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賰鬲丕亘 丕賱夭賳賵噩
Based on a true story, "The Book of Negroes" tells the story of Aminata, a young girl abducted from her village in Mali aged 11 in 1755, and who, after a deathly journey on a slave ship where she witnesses the brutal repression of a slave revolt, is sold to a plantation owner in South Carolina, who rapes her. She is brought to New York, where she escapes her owner, and finds herself helping the British by recording all the freed slaves on the British side in the Revolutionary War in The Book of Negroes (a real historical document that can be found today at the National Archives at Kew).Aminata is sent to Nova Scotia to start a new life, but finds more hostility, oppression and tragedy. Separated from her one true love, and suffering the unimaginable loss of both her children who are taken away from her, she eventually joins a group of freed slaves on a harrowing odyssey back to Africa, and ends up in London as a living icon for Wilberforce and the other Abolitionists. "The Book of Negroes" is a pageturning narrative that manages to use Aminata's heart-rending personal story to bring to life a harrowing chapter in our history.
710 pages, Paperback
First published January 18, 2007
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88249 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence Hill
36听books1,695听followersHill is the author of ten books of fiction and non-fiction. In 2005, he won his first literary honour: a National Magazine Award for the article 鈥淚s Africa鈥檚 Pain Black America鈥檚 Burden?鈥� published in The Walrus. His first two novels were Some Great Thing and Any Known Blood, and his first non-fiction work to attract national attention was the memoir Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada. But it was his third novel, The Book of Negroes (HarperCollins Canada, 2007) 鈥� published in some countries as Someone Knows My Name and in French as Aminata 鈥� that attracted widespread attention in Canada and other countries.
Lawrence Hill鈥檚 non-fiction book, Blood: The Stuff of Life was published in September 2013 by House of Anansi Press. Blood is a personal consideration of the physical, social, cultural and psychological aspects of blood, and how it defines, unites and divides us. Hill drew from the book to deliver the 2013 Massey Lectures across Canada.
In 2013, Hill published the essay Dear Sir, I Intend to Burn Your Book: An Anatomy of a Book Burning (University of Alberta Press).
His fourth novel, The Illegal, was published by HarperCollins Canada in 2015 and by WW Norton in the USA in 2016.
Hill is currently writing a new novel and a children鈥檚 book, and co-writing a television miniseries adaptation of The Illegal for Conquering Lion Pictures. Hill is a professor of creative writing at the University of Guelph, in Ontario.
Lawrence Hill鈥檚 non-fiction book, Blood: The Stuff of Life was published in September 2013 by House of Anansi Press. Blood is a personal consideration of the physical, social, cultural and psychological aspects of blood, and how it defines, unites and divides us. Hill drew from the book to deliver the 2013 Massey Lectures across Canada.
In 2013, Hill published the essay Dear Sir, I Intend to Burn Your Book: An Anatomy of a Book Burning (University of Alberta Press).
His fourth novel, The Illegal, was published by HarperCollins Canada in 2015 and by WW Norton in the USA in 2016.
Hill is currently writing a new novel and a children鈥檚 book, and co-writing a television miniseries adaptation of The Illegal for Conquering Lion Pictures. Hill is a professor of creative writing at the University of Guelph, in Ontario.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,238 reviews
October 5, 2009
(International title: Someone Knows My Name)
It's 1802 and Aminata Diallo, now an old woman, sits down to write her life story at the request of the Abolitionists in London. Abducted from her village in West Africa at the age of eleven and marched in a coffle (a string of slaves) for three months before reaching the coast, Aminata survives the voyage to America and ends up sold to an indigo plantation owner in South Carolina. She describes herself as lucky, because compared to the tragic circumstances and end of so many other black slaves, Aminata manages to survive using her wits, her skills as a midwife, her ability to pick up new skills quickly, and her strength of character.
She witnesses many horrors and sorrows, and experiences them as well, that make her ponder the human nature and the hypocrisy of religions, even her own. Yet through it all she does not succumb to anger or hatred; she wants only to be together with her husband, Chekura, and their children, who are all taken from her.
When Britain surrenders to the rebels they keep their promise to the Black Loyalists - in a way. With a certificate proving they have worked behind British lines for at least a year, they can sign their name in the Book of Negroes and be given passage to a British colony. Most are sent to Nova Scotia, including Aminata. She may have escaped the American slave owners but she hasn't escaped the prejudice, fear and hatred with which the blacks face everywhere they go. The opportunity to return to Africa - the dream she's always had - comes her way, but if she ever wants to see her home village of Bayo again she'll have to make a deal with the devil.
This book is going straight onto my "favourites" list. The sweeping, lifelong, cross-generational story arc reminded me of another favourite book of mine, City of Dreams by Beverly Swerling, which is about the early days of the Dutch in Nieuw Amsterdam before it became New York. The Book of Negroes is a powerful story on many fronts: it's a very human story, sympathetic, honest, fair to the greys of history, thought-provoking, poignant.
One of the beautiful things about this book is how, as a reader, you feel more in tune with the Africans, while the whites seem strange, alien, bewildering, contradictory. I don't mean that Hill paints an uneven picture - far from it, the rendering of history into something visceral, tangible, grants perspective and context. It's not a simple matter of "white man, bad; black man, victim". That's what I mean by this book being honest: honest about human nature, about the complexities of history, without making excuses for anyone of any colour. I don't mean that there weren't characters who enrage you, but that they are presented relatively free of the taint of presentism.
If you're not familiar with the term, "presentism" refers to our natural tendency to judge history through the lens of the present, by our own modern standards, rather than acknowledging and positioning things within a historical perspective. Hill has done an admirable job of completely immersing us in the 18th century, creating a protagonist who is a product of the time as much as one of circumstance.
Hill has managed to write a convincing, wonderful female protagonist - frankly, not many male writers are this successful. Aminata is unflinchingly honest with herself and others, and by being so thoroughly in her head, she gives us what the Africans needed most during slavery: a voice, the understanding that she's just like us, not some black beast from darkest Africa - heathen, barbarian, uncivilised. As in some other books, the irony comes through clearly: which is the uncivilised race? Who is the barbarian? When Aminata arrives in London, the first thing she sees are the legless beggars on the street, the filth and crowds and pretensions. She doesn't even need to say anything.
Another irony is the rebellion in the American colony - Aminata is in New York when things get nasty, and constantly hears the white Americans talking about being slaves to the British, and fighting for their freedom. Aminata doesn't need to point out anything here, and I don't think I do either.
Her own people don't come off smelling of roses either. The book is thoroughly researched and historically accurate, and makes no bones about Africans enslaving each other well before the white people came, and it is Africans who capture Aminata, kill her parents, torch her village, and sell her to the white slavers. Slavery has a long, long history, and no race, it seems, is exempt. The Egyptians did it, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Israelites were famously enslaved, the Romans are guilty - and what is feudalism if not a form of slavery, which the English and French and others used for a very long time?
If nothing else, this book highlights the fact that, no matter what colour you are or what your diet is, we are all human and share this intangible thing called human nature. Cruelty exists everywhere, and cannot be simply attributed to your race, though neither can it be excused. This is why I insist that the history of black slavery - while it existed predominantly between the British slaving companies and the Americas - is everyone's history. For a comprehensive story covering three different continents and exposing many of the situations black slaves, runaways and freed slaves faced, you can't go wrong with this one.
