The novel Homegoing, by Yaa Gyasi, begins on Africa’s Gold Coast in the 18th century. Two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, are born in different villages and into different tribes, the Fante and Asanti. Effia leaves her village to become the illegitimate wife of a British soldier who is trafficking humans in the slave trade. Esi is captured during a raid, enslaved and sent to the American South. The book follows the descendants of these two sisters through eight generations — one family remaining in Africa and the other in the United States. Following these characters, we see the long legacy of slavery and colonization through the eyes of the people who lived it.
On this episode of the Talk of Iowa book club, host Charity Nebbe discusses the expansive novel with two expert readers; Makeba Lavan is an assistant professor in English at Grinnell College, and Rachelle Chase is the author of two nonfiction books about Buxton, Iowa.
Guests:
- Rachelle Chase, founder of Uniting Through History, author and columnist with the Des Moines Register
- Makeba Lavan, assistant professor in English at Grinnell College
