Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

This multi-generational family saga begins in Ghana in the mid-18^th Century and ends at the beginning of the 21^st. Effia and Esi are half sisters who have never met and don't know the other exists. Effia is married to Ghana's British Governor while Esi is kidnapped and sold into slavery, bound for America. Following seven generations, Homegoing tells the untold story of Africa and America through slavery and war. The similarities and differences between Africans and African-Americans are explored through each generation.

Homegoing is the story we didn't realize we needed. Too many African-Americans don't know their heritage and too many white Americans don't care. We don't want to be reminded of what our ancestors did to their ancestors. The beauty of this novel is it's simplicity. Each chapter follows a different character, starting with Effia and then Esi. We follow their children through life in Ghana and life in America. We see how they struggle with trying to fit in; because Effia's husband was white her family was marked as different and Esi's descendants were slaves, then free, then slaves again. Each chapter is only about 20 pages but Gyasi packs so much depth and history into each character that you feel like you know them.