Yaa Gyasi Bestselling 2 Books Set - Homegoing; Transcendent Kingdom

by Yaa Gyasi

This Yaa Gyasi Bestselling 2 Books Set 1. Homegoing 9781101971062 2. Transcendent Kingdom 9781984899767

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Book Club, Ghana, Historical, Audiobook, Read For School

640 pages, Paperback

Published May 25, 2023

About the author

YAA GYASI was born in Ghana and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. She holds a BA in English from Stanford University and an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, where she held a Dean's Graduate Research Fellowship. She lives in Brooklyn.

YAA GYASI is available for select speaking engagements. To inquire about a possible appearance, please contact Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau at speakers@penguinrandomhouse.com or visit prhspeakers.com.

Reviews

[Greta Samuelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure what I can say other than read this book.

Yaa Gyasi has created a perfect story of multiple generations beginning with 2 half sisters - one stayed in Ghana married off to a White British man and the other crossed the Atlantic on a slave ship to be sold into slavery.

Alternating chapters will tell you these sister’s stories as well as their children and their children and their children…

No one has painted the picture of generational trauma so perfectly for me as Gyasi did in this book.

Highly recommend

[Latessa Sharpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most brilliant books I’ve read!!! And I’ve been reading since before the Sweet Valley High series!!! This book will live in my heart forever and I know without a doubt, I will read it again and possibly again!!!

[zo · Rating 5 out of 5]

... i mean... this was phenomenal... and deeply arresting/affecting. i cried a few times while reading, which i hadn't expected to do. the prose itself is gorgeous! this was also the first novel i read after a yearlong reading hiatus (outside of poems...), which is kind of a mixed bag. on the one hand, this book was stunning, and on the other... i was emotionally spent! ms. Gyasi puts her characters through LIFE! with all its wonder and cruelty. i really enjoyed this book and applaud the thorough research and editing it took to write this multi-generational, detailed, and insanely well-crafted story.

[Gaby Zwolfer · Rating 4 out of 5]

great read focusing on the slave trade that follows two families across generations and shows how their ancestors fate continues to impact their lives. have never read a book quite like this one and i thought it did a great job taking these heavy topics and making it accessible to the reader

[Siddhi]

This book had been on my TBR for a long time because one of my teachers in high school actually recommended it to me. Well, 6 years later here we are! The way this book was written was so creative, but also heartbreaking. Each chapter is dedicated to a different character (that are all related to one another) and yet they are all so memorable. This goes down as one of my favorite books.

[Inika Vimal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just re-read for my work book club, but truly one of the best pieces of our time in my opinion. Absolutely gut-wrenching, incredibly poignant and a powerful reminder of the generational trauma that slavery has had on our country and continues to have.

[Isabel Pietramale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time is felt in a way we all should experience. Beautifully written.

[Adam Carranco · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had lots of incredible stories detail detailing this families’s genealogy throughout history on two different continents. The author did an excellent job of pacing each story and drawing the reader in a creative manner. I appreciate how different aspects of history were weaved into each story. Sometimes I wish there was more continuity between stories. Regardless, highly recommend this book.

[Janki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a reread for me, last time I read it was back in 2020 and I still love this book so much.

The way Yaa Gyasi is able to cultivate all of these stories and two entirely different lineages and bounds them all together in the most poetic way in the end—CHEFS KISS!!! So incredible!

[Dana Pfister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! I loved the walk through time and was enraptured with each individual story - through the happy and the sad. You know it’s a good book when you are doing research on the side and reading about things you have learned before but seeing a whole new perspective. 4.5 stars.

[Kami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really struggled to know how to rate this book. A part of me loved it, but I also hated it. It made me so so sad! The stories are absolutely devastating! But it made me feel so much and I think that's important in a good read. (Read)

[The Urban Book Nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing is a sweeping, emotionally resonant novel that traces two diverging family bloodlines beginning in 18th-century Ghana and stretching across centuries into modern America. What begins with two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, becomes a powerful meditation on history, identity, and the cost of separation.

Each chapter introduces a new character, yet every story feels connected by an invisible thread of trauma and endurance. On one side, Effia’s lineage remains in Ghana, grappling with the internal conflicts born from European influence and tribal warfare. On the other, Esi’s descendants endure American slavery, the Civil War, the brutality of coal mines, and the eventual migration into Harlem, where poverty and addiction become new forms of captivity.

