#december read

JOMP Book Photo Challenge

11. Books with maps

Published year: 2015

Synopsis: Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price–and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams.

Page Count: 480

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Genre: Historical Fiction

Effia and Esi: two sisters with two very different destinies.

One sold into slavery; one a slave trader’s wife.

The consequences of their fate reverberate them through the generations that follow: from the Gold Coast of Africa to the plantations of Mississippi; from the missionary schools of Ghana to the dive bars of Harlem. Spanning continents and generations, Yaa Gyasi has written a miraculous novel - an intense, heartbreaking story of one family and, through their lives, the story of America itself.

Review

I feel a little guilty because I had a major reading slump in the middle of this book caused by stress in school, so I had difficulties getting into the story again. But after a bit I got back into the rhythm and I must say that I really liked this book.

At first, the continuation of generations, of jumping on to the child’s life and also between the two sides of the family descending from Effia and Esi respectively, was a bit confusing in the first moment, but now I find it a good stylistic device to cover all the family history. It shows just how different their life lines go, and yet they meet in the end.

It also throws a lot more light on the way the colonisation and the period of slavery in the USA, as well as the struggles that came after slavery officially ended.

There’s a quote from the book that I think describes the role of this book perfectly:

“We believe the one who has the power. He is the one who gets to write the story. So, when you study history, you must always ask yourself, whose story am I missing? Whose voice was suppressed so that this voice could come forth?”

I think it’s safe to say that history lessons, especially about colonisation in Africa and South America are dominated by the side of the colonisers, and this book, though mostly fiction but drawing from actual historical developments, reminds us that there’s too little light put onto the people who were primarily affected.

The stories focusing on the family members are short but effective, giving insight into the major events of their lives and how they were affected by the fate of their parents and everyone who came before them. We get a good insight into the characters, and I felt for every single one of them.

There’s also a family tree in my book, which can help to remember who belongs to which side of the family in case you get lost after a reading pause.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Synopsis: In 1989, a series of strange animal attacks occur in Costa Rica and on the nearby fictional island of Isla Nublar, the story's main setting, one of which is a worker severely injured on a construction project on Isla Nublar, whose employers refuse to disclose any information about.

Published: November 20, 1990

Genre: science fiction

Start date: 12-21-2018