This Month's Thought-Provoking Read Is...
'Homegoing', a multigenerational family tale told from both sides of the Atlantic
Greetings from Mexico City!
I’ve just returned from a 30-hour-door-to-door trip from my family’s home in New Zealand. Photos and stories are coming soon, but in the meantime I’m excited to get back to writing in my studio - and share this month’s book club pick with you.
I’ve received many messages from those of you who joined us in reading our January book club selection, The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization by Peter Zeihan. It’s truly an incredible book that has opened my eyes to the forces shaping our changing world. Even if you can’t join us for next week’s live Zoom discussion, I encourage you to read the book in your own time.
Which brings me to this month’s book selection, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, a Ghanan-born American-raised author who published this debut novel at just 26 years old and won a score of prizes from the National Book Critics Circle, The PEN/Hemingway Award, the American Book Award and more. It was named one of the best books of the year by NPR, Buzzfeed, Oprah, Elle, Esquire, and Time, to name a few.
February is Black History Month in the US, so I felt it was a fitting time to delve into this powerful piece of historical fiction that tells the intergenerational story of two half-sisters born into different villages in 18th century Ghana - one is sold into slavery while the other marries a British slaver. Gyasi has cited 100 Years of Solitude as an inspiration, so if you enjoy sprawling multigenerational national epics, this is for you.
The title is taken from the African-American concept of “homegoing,” the belief that upon death an enslaved person’s spirit would travel back to Africa. The novel was inspired from Gyasi’s own 2009 trip back to Ghana, her first visit since leaving as an infant. And like her own life, the story straddles both sides of the Atlantic as it travels through the centuries from West Africa to the United States, from the plantations of Mississippi through the American Civil War to Jazz Age Harlem and beyond.
Homegoing is unique in that it also tells the story not just of the African-American experience, but also of the world of the half-sister’s family that remained in West Africa’s Gold Coast as part of of the Asante empire - kings and queens battling other tribes, resisting and cooperating with colonizers, and confronting their complicity in the human trafficking that fueled the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Yaa Gyasi weaves together the lives of multiple generations by alternating between characters on both sides of the Atlantic to paint a vivid and emotional picture of slavery, colonialism, and their aftermath. Each chapter transports the reader to a different time and place narrated by a new descendant, helping paint a more nuanced tale of the complexities of the African American experience.
At the end of last year, I reflected on how so many of our book selections have moved beyond our shared love of travel and touched on the theme of migration, a central element of our increasingly globalized and interconnected world. And in choosing a novel about the trans-Atlantic slave trade, I hope we can expand our understanding of forced migration and deepen our empathy for how the history of colonialism and slavery continue to shape the lives of communities around the world.
If this book piques your interest, I encourage you to upgrade to a paid subscription to support this newsletter and enjoy the full benefits of membership - including our monthly live book club discussions on Zoom where we explore each month’s book together and engage in meaningful conversations about its themes.
For the next few days, I’m offering a flash sale of 50% off annual subscriptions for first time subscribers. This is the lowest price I will ever offer, so if you’d like to invest in reading books and articles that will make you think more globally, click the link below to take advantage of this discount while you can!
This offer expires on Feb 6th - just in time for you to join our discussion of our January pick - The End of the World is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization by Peter Zeihan on Thursday Feb 9th. Zoom details will be sent to paid subscribers next week, along with discussion questions based on current events.
I’m thrilled to read this book with you and hope you’ll join our growing community to discuss the rest of our 2023 selections. Order your copy if you haven’t already and use the hashtag #MarkoBookClub to share on social media, or join the subscriber-only chat below to share your thoughts with other readers.
I look forward to discussing Homegoing with you in the coming weeks!
Happy reading,
Marko
PS: Here is a recommended playlist to accompany this month’s book. Although not from Ghana specifically, this collection of music from the Western Sahara helps illustrate the ways in which the region’s culture was the seed of American Blues music through enslaved musicians brought to the USA. Also, it’s just great music for reading. Enjoy!
That sounds like a genuinely interesting book. Adding to my TBR pile.
And my TBR pile is already terrifyingly high..