It's also beautifully written. Aminata has a simple, honest style, without embellishment or fanciful detail. She rarely passes judgement, but offers her own thoughts and perspective subtly. She is captured just before reaching puberty and so, ironically, escapes female circumcision, which her people practised (removing the clitoris and part of the labia, and sewing up the vaginal entrance - extraordinarily painful and meant to make a woman "pure" for her husband - Aminata isn't keen but doesn't judge; I on the other hand believe it is the cruellest form of torture you can do to a woman and there's no excuse for it. It's an old African tradition, nothing to do with Islam, and still occurs in some places like Ethiopia).
There are moments of violence and cruelty, because that was largely the life of the black slaves, but while Aminata doesn't gloss over them, neither does she dwell on them in such detail that you shy away from the book.
I was walking one day behind a yoked man who swerved without warning to the left. I had no time to react, and my foot sank into something wet and soft. Something like a twig cracked under my heel. I let out a scream. Under my foot was the body of a naked, decomposing man. I jumped away and ripped leaves from the nearest branch. In a frenzy, I wiped a mass of wriggling white worms from my ankle. I was shaking and wheezing. Fanta took the leaves and wiped my foot and held me and told me not to be afraid. But my hysteria escalated, even though Fanta barked at me to calm down, and I could not stop screaming. (p41)
For all that Aminata and other slaves go through, she deserves the right to tell her whole story and not shy from the unpleasant details, or have her account censored. Remember her audience: white, genteel 19th century English men and women, the Abolitionist committee, the court of law, the common people who can read the newspapers in which parts of her story are published. It is the early 1800s, Regency London - the same time and place in which we love to read carefree romance novels that are free of the taint of black slavery - and the English have no real idea or any sympathy for what the black slaves endured. She argued to be the one to write her own story, by herself, and she refused to let the Abolitionists remove details that "couldn't be proven". Even though she is a fictional character in a fictional account, she deserves to be heard by us as well.
There's one other thing I just have to mention: the evolution of the African-American dialect. I've come to appreciate it because of this book. I mean, I always understood that it was their way of forming a new identity, one that couldn't be taken away from them, even now. But as they learnt English, as slaves, what would happen if they spoke like their masters? Aminata learns this, she learns the dialect that the slaves speak to each other, and the grammatically stronger but far from perfect English they use with the white people. They needed a way to speak to each other without the whites understanding, yet they all came from different African tribes speaking one of thousands of African languages, or they were born on plantations and don't know any African languages at all, and so they devise their own way of speaking, close to English but entirely of their own creation. After Aminata escapes slavery, she drops this dialect and speaks "proper" English, but I get the sense it is due to her ability to learn languages quickly and well, and her desire not to be looked down upon, rather than a form of pretension. It certainly makes her a bit of a curiosity with the white people.
The Book of Negroes is a masterpiece of historical literature, capturing the contradictions of the human condition in graceful, honest prose, and gifting us with a new, entirely sympathetic protagonist. Please, read this book. It couldn't possibly fail to touch you, and teach you.
It's 1802 and Aminata Diallo, now an old woman, sits down to write her life story at the request of the Abolitionists in London. Abducted from her village in West Africa at the age of eleven and marched in a coffle (a string of slaves) for three months before reaching the coast, Aminata survives the voyage to America and ends up sold to an indigo plantation owner in South Carolina. She describes herself as lucky, because compared to the tragic circumstances and end of so many other black slaves, Aminata manages to survive using her wits, her skills as a midwife, her ability to pick up new skills quickly, and her strength of character.
She witnesses many horrors and sorrows, and experiences them as well, that make her ponder the human nature and the hypocrisy of religions, even her own. Yet through it all she does not succumb to anger or hatred; she wants only to be together with her husband, Chekura, and their children, who are all taken from her.
When Britain surrenders to the rebels they keep their promise to the Black Loyalists - in a way. With a certificate proving they have worked behind British lines for at least a year, they can sign their name in the Book of Negroes and be given passage to a British colony. Most are sent to Nova Scotia, including Aminata. She may have escaped the American slave owners but she hasn't escaped the prejudice, fear and hatred with which the blacks face everywhere they go. The opportunity to return to Africa - the dream she's always had - comes her way, but if she ever wants to see her home village of Bayo again she'll have to make a deal with the devil.
This book is going straight onto my "favourites" list. The sweeping, lifelong, cross-generational story arc reminded me of another favourite book of mine, City of Dreams by Beverly Swerling, which is about the early days of the Dutch in Nieuw Amsterdam before it became New York. The Book of Negroes is a powerful story on many fronts: it's a very human story, sympathetic, honest, fair to the greys of history, thought-provoking, poignant.
One of the beautiful things about this book is how, as a reader, you feel more in tune with the Africans, while the whites seem strange, alien, bewildering, contradictory. I don't mean that Hill paints an uneven picture - far from it, the rendering of history into something visceral, tangible, grants perspective and context. It's not a simple matter of "white man, bad; black man, victim". That's what I mean by this book being honest: honest about human nature, about the complexities of history, without making excuses for anyone of any colour. I don't mean that there weren't characters who enrage you, but that they are presented relatively free of the taint of presentism.
If you're not familiar with the term, "presentism" refers to our natural tendency to judge history through the lens of the present, by our own modern standards, rather than acknowledging and positioning things within a historical perspective. Hill has done an admirable job of completely immersing us in the 18th century, creating a protagonist who is a product of the time as much as one of circumstance.
Hill has managed to write a convincing, wonderful female protagonist - frankly, not many male writers are this successful. Aminata is unflinchingly honest with herself and others, and by being so thoroughly in her head, she gives us what the Africans needed most during slavery: a voice, the understanding that she's just like us, not some black beast from darkest Africa - heathen, barbarian, uncivilised. As in some other books, the irony comes through clearly: which is the uncivilised race? Who is the barbarian? When Aminata arrives in London, the first thing she sees are the legless beggars on the street, the filth and crowds and pretensions. She doesn't even need to say anything.
Another irony is the rebellion in the American colony - Aminata is in New York when things get nasty, and constantly hears the white Americans talking about being slaves to the British, and fighting for their freedom. Aminata doesn't need to point out anything here, and I don't think I do either.
Her own people don't come off smelling of roses either. The book is thoroughly researched and historically accurate, and makes no bones about Africans enslaving each other well before the white people came, and it is Africans who capture Aminata, kill her parents, torch her village, and sell her to the white slavers. Slavery has a long, long history, and no race, it seems, is exempt. The Egyptians did it, the Chinese, the Japanese, the Israelites were famously enslaved, the Romans are guilty - and what is feudalism if not a form of slavery, which the English and French and others used for a very long time?
If nothing else, this book highlights the fact that, no matter what colour you are or what your diet is, we are all human and share this intangible thing called human nature. Cruelty exists everywhere, and cannot be simply attributed to your race, though neither can it be excused. This is why I insist that the history of black slavery - while it existed predominantly between the British slaving companies and the Americas - is everyone's history. For a comprehensive story covering three different continents and exposing many of the situations black slaves, runaways and freed slaves faced, you can't go wrong with this one.
It's also beautifully written. Aminata has a simple, honest style, without embellishment or fanciful detail. She rarely passes judgement, but offers her own thoughts and perspective subtly. She is captured just before reaching puberty and so, ironically, escapes female circumcision, which her people practised (removing the clitoris and part of the labia, and sewing up the vaginal entrance - extraordinarily painful and meant to make a woman "pure" for her husband - Aminata isn't keen but doesn't judge; I on the other hand believe it is the cruellest form of torture you can do to a woman and there's no excuse for it. It's an old African tradition, nothing to do with Islam, and still occurs in some places like Ethiopia).
There are moments of violence and cruelty, because that was largely the life of the black slaves, but while Aminata doesn't gloss over them, neither does she dwell on them in such detail that you shy away from the book.
