Homegoing

by Gyasi, Yaa

Published: June 7, 2016

Read: August 27, 2023

★★★★★

Review

Such a great, unique book following generations of Africans from the 18th century to the present day. While the writing and characters aren't super compelling/stirring, the book offers this episodic multi-century arc giving an appreciation of this vast expanse of time and different historical ways of being. Feels historically real with interesting moments for each generation. Wouldn't be surprised if this becomes a book accompanying some class for contextualizing African generational challenges. The ending was a bit weak, but I respect the book for the sheer ambitiousness in scope yet brevity in reading.

Notes

cool story and the endi ng made me feel some understanding of the vast expanse of time, but still feels like the ending was too faint. The arc too weak. It’s basically an arc of black discrimination in the world.
Effia - once her breasts come in the men starting giving gifts to family
- White man proposed to first women of village, they come to trade
- would put leaves in her to check if they are ever red
  - Mom tells her to tell nobody when they are red and answer no if anyone asks if she is a women yet
- father wanted Effia to be first wife of chief but now not clear she would be third
  - Would send her once a week so chief could see her
  - Proposed by white governor
  - Not married until blood comes and she is a women
  - family convinced chief she would never be a women and he should let white chef marry him
- James cook, her husband, tried to make her comfortable
- She was explained what she would do on her wedding night, but he was nervous
  - She laid her body down and lifted her skirt
- She was not a wife but a wench
- her mother in keeping her womenhood a secret and unfit for the men of her village got rid of her, she blamed her mom
- other women in the white compound said “Todd has kept me flat on my back since I arrived at this place”
- compound has dungeons of people off her race
- it turns out baba wasn’t her mother, father had her by house girl that ran away into a fire
  - baba spit at her feet and said she was nothing from nothing
Esi
- was in dungeon of cape coast castle
- took her baby
- Father was best warrior in the villages and she was prettiest
- sometimes so many bodies in women’s dungeon they all had to lie smotach down to stack
  - Urine was problem
- village was strongest in area and warriors conquering Ed and learned of forest
  - northern village was considered challenge and they rushed in as father and were captured until other warriors negotiated
  - 55 wars won and treasure and captives put on display in center
    - “what happens to the prisoners?” so many and that’s “boys thinking”
- ex prisoner, house girl to train as slave would carry bucket on her head and walk across the yard, would be beaten if not
- “weakness is treating someone as if they belong to you, strength is treating them as if they belong to themselves”
- mother used to be prisoner too and was raped so essi was not first daughter
- essi made friends with house girl and essi told messenger where girl was so she was excited her father was coming
- mother gave her a stone that she also gave to her sister
- warriors attacked her village and then walked for 10 days until feet bled
- essi ate the rock and buried it after it came out of her shit
- soldier took her to his quarters, she was blinded by light, and he entered her and covered her mouth
  - when he finished he looked at her with disgust
  - She kept bleeding after that night
Quey
- father was james cook and essi and he studied in Britain
- essi never hit him, was only child would never meet the fully white children
  - had few friends not being fully white or black
- Made a friend with 10 siblings that he could order around
  - common joke that success or failure was because of richard
  - became best wrestling in area and even beat white soldiers
- wrestling and moment between the two where his lips twitch
  - Father saw and told him to stop like slave tone and within month sent him to England
- so much slave trade some villages would scar faces so they were too ugly to sell
  - mark faces of people to know what tribe they from
- Quay saw his uncle steal assista daughter, eldest daughter of highest power in kingdom, tried to be capture since infancy
- His uncle claimed him as his son
  - Would give him all he had, and have him marry the eldest daughter and made him matter
  - something about sisters children are important
Ness
- Everyday she picked cotton in Alanna, before that missippi
- in the big boat essi taken to America and sold in 1796
- 5 min break every 3 hours
- never really learned to smile correctly as mother didn’t when she was growing up, disconnected from mother early too
- scars entire back and shoulders, house uniform wouldn’t work so she had to work field