What struck me most was how Gyasi illustrates that history is not just something we study—it is something we inherit. Pain passes through generations just as love and resilience do. The novel reminds us that knowing where we come from matters, and that identity is shaped by both what is remembered and what is lost.

This book left me reflecting on ancestry, displacement, and the quiet strength required to survive when the world is determined to fracture you.

[Amelia Lipton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d give it 4 and 1/2 ⭐️ if I could. I liked this book a lot. The author is fantastic with words. My only issue with it is that there are so many characters over such a long period of time. It was hard to put the book down and come back to. I’d forget which character it was that I’d been reading about.

[Brandy Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the content and the history behind the stories. I didn't like the execution. The multiple chapters based on one person solely was confusing. Thank goodness for the family tree at the beginning.

[Sheryl Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. Gives great insight to beginning, middle and kinda end of slavery. Great story of family. Lots of good history. I would for sure recommend. As a white reader it sure made me sad thinking of the way black people have been treated and continue to be treated in America.

[Maryanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this. Phenomenal, multi-generational tale. Weaves culture and history together really well. Powerful. Highly recommend.

[Lærke Børsting · Rating 4 out of 5]

Så, så, så smuk og hjerteskærende

[Amy Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I’ve read in quite a while. Devastating and beautiful in all the right ways. Everyone should read it!

[Miranda Repenning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking, heartbreaking, and a well written story.

[Meredithhb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great! I can’t wait to read her other books which, I’ve heard ;), are even better!

[LCS · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interessante da perspectiva da história da escravatura.

[Natsumi Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for allowing me into this time travel. What an ending that I felt inside me.

[Gail Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the history with each "person" chapter pulling me in, however, I felt like it was more of a short story collection - wondering if it would all be tied together at some point. Thank goodness I was reading the Kindle version and could refer to the family tree with every chapter.

[Anna Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not a light read but an important one

[sheyshelves · Rating 5 out of 5]

felt this book inside of me... if u know u know... a new favorite to the list

[Keysha · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4.5 STARS! ⭐️

had this book on my shelf for years and finally read it. It was hard to get through at times, not because of the writing but because of the emotional weight. Effia and Esi’s lives, and the choices forced upon them, had lasting impacts on generations, which was both heartbreaking and fascinating.

I loved how each character tied back to one of the sisters, creating a powerful sense of legacy. The multi-generational storytelling was masterful. While I wished it ended differently, it was still a beautiful read.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book! It truly showed the evolution of black people and was very realistic to our experiences. I wish I knew more about the original story and the sister I feel like I was deprived of that. However, I believe a fire was started by clashing tribes, and from there the sisters were separated. That is my estimated guess from what I read. I also wish Marcus would have had the stone so that he could show Majorie, although I do understand the suspense of the story. Of course, there were some characters I wish I could have learned more about, but I do understand the need to implement all characters. This was such a good read I simply could not put the book down I highly recommend.

[jennifer olender · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book begins with the captivating, yet tragically poignant story of 2 half sisters who were raised in different African tribes but never meet. One sister gets married off to an Englishman of nobility while the other sister born into African nobility gets kidnapped, enslaved and brought to America. The book spans 300 years afterwards and includes the lives of their descendants. Sounds intriguing, right? New characters from various backgrounds are introduced throughout the story without explanation. I couldn’t keep track of who was who and why/how they related to the story. It was confusing and hard for me to follow. As a result I was unable to connect with any of them. The premise of the book is great; 2 half sisters who never met had lives with extraordinarily different paths resulting from circumstances beyond their control. That story by itself
would make for an incredible novel. The story of each descendant 300 years down the line could have - and in my opinion should have - been covered in subsequent stories. I know I am in the minority here, but I rate this book a 3 due to my confusion factor.

[Shannon Bradbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

History comes alive in the pages of this book! Slavery is passed down through the generations, beginning with two sisters. Each person has a story to tell of how slavery impacted them. It's sad to see how it isn't in the past. Slavery continued to pass down through the family line. It's atrocious and inhumane what the black race experienced at the hands of evil men and women. Their stories should be heard. To glimpse how horrendous slavery is and how it affected the lives of literal people.

