Author: Lawrence Hill
Publisher: W.W Norton & company
Page: 486
Price: Rs 875
Genre: Historic fiction
ISBN:0393333094
Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: Personal
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Summary:
Aminata Diallo is taken away from her home in Africa and enslaved in South Calorina..Expanding to six decades of misery with single goal of freedom in mind grave history in mankind is brought alive through her captivated life and dread with highlight on "The book of Negros"
Review:
After I read Roots click for review., I wanted to read some fiction on African slavory and ended up with this golden fiction..Abducted at a tender age of eleven Aminata is an absolute heart stealer with her "face what may come attitude"..I loved the survival instinct of Aminata who inspite of facing endless trials and tribulations still able to consider herself lucky for one thing that she is alive..Her sense of wit and her skill to adapt herself to any kind of situations from being a midwife to educating herself that she keeps as a secret for the fear of physical assaults...Her reunion with Chekura was the only elating part of the plot that I found myself with a light heart..
While witnessing horror and being a part of that happens to her right from dragged in string of chain to being sold to various masters parting with her own children who are in turn sold as slaves to various owners were both striking and casting a hollow upon I saw things..Her life moves from South Carolina to New York , though her life finds no upliftment only a change is master and tactics of misery, yet she keeps her head high with hopes and aspirations to attain freedom in the future..The book begins in 1802 and the reader gets a real 18th century aura scattered all over..The world should indeed be ashamed on the treatment cast upon fellow human for no reasons...The deal she has to go follow in order to return home was sorrowful., that is cast upon her is instantly reflected upon the reader too..The reading was fast paced but it got harder to turn the page with all that I read about the experiences of enslaved people..Her mental drive to attain freedom at any cost was something I held onto..Post slavery she puts her literacy into apt use by working as scribe recording names of African American emigrating to Canada in "The book of Negros", earning her own freedom emigrating to Canada..Unkept promises haunts her everywhere and she has no where to go that she could call her own...Finally her helplessness of not being able to relate to any place was heart rendering..Aminata aptly portrays the voice of slaves through a period that just defies anybody's creative vantage yet everything feels so perfect about her...Even when the book ended on a somber note., I couldn't take Aminata of my thoughts she just lingered on refusing to leave showing up all the saga of slavery around..This book is an absolute read for anyone who seeks a read with substance..I would say that this is a book with a soul...Darker shades of history is brilliantly portrayed by Hill and hats off to her for that..Human entanglement is at its best through this book..Just read to get a glimpse of grey part of life..
Hi VB-I really liked your commentary on this book. As you described the story here depicts something in human history that was an unimaginable horror for those who experienced it. History is sadly filled with these cruelties. I find these books very disturbing and at times difficult to read. On the other hand I think that it is important that everyone become aware of these things.
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