- pinky a girl who lost her mother never spoke and got attached to ness after she defended her not speaking
  - connected because she understood orphan ness and loss
  - defending pinky when master demanded she speak, but son fell on ground when she grabbed the whip
  - With scars like that what did a nigga do, what trouble could she get up to, master just saw him on the ground
- she married to Sam when she goes to hell and he refuses to give up, she been taking blame for him
  - she thought he was incredibly beautiful and he was the first man she slept with
  - ness had child named koji
- met someone from mothers tribe that helped them escape the devil and hell, Sam and boy and ness escapef
  - they were caught, and she was permanently scarred so she could never work in the house and Sam was hung
James
- governors head kept on stick in assika tribe of this story
- Son of quay
- White would start tribal wars often because anyone captured would be sold as slaves
- james Richard a super white name though he was supposed to be king of African tribe Asoka
  - Mom and father would fight often as just power marriage
- Mother and father went to the funeral of Asoka king
- James marriage was prearranged
  - He disliked how long she laughed, laughed just long enough to know she didn’t find it funny
- slave trade was supposed to be abolished to America when James born, but British and wars hadn’t ended
  - Britain was fighting for land too
- quay was questioned whether he was white
- went to old kind funeral, women would wail and men would dance all night
  - for 40 days family would wear mourning clotes
- a girl refused to shake her hand calling him a slavery at funeral
  - He was confused cuz everyone participated in slave trade
  - she said she wanted to be her own nation that didn’t do that and he liked her
  - “I want to marry you” after finding her again,
    - “Do you trust me?” “No, but if you come back from me you will earn my trust”
- James had wedding night and he couldn’t get hard
  - Failure to conceive would seem to be her fault, people would talk if she didn’t get pregnant
  - He went to see witch doctor for herbs, she said his dick doesn’t work cuz he doesn’t want it to work
    - He wanted to live simpler life like farmer and asked her
      - “People think they come to me for advice, but they come for me for permission”
- American slavery considered worst
- he went to work for white doctor that grandma used to be friends with lying to his family
- astaki attacked and some warrior recognized him
  - James asked the warrior to tell everyone he was dead, and went to find the girl from the village after 40 days she was waiting
Koji
- Koji worked on American ship in Baltimore and they would often get questioned by police after something was stolen
  - he had a friend answer to his name and his own name for questioning, they couldn’t tell the difference
- he got a girl he liked a frog and they laughed him out of the congregation
- he loved Anna’s ass and asked to walk with her, she skipped out on chores to walk all day with her
  - They had multiple kids
- he had apartment with two rooms, one curtain for him and wife and rest for kids and all
- new law could pass for runaways slaves when masters has claim, he and mother are at risk, they don’t know who master is but mom knows Ness called him the devil
  - Anna had real free papers as master fathered her and set her and mother free
  - Suggested they go farther north
  - Koji decided to stay in Baltimore though it might be risky
  - some other families left but most stayed
- daughter wants to marry preacher and Koji has shame since he got kicked from congregation for African witchcraft giving frog to girl he liked
  - Mother scolded him for crying cuz white mans god so dogmatic and only god like white men thinks they only man
- fugitive slave act passed
  - James was first convicted in New York
  - People began to flee to Canada
  - Even people with papers fled, as worry of show trial
  - Now white could be fined for giving negro meal or room, only runaways but how would they know
- Anna didn’t come back one day
  - She was pregnant and forgetful
  - He searched and asked where she was
  - He asked white women if she had seen picture , police stopped him and tore his one picture
  - boy saw a pregnant women get in white man carriage cuz she couldn’t walk, thought they sold her
- after 10 years, koji couldn’t stay in Baltimore with kids cuz he saw Anna and her ass everywhere so he went to nyc
abena
- 25 year old unmarried women insane in her continent but her father was so unlucky crops wouldn’t grow and non of few man wanted to take a chance
  - called father man without a name
  - Father likely John as has white in skin and dislikes astaki king and never let child visit
- she was never hit like others and was treated as equal
- when they were children, her best friend had dick that grew like parents and she convinced him to break taboo of laying early and fuck her
