This epic novel begins with two half-sisters, connected by the bloodline of their father. Daughters born into the Ashanti tribe in Ghana, Africa  They grow up, and their family tree is split down the middle. One sister is married to a slave trader, and taken to the Cape Coast Castle, living upstairs as a prize wife. The other sister ends up in the castle basement, waiting to be sold as a slave and shipped to America. The book follows the lineage born from these two women’s lives across miles of land and sea. The sweeping journey rambles through American history under Jim Crow laws, to the great migration of free blacks, to Harlem during the Jazz era. The story tells such hard and gut wrenching history, yet it is necessary to know and not forget how people fought for freedom. The rich writing and vivid characters wrap you in the story, but the history is accurate and fascinating. The last page leaves you with questions to research and wonder about after it is finished. The lives in Homegoing are sad, but there are glimpses of happiness and joy gleaned from finding true love, and forgiving the past. I would consider this a must read of 2016.

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Homegoing: A novel