I was walking one day behind a yoked man who swerved without warning to the left. I had no time to react, and my foot sank into something wet and soft. Something like a twig cracked under my heel. I let out a scream. Under my foot was the body of a naked, decomposing man. I jumped away and ripped leaves from the nearest branch. In a frenzy, I wiped a mass of wriggling white worms from my ankle. I was shaking and wheezing. Fanta took the leaves and wiped my foot and held me and told me not to be afraid. But my hysteria escalated, even though Fanta barked at me to calm down, and I could not stop screaming. (p41)
For all that Aminata and other slaves go through, she deserves the right to tell her whole story and not shy from the unpleasant details, or have her account censored. Remember her audience: white, genteel 19th century English men and women, the Abolitionist committee, the court of law, the common people who can read the newspapers in which parts of her story are published. It is the early 1800s, Regency London - the same time and place in which we love to read carefree romance novels that are free of the taint of black slavery - and the English have no real idea or any sympathy for what the black slaves endured. She argued to be the one to write her own story, by herself, and she refused to let the Abolitionists remove details that "couldn't be proven". Even though she is a fictional character in a fictional account, she deserves to be heard by us as well.
There's one other thing I just have to mention: the evolution of the African-American dialect. I've come to appreciate it because of this book. I mean, I always understood that it was their way of forming a new identity, one that couldn't be taken away from them, even now. But as they learnt English, as slaves, what would happen if they spoke like their masters? Aminata learns this, she learns the dialect that the slaves speak to each other, and the grammatically stronger but far from perfect English they use with the white people. They needed a way to speak to each other without the whites understanding, yet they all came from different African tribes speaking one of thousands of African languages, or they were born on plantations and don't know any African languages at all, and so they devise their own way of speaking, close to English but entirely of their own creation. After Aminata escapes slavery, she drops this dialect and speaks "proper" English, but I get the sense it is due to her ability to learn languages quickly and well, and her desire not to be looked down upon, rather than a form of pretension. It certainly makes her a bit of a curiosity with the white people.
The Book of Negroes is a masterpiece of historical literature, capturing the contradictions of the human condition in graceful, honest prose, and gifting us with a new, entirely sympathetic protagonist. Please, read this book. It couldn't possibly fail to touch you, and teach you.
June 11, 2019
Someone knows my name is a compelling and fascinating account of one woman鈥檚 remarkable experiences that spans six decades and three continents as a slave from childhood through to her death. I loved this book when I first read it in 2011 and really enjoyed re-reading (listening) to this one as a buddy read with a friend. A book that grabs your attention from page one.
The history of the Slave Trade in America is heartbreaking and real and this is one of those books that is chilling and unputdownable because it brings history to life for the reader and that is how historical fiction works so well for me. The author paints a realistic but terrifying picture of a time and practice that that will have your emotions all over the place as you read of the horrendous atrocities of slavery in our world鈥檚 history.
The story focuses on Aninata Diablo, who was born in West Africa in 1745. Kidnapped as a child, she is enslaved in South Carolina but escapes during the chaos of the Revolutionary War.
This book鈥檚 strength lies in its wonderful protagonist Aminata, a frail old lady who recounts her story and her courage and strength in the face of all evil is truly inspiring and page turning. You will find yourself rooting for this character from the very first page.
A meticulously researched novel that is rich in history and a book that is educational, entertaining and really good story.
I listened to his one on audio and really enjoyed the narration and can highly recommend this as a hard copy read and an audible choice.
The history of the Slave Trade in America is heartbreaking and real and this is one of those books that is chilling and unputdownable because it brings history to life for the reader and that is how historical fiction works so well for me. The author paints a realistic but terrifying picture of a time and practice that that will have your emotions all over the place as you read of the horrendous atrocities of slavery in our world鈥檚 history.
The story focuses on Aninata Diablo, who was born in West Africa in 1745. Kidnapped as a child, she is enslaved in South Carolina but escapes during the chaos of the Revolutionary War.
This book鈥檚 strength lies in its wonderful protagonist Aminata, a frail old lady who recounts her story and her courage and strength in the face of all evil is truly inspiring and page turning. You will find yourself rooting for this character from the very first page.
A meticulously researched novel that is rich in history and a book that is educational, entertaining and really good story.
I listened to his one on audio and really enjoyed the narration and can highly recommend this as a hard copy read and an audible choice.
February 26, 2025
"賱賵 兀毓賷卮 胤賵賷賱丕 丨鬲賶 兀賳賴賶 賴匕賴 丕賱賯氐丞貙 賮爻賵賮 鬲馗賱 丨賷丞 亘毓丿 賵賮丕鬲賶. 乇亘賲丕 鬲亘賯賶 賮賷 賲賰鬲亘丞 賱賳丿賳 賵賯鬲丕賸 胤賵賷賱丕賸 亘毓丿 兀賳 兀毓賵丿 廿賱賶 乇賵丨 兀噩丿丕丿賶.兀鬲禺賷賱 兀丨賷丕賳丕賸 兀賵賱 賯丕乇卅 賷毓孬乇 毓賱賶 賯氐鬲賶. 兀賷賰賵賳 賮鬲丕丞責 乇亘賲丕 丕賲乇兀丞. 乇噩賱 . 乇噩賱 廿賳噩賱賷夭賶. 廿賮乇賷賯賷. 賵丕丨丿 賲賳 賴丐賱丕亍 丕賱賳丕爻 爻賵賮 賷噩丿 賯氐鬲賶 貙 賵賷賲乇乇賴丕. 賵毓賳丿卅匕貙毓賱賶 賲丕 丕毓鬲賯丿 貙 爻兀賰賵賳 賯丿 毓卮鬲 賱賴丿賮 賲丕." ."
亘賲 賷卮毓乇 賲賳 賰購鬲亘鬲 毓賱賷賴賲 丕賱睾乇亘丞 ! 賵賱丕 丕鬲丨丿孬 賴賳丕 毓賳 丕賱睾乇亘丞 丕賱鬲賶 賳禺鬲丕乇賴丕 兀賵 鬲噩亘乇賳丕 毓賱賷賴丕 馗乇賵賮 丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞 丕賵 廿賯鬲氐丕丿賷丞 貙 亘賱 兀鬲丨丿孬 毓賳 丕賱睾乇亘丞 丕賱廿噩亘丕乇賷丞 貙 兀賳 賷鬲賲 兀賳鬲夭丕毓賰 乇睾賲丕賸 毓賳賰 賲賳 賲賵胤賳賰 . 賵廿賱賶 丕賶 賲丿賶 爻鬲鬲丨賲賱 責賵廿賱賶 賲鬲賶 爻鬲馗賱 鬲卮鬲丕賯 丕賱賶 賲賵胤賳賰 責 亘賲 賷卮毓乇 賲賳 賵購賱丿 丨乇丕賸 賵毓丕卮 賱爻賳賵丕鬲 賮賷 爻毓丕丿丞 賵賮噩兀丞 鬲賲 丕賳鬲夭丕毓 賰賱 卮卅 賲賳賴 責 賲丕匕丕 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 賳賮毓賱 賲賳 兀噩賱 丨乇賷鬲賳丕 責 賵廿賱賶 兀賶 賲丿賶 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 賳匕賴亘 賱賱丨賮丕馗 毓賱賷賴丕 責 賵丕賱賶 賲鬲賶 賳爻鬲胤賷毓 丕丨鬲賲丕賱 兀賳 賷鬲賲 丨乇賲丕賳賳丕 賲賳賴丕 責 賵賮賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞 賰賷賮 賷丨賷丕 賲賳 賷爻鬲毓亘丿賵賳 丕賱亘卮乇 賴賰匕丕 丿賵賳 囟賲賷乇 賵丿賵賳 卮毓賵乇 責
" 賴賱 賯丕亘賱鬲 賮賷 丨賷丕鬲賰 卮禺氐丕賸 賷賯鬲乇賮 兀卮賷丕亍 賮馗賷毓丞貙 賵賷爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 賷賳馗乇 賮賷 毓賷賳賷賰 丿賵賳 兀賳 賷賮夭毓責 兀賳 鬲賳馗乇 賮賷 賵噩賴 丌禺乇 賷毓賳賶 卮賷卅賷賳: 兀賳賰 鬲賯乇 亘廿賳爻丕賳賷鬲賴 貙賵兀賳賰 鬲丐賰丿貙 賮賷 丕賱賵賯鬲 匕丕鬲賴貙 廿賳爻丕賳賷鬲賰 兀賳鬲"
丨賷賳 賯乇兀鬲 毓賳 賮賰乇丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵乇兀賷鬲 鬲賯賷賷賲丕鬲賴丕 丕賱毓丕賱賷丞 鬲丨賲爻鬲 賱賴丕 賱賰賳 馗賳賳鬲 丕賳賴丕 爻鬲賰賵賳 孬賯賷賱丞 賵兀賳賳賶 爻兀卮毓乇 賲毓賴丕 亘丕賱賲賱賱 禺丕氐丞 兀賳 賲賵囟賵毓 丕賱毓亘賷丿 賵鬲丨乇賷乇賴賲 賱賷爻鬲 賮賷 賯賲丞 丕賴鬲賲丕賲丕鬲賷 賱賰賳賷 鬲賮丕噩兀鬲 丕賳賶 兀賱鬲賴賲 丕賱氐賮丨丕鬲 亘廿毓噩丕亘 亘丕賱丕爻賱賵亘 賵亘廿賴鬲賲丕賲 丨賯賷賯賶 賵 鬲毓丕胤賮 賵鬲兀賱賲 賲賲丕 賷丨丿孬 .
賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘乇睾賲 毓丿丿 氐賮丨丕鬲賴丕 賵亘乇睾賲 丕賱亘丐爻 賵丕賱賲賴丕賳丞 丕賱鬲賶 亘賴丕 廿賱丕 丕賳賶 丕爻鬲賲鬲毓鬲 丨賯丕 亘賯乇丕亍鬲賴丕 貙 賵馗賱賱鬲 丕鬲爻丕卅賱 賰賷賮 賱賲 賷鬲乇噩賲 兀賶 毓賲賱 丌禺乇 賱賱賰丕鬲亘 責責 賰賷賮 賱賰丕鬲亘 賱賴 賴匕賴 丕賱賯丿乇丞 毓賱賶 丕賱爻乇丿 賵賱賲 鬲鬲乇噩賲 亘丕賯賷 丕毓賲丕賱賴 賵賱賲 鬲購毓乇賮 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賰賲丕 賷噩亘 !! 賴賳丕賰 丨賯丕 丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱賰鬲亘 賵丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱乇丕卅毓賷賳 賱賰賳 丨賯賵賯賴賲 賵卮賴乇鬲賴賲 賲賴丿賵乇丞 賵亘毓囟賴賲 賲賴丿賵乇 丨賯賴 賱丿賷賳丕 賱兀賳 賱賱兀爻賮 賱賲 鬲鬲乇噩賲 丕毓賲丕賱賴 丕賵 賱賲 賷鬲賲 丕賱鬲爻賵賷賯 賱賴丕 噩賷丿丕賸.
丕毓噩亘鬲賳賶 兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 丿賷丕賱賱賵 丕賵 賰賲丕 丕胤賱賯賵丕 毓賱賷賴丕 賱毓丿賲 丕爻鬲胤丕毓鬲賴賲 賳胤賯 丕賱廿爻賲 賲賷賳丕 賱賰賳賶 爻兀賳丕丿賷賴丕 兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 丕爻賲 賲賵胤賳賴丕 貙 丕爻賲賴丕 丕賱丨賯賷賯賶 丿賵賳 丕禺鬲氐丕乇丕鬲.
賲賷賳丕" 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱兀乇囟 丕賱噩丿賷丿丞. 氐丕乇 賱賶 丕爻賲 丌禺乇貙" 賲賳丨賳賶 廿賷丕賴 卮禺氐貙 賴賵 丨鬲賶 賱丕賷毓乇賮賳賶. 丕爻賲 噩丿賷丿 賱丨賷丕丞 孬丕賳賷丞 賰鬲亘鬲 賱賮鬲丕丞 丕爻鬲胤丕毓鬲 丕賳 鬲亘賯賶 毓賱賶 賯賷丿 丕賱丨賷丕丞 亘毓丿 毓亘賵乇 丕賱賳賴乇 丕賱賰亘賷乇 "
丕毓噩亘鬲賳賶 乇睾亘鬲賴丕 賮賷 丕賱鬲毓賱賲 貙 賯賵鬲賴丕 貙 廿賳爻丕賳賷鬲賴丕 賵丨賳丕賳賴丕 賵鬲毓丕胤賮賴丕 貙 乇賮囟賴丕 賱賱廿賴丕賳丞 賵氐賱丕亘鬲賴丕 貙 乇賮囟賴丕 賱賱廿爻鬲爻賱丕賲 乇睾賲 賰賱 賲丕 賱丕賯鬲賴 賲賳 兀賴賵丕賱 賵賲氐丕毓亘 . 賰丕賳鬲 鬲毓賵丿 賱鬲賯賮 氐賱亘丞 賵鬲賵丕噩賴 賲丕賷丨丿孬 賱賴丕 賵鬲賯丿賲 丕賱賲爻丕毓丿丞 丿賵賲丕賸 賱賱丌禺乇賷賳 .
" 賰賱 賲丕 兀毓乇賮賴 賴賵 兀賳 賰賱 丕賱匕賷賳 兀丨亘亘鬲賴賲 兀賰孬乇 賲賳 丕賶 卮卅 丌禺乇 貙 鬲賲 丕賳鬲夭丕毓賴賲 賲賳賷 "
" 丌賱丕賲 丕賱賮賯丿 賱丕 鬲匕賴亘 兀亘丿丕賸 . 賵賱賰賳賳賶 兀爻鬲賲乇. 亘胤乇賷賯丞 賲丕 貙 兀賵丕氐賱 丕賱丨賷丕丞."
兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 丕賳鬲賶 賲孬賱 兀毓賱賶 賱賷爻 賮賯胤 賱賱賳爻丕亍 賱賰賳 賱賱亘卮乇 噩賲賷毓丕 賳爻丕亍賸 賵乇噩丕賱 貙 丕賳鬲賶 賲孬丕賱 賱賱賯賵丞 賵丕賱噩乇兀丞 賵丕賱毓胤賮 賵丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷丞 . 兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 丕賱鬲賶 賯乇乇鬲 丕賳 鬲賰鬲亘 賯氐丞 丨賷丕鬲賴丕 賵賰賱 賲丕 卮丕賴丿鬲賴 亘賳賮爻賴丕 丿賵賳 賲爻丕毓丿丞 賲賳 兀丨丿 賵丿賵賳 兀賳 賷丐孬乇 毓賱賷賴丕 兀丨丿.
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"- 賯乇乇鬲 兀賳 兀賰鬲亘 賯氐丞 丨賷丕鬲賶
-賲丐賰丿 .. 賵賱賰賳賰 鬲丨鬲丕噩賷賳 廿乇卮丕丿丕鬲賳丕 賱賰賶 ....
