Play Book Tag discussion

Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill - 5* - My Review

This is the story of Aminata Diallo. At age eleven, she survives abduction from Benin that killed her parents. She is taken by slave ship to South Carolina, where she works in the indigo fields. At the plantation, she meets a surrogate mother and eventually finds love with a fellow African on another plantation.

Aminata is an intelligent woman, gifted in languages. She is familiar with multiple African dialects and learns English easily. When a Jewish indigo inspector arrives at the plantation, he notices Aminata’s intelligence and convinces the cruel plantation owner to sell her to him. This is a fortunate turn of events. The man’s wife teaches her to read and write but also uses her skills to help in his business. Aminata and her second owner travel to New York. She escapes, and earns a living through the practice of midwifery, which she learned from her mother.

Toward the end of the American Revolution, Aminata participates in scribing names into the Book of Negroes (the original title of this book). This was a real document created by the English to reward black loyalists with freedom and safe passage to Nova Scotia. She always yearns to return to her village in Africa. She meets several abolitionists, and her ultimate fate is linked to a voyage to Sierra Leone and ties to the abolitionists.

This novel provides a deep immersion into the life of a strong woman who faces the cruelties of slavery but manages to survive. Since Aminata is able to obtain education, she is the perfect protagonist to convey a broad scope of events, touching on many aspects of slavery. It tells the whole picture, including brutalities, but is not solely focused on miseries. It is a beautifully written epic saga. It is one of the best slave narratives I have read, and a superb example of historical fiction done well.

PBT Steeplechase - tagged "coming of age" x5:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...

BWF February extra letter H/S - tagged "authors of color" x10:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...

There was a CBC miniseries of the book, as well, about 9ish years ago (between 8-10 years - I remember because of where I was living at the time and I only lived there for 2 years).

Not nearly as good as the book, of course. :-)

(Lawrence Hill is Canadian. His brother Dan Hill was a singer.)