- defying parents wishes went to asanti nation capital
- Some prob Royal thought he saw James but surprised when saw as women and left
- Slave trade was over and she met white missionaries
- she cried in front of best friend on travel, why hadn’t he married her yet
  - Then they fucked and he promised to marry her after the next good harvest
- The next years harvest was bad and they started having regular affair
- The elders found out and said they would kick her out of the village if there was 7 bad harvest or she got a child
  - Wanted best friend help so didn’t just remove him from the village
  - He was shamed
- She was only child and inherited her mothers barrenness
- Best friend in sixth year got new cacao seeds and grinded to make it
  - Night before he would sell it in market, he cried in Abenas arms worried it wouldn’t work
  - He came back with goats and stuff and huge bountiful harvest that made entire village declare bad time over
  - to get cacao plant he promised that he would marry someone’s daughter, so couldn’t marry Abena
  - Abena was late and
  - James is called unlucky but each season feels lucky to have the land and wife he wants
    - He gives her his rock necklace from his grandparents Part Two
H
- H, a massive dude, taken to jail for studying a white women, he had sharecropper before
- 13 around end of Civil War, walked from Georgia to Alabama when freed alone cuz no family
- Met Edith at 18, but he cheated and lied now she wouldn’t talk to him
- 10 years of sharecropping to save $5, when he need to pay fine he got sold to do coal mining
  - Lowered then walked miles to start coal mining
  - Not hitting quota guy was whipped until he died
- buddy was white and collapsed on first day, H took his shovel and hit both their quota
  - His arms couldn’t move that night, was crying he would die the next day
  - other men of mine saw him struggling and stepped up to save him
- Apparently his mother committed suicide
- 1889 when he finished his sentence(10 years), tried to talk to girl but after hour found out he had whip marks on back so Excon
  - He lived in excon mine for free miners both colors
  - he stayed with his friend while he built his own house
  - friend convinced him to join Union
- everyone had heard story of him picking up second shovel
- 50 person strike, free miners replaced by young cons
  - After 6 months got 50 cents more
- sent letter to edith and she showed up in his house ready to forgive him
Akua
- grown up in missionary school
- 1895, 15 years after abena died
- had husband in astika
- Would have nightmares of when they burned a whore man
- fetish man was called such by not switching to Christianity and still praising ancestors
- astika went to war with white man
- She was constantly told her and her mother were a sinner, lashed and wanted to turn to god
  - Missionaries was hungry like he would devour her
- 16 and someone dumb and not that smart proposed to her and she accepted cuz it was an option out
- would stare at fire remembering her until she was considered crazy
- Mother was angry at white and missionary, came pregnant, forced to be baptized and died during it
  - missionary cried
- Husband came back without leg and she could barely sleep at night
- Akua killed her children when she finely got sleep and saw the fire woman
  - Husband vouched for her and saved one child
willie
- she had children, Harlem away from coal of Pratt city
- Her father H was union leader and she would sing there
- Robert introduced by father looked cream color, became best friends, dated by 16, married by 20
- Both parents died around 20, miners didn’t last long
- Robert couldn’t handle coal mining, so they decided to move to Harlem NyC
- Tried to get a job at a clerk, but man was surprised he was married to black women, thought he was white
- everyday they would drop Carlson the baby off, then Willie and Robert with his fancier clothes would go look for work
  - Willie would never acknowledge she knew him because they would get stares
  - Robert found job after two weeks, she would be housekeeper for richer black folk after 3 months
  - she was too dark to sing jazz, men could be darker but not her
- Robert earned a lot of money and she said he changed and they fought
  - he would now often not come back
  - Carlson birth had made him worse as he had standard for himself that was too high
- they met one night and Robert was fired
  - Joe a friend offered to marry her but nope
- She started going to church and met Eli, a poet
  - he wanted to eat and travel and live
  - They had child together and he disappeared for days
  - Evicted 3 times in 6 months, would tell landlord her husband was famous poet even though he was no husband or poet
  - once Eli disappeared for 3 months
- Would see Robert with blonde woman and mentally forgive him