-鈥徺呝� 睾賷乇 廿乇卮丕丿丕鬲 .. 卮賰乇丕 噩夭賷賱丕.. 丨賷丕鬲賷..賰賱賲丕鬲賶..賯賱賲賶..兀賳丕 賯丕丿乇丞 毓賱賶 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞"
鈥徺嗀� 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賳噩丕丨 亘丕賴乇 賮賷 兀賳 賷噩毓賱賳賶 兀鬲賲丕賴賶 賲毓 兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 賵丨賷丕鬲賴丕 賲賳匕 丕賱胤賮賵賱丞 賲乇賵乇丕 亘廿禺鬲胤丕賮賴丕 賵賲丕賱丕賯鬲賴 丨賷賳賴丕 賵亘毓丿賴丕 貙 卮毓乇鬲 賲毓賴丕 亘兀賱賲 丕賱賵爻賲 "賯胤毓丞 賲毓丿賳賷丞 賲丨賲賷丞 .... 賷睾乇爻賵賳賴丕 賮賵賯 丨賱賲鬲賶 丕賱賷賲賳賶 亘賯賱賷賱. 鬲賲鬲賱卅 禺賷丕卮賷賲賷 亘乇丕卅丨丞 賱丨賲賶 丕賱賲丨鬲乇賯. 兀卮毓乇 亘丕賱兀賱賲 賷爻乇賶 賮賷 兀毓氐丕亘賷 賲孬賱 賲賵噩丞 亘乇賰丕賳賷丞 賲賱鬲賴亘丞"
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鈥徹Ｙ嗀� 賲賵爻賵賲丞 賵賲毓 丕賱兀爻賮 賱丕 兀爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 丕賮毓賱 兀賶 卮卅 賷禺賱氐賳賶 賲賳 賴匕賴 丕賱毓賱丕賲丞 貙 丕賱鬲賶 丕丨賲賱賴丕 賲賳匕 丕賳 賰賳鬲 賮賷 丕賱丨丕丿賷丞 毓卮乇丞"
鈥徹� 兀丨爻爻鬲 賲毓賴丕 亘丕賱賯賴乇 賵丕賱賲賴丕賳丞 賵丕賱囟毓賮 .
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鈥�" 賮賯丿鬲 兀賲賶 賵兀亘賶 賵亘賱丿鬲賶. 囟丕毓鬲 賮乇氐鬲賶 賮賷 鬲毓賱賲 賰賱 丕賱氐賱賵丕鬲 丕賱賯乇丌賳賷丞. 賱賲 賷毓丿 賲賲賰賳丕賸 兀賳 賷毓賱賲賳賶 兀亘賶 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 賵丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞貙 賰賲丕 賰丕賳 賷賮毓賱 賮賶 丕賱爻乇 "
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乇賰亘鬲 賲毓賴丕 丕賱爻賮賷賳丞 賵乇兀賷鬲 賲毓賴丕 丕賱兀賴賵丕賱 丕賱鬲賶 丨丿孬鬲 賲毓 賰賱 乇丕賰亘賷 丕賱爻賮賷賳丞 . 賵廿賱賯丕亍 丕賱賲乇囟賶 賵丕賱兀賲賵丕鬲 賲賳賴賲 賮賷 丕賱亘丨乇
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" 賮賷 爻賮賷賳丞 丕賱毓亘賷丿 鬲賱賰 貙乇兀賷鬲 兀卮賷丕亍 賱丕 賷賲賰賳 賱兀賴賱 賱賳丿賳 兀賳 賷氐丿賯賵賴丕 丕亘丿丕賸. 賵賱賰賳賳賶 兀賮賰乇 賮賷 丕賱賳丕爻 丕賱匕賷賳 毓亘乇賵丕 丕賱亘丨乇 賲毓賶. 丕賱匕賷賳 亘賯賵丕 毓賱賶 賯賷丿 丕賱丨賷丕丞. 乇兀賷賳丕 丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 賳賮爻賴丕. 賲丕夭丕賱 亘毓囟賳丕 賷氐乇禺 賮夭毓丕賸 賮賶 賲賳鬲氐賮 丕賱賱賷賱"
鈥徹关簇� 賲毓賴丕 兀丨丿丕孬 賰賱 卮卅 丨丿孬 賲毓賴丕 賮賷 兀賲乇賷賰丕 賵乇兀賷鬲 賳馗乇丕鬲 丕賱亘賷囟 賱賴丕 貙 兀丨爻爻鬲 亘噩乇賵丨賴丕 賵兀賱丕賲賴丕 賵毓卮鬲 賲毓賴丕 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 賰孬賷乇丞. 兀丨亘亘鬲 賲毓賴丕 賵丕賳鬲馗乇鬲 夭賷丕乇丞 丨亘賷亘賴丕 貙 丨賲賱鬲 賲毓賴丕 兀賵賱 賲賵賱賵丿 賱賴丕 .
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鈥徹池з佖必� 賲毓賴丕 賵賰鬲亘鬲 賲毓賴丕 賰鬲丕亘 丕賱夭賳賵噩 .兀賳賰爻乇鬲 賲毓賴丕 賵毓丿鬲 孬丕賳賷丞 賱賱賵賯賵賮 . 匕賴亘鬲 賲毓丕 賱賳賷賵賷賵乇賰 賵毓丕氐乇鬲 賮鬲乇丞 丕賱丕爻鬲賯賱丕賱 賵乇兀賷鬲 鬲兀孬賷乇 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 毓賱賷賴丕 . 賮賰丕賳鬲 賴匕賴 丕賱賮鬲乇丞 賲賴賲丞 賮賷 丨賷丕丞 兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 . 兀丨爻爻鬲 亘囟毓賮賴丕 賵賯賵鬲賴丕 賮賷 匕丕鬲 丕賱賵賯鬲 . 賵乇兀賷鬲 亘毓賷賳賷賴丕 賰賱 賲丕賷丨丿孬 兀賲丕賲賴丕 賱賷爻 賮賯胤 賱賴丕 賱賰賳 賱賰賱 賲賳 丨賵賱賴丕 . 賵鬲兀賱賲鬲 賲賳 兀噩賱賴賲 噩賲賷毓丕賸. 賵丨賱賲鬲 賲毓賴丕 丨賱賲賴丕 丕賱匕賷 賱賲 鬲鬲禺賱賶 毓賳賴 賷賵賲丕 " 賰賱 賲丕 兀乇賷丿 兀賳 兀賮毓賱賴 賴賵 丕賱毓賵丿丞 廿賱賶 丕賱賲賰丕賳 丕賱匕賷 賵賱丿鬲 賮賷賴"
毓卮鬲 賲毓賴丕 毓丿賲 賲毓乇賮鬲賴丕 賲賳 兀賷賳 噩丕亍鬲 賵廿賱賶 兀賷賳 賴賶 匕丕賴亘丞 責 賱賲 丕毓乇賮 賲孬賱賴丕 爻賵賶 丕爻賲 賯乇賷鬲賴丕 亘丕賷賵 . 賱賰賳 兀賷賳 賴賶 亘丕賷賵 責 賵廿賱賶 兀賷賳 賷兀禺匕賴丕 禺丕胤賮賷賴丕 責
" - 兀禺匕賵賰 賲賳 廿賮乇賷賯賷丕 賱鬲毓賲賱賶 毓賳丿 丕賱亘賷囟
-兀賮乇賷賯賷丕 .. 賲丕 賴賶 責
-丕賱丕乇囟 丕賱鬲賶 噩卅鬲 賲賳賴丕.
