Cannonball Read 10

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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Our Histories Build Us (CBR10Bingo)

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

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Confession: I took this book out of the library no less than twice before I managed to read it. I was intimidated by the book, both by its content and its acclaim. It has a near perfect five star rating on Cannonball Read and high rating on Goodreads where literary fiction doesn’t normally do so well. I shouldn’t have been hesitant – the book earns its high rating by being one of the most accessible works of literary and historical fiction I have possibly ever read. In her debut Yaa Gyasi tells a story which is both grand in scope […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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9/30/2018 | 's CBR10 Review No:47 |

21: Homegoing

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

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I read Homegoing in 2016, along with ElCicco and a host of others since then. I won’t recap the book for you, but have enclosed the link, if you’d like a refresher on my first review. When I re-read a book I’ve read for a previous CBR, I like to be in the habit of building on the initial review and thinking about what I’ve taken away on the second reading. I find that new thoughts will emerge. And they surely did for Homegoing. This time around, I am less struck by the characters and more so by the idea […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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4/1/2018 | 's CBR10 Review No:21 |

History is Storytelling

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

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“And in my village we have a saying about separated sisters. They are like a woman and her reflection, doomed to stay on opposite sides of the pond.” I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that has managed to stuff so much history, trauma, heartbreak, love, hardship, and resilience into so few pages. At just 300 pages, Yaa Gyasi manages to weave a rich web of connecting stories, spanning hundreds of years in history over 7 generations. We begin with two sisters, Effia and Esi, separated at birth in their home country of Africa, and subsequent generations after them […]

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Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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3/3/2018 | 's CBR10 Review No:8 |

The breath of longing

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

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So much has been written about this book here on CBR, I almost had no choice but to read it. But I wasn’t in the right frame of mind when I finally got it from Overdrive. It took me days to get into it, and I read multiple books in between the early chapters. But I stuck with it because the premise was very good, and it has received near universal praise (both here, and in the broader literary world). Sticking with a book that hasn’t grabbed me just isn’t something I typically do. I’ve given up on books on […]

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Purchase Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi or any item from amazon via our link.

Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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5/24/2017 's CBR9 Review No:42 |

Read this book! And then give it to someone else to read.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

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Here’s another one going on my “give to all my friends” list! This book is really, really good. Each chapter is a vignette of one person per generation, starting with two half-sisters, Essie and Effia.  One is sold into slavery, the other married to a British slaver.  The chapters follow six of each of their descendants in Ghana and America.  As you might expect, 6 generations of African and Africa-American history includes some seriously ugly chapters: colonialism, explicit and implicit racism, the transatlantic slave trade, the Fugitive Slave Act, sharecropping, and on and on. The most beautiful part of this book is how wonderfully the […]

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Purchase Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi or any item from amazon via our link.

Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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5/2/2017 's CBR9 Review No:5 |

“Strength is knowing that everyone belongs to themselves.”

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

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4.5 stars. I hate to say I sometimes judge books by their covers, but it’s the truth. It wasn’t until I saw the stunning UK cover that I really stopped and paid attention to this book everyone has raved about. No regrets! This was a stunning debut novel and absolutely worth a read. Homegoing is a generational tale that starts with two half sisters in the Gold Coast, Effia and Esi. One becomes the wife of a white slave trader and the other is sold into slavery, unbeknownst to her sister. The way this book is structured, we check in […]

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Purchase Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi or any item from amazon via our link.

Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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3/19/2017 's CBR9 Review No:17 |

Just stop what you’re doing and go get your hands on this book. Now.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

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 I just… I… I don’t even know where to begin with this review.  This book is a-mazing.   It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time, and should be required reading for everyone. The story starts on the Gold Coast of Africa (Ghana), with the parallel tales of two half-sisters who never know each other – one is married off to a white slave trader, and one is captured and sold as a slave.  Each chapter alternates between the next generations of each woman’s lineage – tracing the family’s journey in Africa and America. Yes, it is a book […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Purchase Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi or any item from amazon via our link.

Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

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2/8/2017 's CBR9 Review No:11 |

A top pick for 2017…and it’s only January!

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

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One of my top five! And it’s only January! This book is soooooo good, you guys. It’s eye opening and tragic and heartwarming and epic and so many other things. Yaa Gyasi (last name sounds like “Jesse”) is a Stanford graduate, born in Ghana and raised in America. On a visit to Ghana, while researching her book, she saw the Cape Coast Castle. This is one of many forts in Africa used by European traders. It is also the genesis of Gyasi’s fictional story, which begins in the late 18th century with two half sisters. Effia’s fate leads her to […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Purchase Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi or any item from amazon via our link.

Funds raised are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name.

Share the post "A top pick for 2017…and it’s only January!"

1/30/2017 's CBR9 Review No:6 |


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