- Eli would publish book of poems
Yaw
- he had been teaching for past 10 years
- would write book to try for freedom
- he was born around when atisti absorbed to British’s colonies and both their fathers fought in various wars for independence
- kids picked for wealth and intelligence
- he was history teacher
- Scars of burns on his body, would teach kids about history by asking them stories they heard of his burns and ask whose story is right
  - History written by those with power
- mother set his house on fire and his cripple father could only save him, then village raised money for him to go to school
- Single at 50, so hired house girl he fell in love with after 5 years
  - she was happy and would ask questions, he would always answer
  - finally decided to see his mother, the crazy one he hadn’t seen for years, to have something to do with her
    - “since they had met five years before, Esther had been one to encourage his homecoming, had something to do with forgiveness”
    - his mother tells him she found the necklace and it’s a sign of the evil in their family, it’s good woman came to her dreams and she started listening
sonny
- worked for naacp and loved souls of black folk and thrown in jail for marching
- problem of America wasn’t segregation but that you couldn’t actually get away from white, they even owned all of Harlem
  - “he had to feel his separateness as inequality and that was what he couldn’t take”
- mother was Willie and father was barely remembered, now he was as absentee as his father
- friend told him to join Nation of Islam but he couldn’t with such a Christian mom
- Carlson went with sonny as name cuz slicker on court
- he got job at jazz bar and had 3 baby mamas
  - His mother would give them a bit of money
- he has love at first sight with a singer at a jazz bar because reminds him of his mom singing
  - she took him to west Harlem and shot herself in the arm
- he became a dope addict, heroin, junkies and jazz went together
  - he would walk around Harlem trying to score and need more just to feel good
  - 120th and Lexington with no apartments locked
  - Imani would beg to sing jazz clubs like old times
    - Sonny had never loved her but did want her
- “worst thing you could be in America is a black man”
- he went to dinner with mother just wanting money for another hit
  - He yelled at her for letting father and Eli walk away, she said I marched like you not in protest but from Alabama to Harlem for a better life, now he is a junkie
  - white man get a choice like your father, you always angry because you don’t get a choice
  - mother slapped down money and instead of taking it and forgetting, he stayed
marjorie
- she was in Ghana visiting her grandma, called crazy women but in cape coast just old lady
- grandma had burns, and father had burns on face
- She wore the stone necklace, went from Abana and James and Afi and Quay
- Went back to Alabama where she was only black family on block
  - Even different than other blacks with a British like accent
- she met boy from Germany in high school and read together in the library
- dad taught at community college
- She was so large breasted she needed to carry it when naked so it didn’t slap her chest
- “If a boy likes you, you have to make it known you like him too or he won’t do anything”
  - Mother says she was dumb and without grandma nothing might have happened
- “I wish I could take you”, other black girls never got invited to prom and she spent it at home as her boy couldn’t take her
- grandma died didn’t keep promise to survive until Marjorie could visit her
Marcus
- sonny his father talked about slavery, priso labor complex, hated white people, redlining
- sonny was brilliant but couldn’t get out of dope
- Marcus was getting PhD in sociology at Stanford
  - Was trying to do convict leasing that took H, but if he did then he would have to talk about
    - heroin in Harlem in the 60s
    - Willie fleeing Jim Crow
    - Crack in the 80s
- Friend Dante was lookin he for a girl girl he met once for months and finally found her
  - she was Friends with Marjorie
- Imani his mother lured him away from father and would show him off to dope fiend friends in bad neighborhood
  - Dusk until father and grandma found him
  - The love when his family finally found him
- Marcus and Marjorie became friends
  - Marjorie wore black stone necklace everyday
  - Marcus went to Pratt city with Marjorie
  - He admired her patience and work in African and African American literature
- He wanted to capture the feeling of time and that everyone existed as part of it
  - Fact he isn’t in jail is mere chance, each ancestor was accumulation of his time and he was product
- his family almost never left the country, he went with Marjorie to cape coast castle tour
  - when he saw where dungeons lead to beach to take slaves away he ran through the doors
  - They both faced their fears of fire and ocean