-鈥徺娯迟呝堎嗁囏� 廿賮乇賷賯賷丕責
-鈥徺嗀官�..賱賵 兀賳賰 賲賵賱賵丿丞 賴賳丕賰.. 賷爻賲賵賳賰 廿賮乇賷賯賷丞.. 賵賱賰賳賴賲 賴賳丕 賷爻賲賵賳賳丕 噩賲賷毓丕賸 亘賳賮爻 丕賱兀爻賲丕亍 : 丕賱夭賳賵噩.. 丕賱爻賵丿 .. 賷爻賲賵賳賳丕 亘丕賱鬲丨丿賷丿: 丕賱毓亘賷丿.
-鈥徹关ㄙ娯� 責
-鈥徹关ㄙ娯� .. 賴匕丕 賷毓賳賶 丕賳賳丕 賲賱賰 賱賱亘賷囟
-鈥徺勜池� 賲賱賰丕賸 賱兀丨丿.. 賵賱爻鬲 廿賮乇賷賯賷丞 .. 兀賳丕 亘丕賲丕賳賷丞..賵賮賵賱丕賳賷丞. 兀賳丕 賲賳 亘丕賷賵 賯乇亘 爻賷噩賵.. 賱爻鬲 賰賲丕 鬲賯賵賱 .. 兀賳丕 賱爻鬲 廿賮乇賷賯賷丞"
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"兀賷賳 丕賮乇賷賯賷丕 亘丕賱鬲丨丿賷丿.. 賵賰賷賮 鬲爻鬲胤賷毓 丕賱賵氐賵賱 廿賱賶 賴賳丕賰 責 兀丨賷丕賳丕 兀卮毓乇 亘丕賱禺夭賶 賱兀賳賳賶 賱丕 兀毓乇賮 廿噩丕亘丞 . 賰賷賮 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 丌鬲賶 賲賳 賲賰丕賳貙 賵賱丕 兀毓乇賮 兀賷賳 賴賵 責"
鈥徹ㄘ必嘿� 賰賱 丕賱兀賱賲 賮賷 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賱賰賳 鬲丨賷丞 賱賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱匕賷 廿爻鬲胤丕毓 兀賳 賷賳賯賱賳賷 丕賱賶 兀賮乇賷賯賷丕 賵兀賲乇賷賰丕 賵賱賳丿賳 賵噩毓賱賳賷 丕鬲兀孬乇 亘賰賱 賲丕丨丿孬 賵賴匕丕 卮卅 賱賷爻 爻賴賱 丕賳 賷丨丿孬 賲毓賷.
賱丕 兀爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 兀丨賵賱 亘氐乇賷 毓賳賴賲 賵賱丕 兀賳 兀賲賳毓 賳賮爻賶 賲賳 丕賱鬲賮賰賷乇 賮賷 丕賱夭賵噩丕鬲 賵丕賱兀夭賵丕噩 賵丕賱兀亘賳丕亍 賵丕賱丌亘丕亍 丕賱匕賷賳 賮賯丿賵賴賲 賮賷 爻賷乇賴賲 丕賱賲胤乇丿 亘丕鬲噩丕賴 丕賱亘丨乇. 賵賰賱賶 賮夭毓 賲孬賱賴賲 鬲賲丕賲丕賸貙 兀爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 兀鬲禺賷賱 鬲賵鬲乇賴賲 賵賴賵 賷鬲氐丕毓丿 丨鬲賶 賷氐賱 廿賱賶 賳賵亘丕鬲 賲賳 丕賱賴爻鬲賷乇賷丕 賵賮賯丿丕賳 丕賱賯丿乇丞 毓賱賶 丕賱賰賱丕賲貙 亘賱 丕賱噩賳賵賳 兀丨賷丕賳丕貙 毓賳丿賲丕 賷鬲賰丿爻賵賳 賰丕賱爻乇丿賷賳 賮賷 爻賮賳 丕賱毓亘賷丿貙 賵賷爻丕賯賵賳 毓亘乇 丕賱亘丨乇 賵賷亘丕毓賵賳貙 廿匕丕 賳噩賵 貙 賮賷 丕賱賲夭丕丿丕鬲."
丨賷賳 賷賰賵賳 丕賱亘卮乇 鬲噩丕乇丞 賷卮丕乇賰 賮賷賴丕 賰賱 賲賳 賷爻鬲胤賷毓 丕賱廿爻鬲賮丕丿丞 賲賳賴丕 貙 丨鬲賶 丕賳 丕賱丕賮丕乇賯丞 兀賳賮爻賴賲 賰丕賳賵丕 賷爻丕毓丿賵賳 賮賷 廿爻鬲毓亘丕丿 丌禺乇賷賳 賲賳 亘賳賶 噩賳爻賴賲 貙 賷禺胤賮賵賳賴賲 貙 賷賯賵賲賵賳 亘丕賱賲爻丕賵賲丞 毓賱賷賴賲 賵亘賷毓賴賲 . 丕賳 賷氐亘丨 兀 禺賷賰 賮賷 丕賱賵胤賳 賴賵 丕賱丌禺乇 毓丿賵賰 賴匕賴 賲兀爻丕丞 兀賯賵賶 賵兀卮丿 賲賳 賲鬲丕噩乇丞 丕賱亘賷囟 亘賴賲 .
" 賷亘丿賵 賱賶 兀賳 丕賱鬲噩丕乇丞 賮賷 丕賱亘卮乇 賱賳 鬲賳鬲賴賶貙 胤丕賱賲丕 亘賯賷鬲 賱亘毓囟 丕賱賳丕爻 丨乇賷丞 丕賯鬲賳丕亍 丕賱丌禺乇賷賳 "
佟贍 / 伲 / 佗贍佗佗
亘賲 賷卮毓乇 賲賳 賰購鬲亘鬲 毓賱賷賴賲 丕賱睾乇亘丞 ! 賵賱丕 丕鬲丨丿孬 賴賳丕 毓賳 丕賱睾乇亘丞 丕賱鬲賶 賳禺鬲丕乇賴丕 兀賵 鬲噩亘乇賳丕 毓賱賷賴丕 馗乇賵賮 丕噩鬲賲丕毓賷丞 丕賵 廿賯鬲氐丕丿賷丞 貙 亘賱 兀鬲丨丿孬 毓賳 丕賱睾乇亘丞 丕賱廿噩亘丕乇賷丞 貙 兀賳 賷鬲賲 兀賳鬲夭丕毓賰 乇睾賲丕賸 毓賳賰 賲賳 賲賵胤賳賰 . 賵廿賱賶 丕賶 賲丿賶 爻鬲鬲丨賲賱 責賵廿賱賶 賲鬲賶 爻鬲馗賱 鬲卮鬲丕賯 丕賱賶 賲賵胤賳賰 責 亘賲 賷卮毓乇 賲賳 賵購賱丿 丨乇丕賸 賵毓丕卮 賱爻賳賵丕鬲 賮賷 爻毓丕丿丞 賵賮噩兀丞 鬲賲 丕賳鬲夭丕毓 賰賱 卮卅 賲賳賴 責 賲丕匕丕 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 賳賮毓賱 賲賳 兀噩賱 丨乇賷鬲賳丕 責 賵廿賱賶 兀賶 賲丿賶 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 賳匕賴亘 賱賱丨賮丕馗 毓賱賷賴丕 責 賵丕賱賶 賲鬲賶 賳爻鬲胤賷毓 丕丨鬲賲丕賱 兀賳 賷鬲賲 丨乇賲丕賳賳丕 賲賳賴丕 責 賵賮賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞 賰賷賮 賷丨賷丕 賲賳 賷爻鬲毓亘丿賵賳 丕賱亘卮乇 賴賰匕丕 丿賵賳 囟賲賷乇 賵丿賵賳 卮毓賵乇 責
" 賴賱 賯丕亘賱鬲 賮賷 丨賷丕鬲賰 卮禺氐丕賸 賷賯鬲乇賮 兀卮賷丕亍 賮馗賷毓丞貙 賵賷爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 賷賳馗乇 賮賷 毓賷賳賷賰 丿賵賳 兀賳 賷賮夭毓責 兀賳 鬲賳馗乇 賮賷 賵噩賴 丌禺乇 賷毓賳賶 卮賷卅賷賳: 兀賳賰 鬲賯乇 亘廿賳爻丕賳賷鬲賴 貙賵兀賳賰 鬲丐賰丿貙 賮賷 丕賱賵賯鬲 匕丕鬲賴貙 廿賳爻丕賳賷鬲賰 兀賳鬲"
賯丕賱 賲丕賳丿賷賱丕: 賱丕 賷賵噩丿 廿賳爻丕賳 賵賱丿 賷賰乇賴 廿賳爻丕賳丕 丌禺乇 亘爻亘亘 賱賵賳 亘卮乇鬲賴 兀賵 兀氐賱賴 兀賵 丿賷賳賴.. 丕賱賳丕爻 鬲毓賱賲鬲 丕賱賰乇丕賴賷丞 賵廿匕丕 賰丕賳 亘丕賱廿賲賰丕賳 鬲毓賱賷賲賴賲 丕賱賰乇丕賴賷丞 廿匕丕賸 亘廿賲賰丕賳賳丕 鬲毓賱賷賲賴賲 丕賱丨亘貙 禺丕氐丞 兀賳 丕賱丨亘 兀賯乇亘 賱賯賱亘 丕賱廿賳爻丕賳 賲賳 丕賱賰乇丕賴賷丞.