*Major Trigger Warning- rape, slavery, murder, violence, cruelty, many sexual scenes, some language, witchcraft. You'll have to get beyond this to see the history behind it.

*Well, I didn't finish this book. I got halfway through and put it down. It had sex in every chapter. I tried to get past it, but it seemed unnecessary. Honestly, I think that the author could have alluded to sex without being so inappropriate. Although I liked the premise of the book on slavery coming down through generations and how horrible slavery is. I'm giving it three stars.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing is an eye-opening deep dive into the development of Africans and African Americans alike. Gyasi’s novel begins in 18th century Ghana, where two sisters reside. The two endure the African slave trade during this time; however, their experiences are completely different. Their lineage is split in two, as Effia remains in Africa while Esi is taken to America as a slave. Their descendants experience themes of family dynamics, struggles with identity, and gender roles up until the modern day. As an African American, I resonate with this book—more specifically, moments when Esi’s side of the family is highlighted because of my prior knowledge of my ancestors’ journey from Mississippi to Chicago. Much of the stories my grandparents told me about the racial and sexual discrimination my ancestors faced on their journey were similar to those of characters in Homegoing, like H., Willie, and Kojo. However, my lack of prior knowledge of Africa’s history made the chapters highlighting moments from Effia and her descendants difficult to understand at times. Many references to African culture were hard to pick up on, increasing the difficulty of finding the parallelism in the themes shared between the two sides of the family. Overall, Gyasi’s ability to tell the story of the plight of Black people in both Africa and America is something I appreciate. Through Homegoing, the author brings many hidden moments of hardship to light, demonstrating her boldness in this text.

As previously mentioned, the structure in which Gyasi tells stories of hardship among Black people is something I praise. For instance, these stories are told in a third-person omniscient point of view. This allows the reader to not only understand the thoughts and emotions of the main character of each chapter but also the supporting characters, and how their actions impact the text’s themes. Additionally, with the lineage of Effia and Esi split into two, Gyasi alternates between which side of the family is focused on in each chapter. For example, the chapter “Quey” focuses on Effia’s son and the impact of the slave trade in Ghana. The following chapter, “Ness,” shifts the novel’s focus to Esi’s daughter and the struggles she endures as a slave during the same time period as the previous chapter. This alternating structure continues through a timeline of historical events up until the 2000s. Gyasi uses this format to demonstrate how major historical events impacted the Black people who endured them, such as Kojo during the Fugitive Slave Act, Abena during European colonization in Africa, and Willie during the Harlem Renaissance. The author’s ability to take us through these historical events shows how the themes of identity, gender roles, and family dynamics are recurring throughout history. However, these themes are presented differently depending on location (America or Africa) and time period.

The structure of the novel stays consistent and is something that I believe Gyasi does well. Themes were not difficult to identify, despite being presented in different ways. As previously stated, having prior knowledge about the history of Black people in America enhanced my reading experience. However, my lack of knowledge about traditional African cultures made me struggle at times to understand the plotlines of Effia’s side of the family. For example, Akua’s chapter highlights her connection to her ancestors through dreaming. The plot in this chapter made reading difficult for me because Gyasi’s use of symbolism was not clear. My critique of the text correlates with the fact that many of my favorite moments were in the chapters about Esi’s descendants. One moment comes in the chapter “Willie,” where she is singing in a church in Harlem. This scene shows the irony of Christianity being directed towards Black people, as the religion gives them a place of solitude. However, in Africa and during slavery, Christianity was often used as a tactic by white people to convert Black people and discourage resistance to their regime.

Overall, Homegoing provides valuable insight into the struggles Black people have faced throughout history. This book could impact anyone who reads it. However, if I had to choose a specific demographic, I would choose teens because they are at an age where they are starting to be exposed to more mature topics. The stories told in this novel can be brutal at times, so exposure to the theme of generational trauma is something they can handle. With the theme of generational trauma, Gyasi also personalizes the text for Black readers so they can have a more concrete understanding of their history. As a result of Gyasi’s ability to convey this message, I would rate the novel 4/5 stars. The novel lived up to my expectations of how a “Black story” should be told, and I recommend that everyone should read this text.