you don't want to pick this up when you have other things to do.
Historical fiction, offering an engrossing account of a character we care about immediately.
A bit disappointing, somehow. Yes, the descriptive writing about the lives of African slaves in the USA and Canada is revealing and gripping. The horrors of the marches and the slave ships are unforgettable. The betrayals by Aminata's white friends and liberal supporters is shocking and probably reality. But I never bought into Aminata's character - she seems to be created by the author for the purpose of witnessing the horrors, rather than being a real person. She somehow seems to float above the horrors, experiencing them without being touched by them. And some things just seem too easy for her (how, in 600 pages and hundreds of "baby catchings," does she never have to deal wlith a problem birth?) So as a novelistic illustration of our terrible history, it's well worth reading, but I was hoping for more.
Such a strong, powerful journey this book takes us. Often you hear the phrase "this book changed my life," but it's never really taken seriously. On the other hand, The Book of Negroes has really changed lives all over the world with the story that Lawrence Hill has written, a story so truthful, so honest, and so emotional.
This is a truly magnificent book. I am a big fan of historical fiction and I love how the book pulls together some of the most important moments in North American history in one novel. From the slave ships leaving Africa, to American Revolution and the return to Africa with the British it is a truly amazing novel.
This is one of the best books I have read. The descriptions are so vivid and haunting, and the tale is so heartbreaking and endearing. Even though it is fiction, I feel like I learned quite a bit because I often looked up related things on the internet as I read the book.
Wow, Lawrence Hill is a great writer. This book is so descriptive and the characters are endearing. Well worth reading.
One of my favorite books ever!!!
I love historical fiction and I loved this book!
I do not read often yet I enjoy a good book. This novel is easy to read and will touch your heart. Tears came a few times :) Aminata is a character whose strength and courage i don't think I will soon forget. Kudos to Lawrence Hill for a great novel.