丨賷賳 賯乇兀鬲 毓賳 賮賰乇丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賵乇兀賷鬲 鬲賯賷賷賲丕鬲賴丕 丕賱毓丕賱賷丞 鬲丨賲爻鬲 賱賴丕 賱賰賳 馗賳賳鬲 丕賳賴丕 爻鬲賰賵賳 孬賯賷賱丞 賵兀賳賳賶 爻兀卮毓乇 賲毓賴丕 亘丕賱賲賱賱 禺丕氐丞 兀賳 賲賵囟賵毓 丕賱毓亘賷丿 賵鬲丨乇賷乇賴賲 賱賷爻鬲 賮賷 賯賲丞 丕賴鬲賲丕賲丕鬲賷 賱賰賳賷 鬲賮丕噩兀鬲 丕賳賶 兀賱鬲賴賲 丕賱氐賮丨丕鬲 亘廿毓噩丕亘 亘丕賱丕爻賱賵亘 賵亘廿賴鬲賲丕賲 丨賯賷賯賶 賵 鬲毓丕胤賮 賵鬲兀賱賲 賲賲丕 賷丨丿孬 .
賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 亘乇睾賲 毓丿丿 氐賮丨丕鬲賴丕 賵亘乇睾賲 丕賱亘丐爻 賵丕賱賲賴丕賳丞 丕賱鬲賶 亘賴丕 廿賱丕 丕賳賶 丕爻鬲賲鬲毓鬲 丨賯丕 亘賯乇丕亍鬲賴丕 貙 賵馗賱賱鬲 丕鬲爻丕卅賱 賰賷賮 賱賲 賷鬲乇噩賲 兀賶 毓賲賱 丌禺乇 賱賱賰丕鬲亘 責責 賰賷賮 賱賰丕鬲亘 賱賴 賴匕賴 丕賱賯丿乇丞 毓賱賶 丕賱爻乇丿 賵賱賲 鬲鬲乇噩賲 亘丕賯賷 丕毓賲丕賱賴 賵賱賲 鬲購毓乇賮 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賰賲丕 賷噩亘 !! 賴賳丕賰 丨賯丕 丕賱賰孬賷乇 賲賳 丕賱賰鬲亘 賵丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丕賱乇丕卅毓賷賳 賱賰賳 丨賯賵賯賴賲 賵卮賴乇鬲賴賲 賲賴丿賵乇丞 賵亘毓囟賴賲 賲賴丿賵乇 丨賯賴 賱丿賷賳丕 賱兀賳 賱賱兀爻賮 賱賲 鬲鬲乇噩賲 丕毓賲丕賱賴 丕賵 賱賲 賷鬲賲 丕賱鬲爻賵賷賯 賱賴丕 噩賷丿丕賸.
賲丕賷丕 兀賳噩賷賱賵 鈥� 兀丿乇賷 賱賲丕匕丕 賷睾乇丿 丕賱胤丕卅乇 丕賱賲丨亘賵爻 賮賷 賯賮氐賴
丕賱胤賷乇 丕賱丨乇
毓賱賶 馗賴乇 丕賱乇賷丨 賷賳胤
賵賷毓賵賲 毓賱賶 爻胤丨 丕賱賳賴乇
丨鬲賶 賷賳鬲賴賷賻 丕賱鬲賷丕乇
賵賷睾賲爻 噩賳丕丨賷賴
賮賷 囟賵亍 丕賱卮賲爻 丕賱匕賴亘賷
賲毓賱賳丕 丕賱爻賲丕亍 爻賲丕亍賴.
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賵賱賰賳 丕賱胤賷乇 丕賱賯丕亘毓
賮賷 賯賮氐 囟賷賯
賱丕 賷賯丿乇 兀賳 賷賳馗乇
賲賳 賯囟亘丕賳 睾囟亘賴
賮賯丿 賯氐 噩賳丕丨丕賴
賵乇亘胤鬲 賯丿賲丕賴
賮賷氐丿丨 亘丕賱鬲睾乇賷丿.
丕賱胤賷乇 丕賱賲丨亘賵爻 賷睾乇丿
賮賷 乇毓卮丞 禺賵賮
賲賳 兀卮賷丕亍 賱丕 賷毓乇賮賴丕
賱賰賳 賲丕 夭丕賱 賷鬲賵賯 廿賱賷賴丕
賮賷購爻賲毓 賱丨賳購賴
賲賳 兀賯氐賶 丕賱鬲賱
賱兀賳 丕賱胤賷乇 丕賱賲丨亘賵爻
賷睾賳賷 賱賱丨乇賷丞.
丕賱胤賷乇 丕賱丨乇 賷賮賰乇 亘賳爻賷賲 丌禺乇
賵亘乇賷丨 丕賱睾乇亘 鬲賴亘 毓賱賶 丕賱兀卮噩丕乇 丕賱賲鬲賳賴丿丞 毓賱賷賱丞
鬲賳鬲馗乇賴 爻賲丕賳 丕賱丿賷丿丕賳 毓賱賶 丕賱賲乇噩 丕賱賲卮乇賯 賰丕賱賮噩乇
賵賷爻賲賷 丕賱爻賲丕亍 爻賲丕亍賴
賵賱賰賳 丕賱胤賷乇 丕賱賲丨亘賵爻 賷賯賮 毓賱賶 賯亘乇 丕賱兀丨賱丕賲
賷氐乇禺 氐乇禺丞 賰丕亘賵爻 馗賱購賴
賮賯丿 賯氐 噩賳丕丨丕賴 賵乇亘胤鬲 賯丿賲丕賴 賮賷氐丿丨 亘丕賱鬲睾乇賷丿.
丕賱胤賷乇 丕賱賲丨亘賵爻 賷睾乇丿
賮賷 乇毓卮丞 禺賵賮
賲賳 兀卮賷丕亍 賱丕 賷毓乇賮賴丕
賱賰賳 賲丕夭丕賱 賷鬲賵賯 廿賱賷賴丕
賮賷爻賲毓 賱丨賳賴
賲賳 兀賯氐賶 丕賱鬲賱
賱兀賳 丕賱胤賷乇 丕賱賲丨亘賵爻
賷睾賳賷 賱賱丨乇賷丞.
" 賴匕賶 兀賳丕貙 丕賲乇兀丞 夭賳噩賷丞 毓噩賵夭 賲鬲賴丕賱賰丞 貙 毓亘乇鬲購 賲賳 丕賱亘丨丕乇 賲丕 賷鬲噩丕賵夭 毓丿丿 賯丿乇鬲賷 毓賱賶 丕賱鬲匕賰乇 貙 賵賯胤毓鬲 賲賳 丕賱兀賲賷丕賱 兀賰孬乇 賲賲丕 賯胤毓賴 丨氐丕賳 兀賳賴賰鬲賴 丕賱賲卮丕賵賷乇 胤賷賱丞 丨賷丕鬲賴貙 賵賰賱 賲丕 兀鬲賲賳丕賴 賴賵 賲丕 賱丕 賷賲賰賳 廿丿乇丕賰賴 : 丕賱兀亘賳丕亍 賵丕賱兀丨賮丕丿 兀賲賳丨賴賲 賲丨亘鬲賶 貙 賵丕賱兀亘賵丕賳 賷賲賳丨丕賳賳賶 丕賱丿賮亍 賵丕賱乇毓丕賷丞."
丕毓噩亘鬲賳賶 兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 丿賷丕賱賱賵 丕賵 賰賲丕 丕胤賱賯賵丕 毓賱賷賴丕 賱毓丿賲 丕爻鬲胤丕毓鬲賴賲 賳胤賯 丕賱廿爻賲 賲賷賳丕 賱賰賳賶 爻兀賳丕丿賷賴丕 兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 丕爻賲 賲賵胤賳賴丕 貙 丕爻賲賴丕 丕賱丨賯賷賯賶 丿賵賳 丕禺鬲氐丕乇丕鬲.
賲賷賳丕" 賮賷 賴匕賴 丕賱兀乇囟 丕賱噩丿賷丿丞. 氐丕乇 賱賶 丕爻賲 丌禺乇貙" 賲賳丨賳賶 廿賷丕賴 卮禺氐貙 賴賵 丨鬲賶 賱丕賷毓乇賮賳賶. 丕爻賲 噩丿賷丿 賱丨賷丕丞 孬丕賳賷丞 賰鬲亘鬲 賱賮鬲丕丞 丕爻鬲胤丕毓鬲 丕賳 鬲亘賯賶 毓賱賶 賯賷丿 丕賱丨賷丕丞 亘毓丿 毓亘賵乇 丕賱賳賴乇 丕賱賰亘賷乇 "
丕毓噩亘鬲賳賶 乇睾亘鬲賴丕 賮賷 丕賱鬲毓賱賲 貙 賯賵鬲賴丕 貙 廿賳爻丕賳賷鬲賴丕 賵丨賳丕賳賴丕 賵鬲毓丕胤賮賴丕 貙 乇賮囟賴丕 賱賱廿賴丕賳丞 賵氐賱丕亘鬲賴丕 貙 乇賮囟賴丕 賱賱廿爻鬲爻賱丕賲 乇睾賲 賰賱 賲丕 賱丕賯鬲賴 賲賳 兀賴賵丕賱 賵賲氐丕毓亘 . 賰丕賳鬲 鬲毓賵丿 賱鬲賯賮 氐賱亘丞 賵鬲賵丕噩賴 賲丕賷丨丿孬 賱賴丕 賵鬲賯丿賲 丕賱賲爻丕毓丿丞 丿賵賲丕賸 賱賱丌禺乇賷賳 .
" 賰賱 賲丕 兀毓乇賮賴 賴賵 兀賳 賰賱 丕賱匕賷賳 兀丨亘亘鬲賴賲 兀賰孬乇 賲賳 丕賶 卮卅 丌禺乇 貙 鬲賲 丕賳鬲夭丕毓賴賲 賲賳賷 "
" 丌賱丕賲 丕賱賮賯丿 賱丕 鬲匕賴亘 兀亘丿丕賸 . 賵賱賰賳賳賶 兀爻鬲賲乇. 亘胤乇賷賯丞 賲丕 貙 兀賵丕氐賱 丕賱丨賷丕丞."
兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 丕賳鬲賶 賲孬賱 兀毓賱賶 賱賷爻 賮賯胤 賱賱賳爻丕亍 賱賰賳 賱賱亘卮乇 噩賲賷毓丕 賳爻丕亍賸 賵乇噩丕賱 貙 丕賳鬲賶 賲孬丕賱 賱賱賯賵丞 賵丕賱噩乇兀丞 賵丕賱毓胤賮 賵丕賱廿賳爻丕賳賷丞 . 兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 丕賱鬲賶 賯乇乇鬲 丕賳 鬲賰鬲亘 賯氐丞 丨賷丕鬲賴丕 賵賰賱 賲丕 卮丕賴丿鬲賴 亘賳賮爻賴丕 丿賵賳 賲爻丕毓丿丞 賲賳 兀丨丿 賵丿賵賳 兀賳 賷丐孬乇 毓賱賷賴丕 兀丨丿.
鈥�
"- 賯乇乇鬲 兀賳 兀賰鬲亘 賯氐丞 丨賷丕鬲賶
-賲丐賰丿 .. 賵賱賰賳賰 鬲丨鬲丕噩賷賳 廿乇卮丕丿丕鬲賳丕 賱賰賶 ....
-鈥徺呝� 睾賷乇 廿乇卮丕丿丕鬲 .. 卮賰乇丕 噩夭賷賱丕.. 丨賷丕鬲賷..賰賱賲丕鬲賶..賯賱賲賶..兀賳丕 賯丕丿乇丞 毓賱賶 丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞"
鈥徺嗀� 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 賳噩丕丨 亘丕賴乇 賮賷 兀賳 賷噩毓賱賳賶 兀鬲賲丕賴賶 賲毓 兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 賵丨賷丕鬲賴丕 賲賳匕 丕賱胤賮賵賱丞 賲乇賵乇丕 亘廿禺鬲胤丕賮賴丕 賵賲丕賱丕賯鬲賴 丨賷賳賴丕 賵亘毓丿賴丕 貙 卮毓乇鬲 賲毓賴丕 亘兀賱賲 丕賱賵爻賲 "賯胤毓丞 賲毓丿賳賷丞 賲丨賲賷丞 .... 賷睾乇爻賵賳賴丕 賮賵賯 丨賱賲鬲賶 丕賱賷賲賳賶 亘賯賱賷賱. 鬲賲鬲賱卅 禺賷丕卮賷賲賷 亘乇丕卅丨丞 賱丨賲賶 丕賱賲丨鬲乇賯. 兀卮毓乇 亘丕賱兀賱賲 賷爻乇賶 賮賷 兀毓氐丕亘賷 賲孬賱 賲賵噩丞 亘乇賰丕賳賷丞 賲賱鬲賴亘丞"
鈥�
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鈥徹Ｙ嗀� 賲賵爻賵賲丞 賵賲毓 丕賱兀爻賮 賱丕 兀爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 丕賮毓賱 兀賶 卮卅 賷禺賱氐賳賶 賲賳 賴匕賴 丕賱毓賱丕賲丞 貙 丕賱鬲賶 丕丨賲賱賴丕 賲賳匕 丕賳 賰賳鬲 賮賷 丕賱丨丕丿賷丞 毓卮乇丞"
鈥徹� 兀丨爻爻鬲 賲毓賴丕 亘丕賱賯賴乇 賵丕賱賲賴丕賳丞 賵丕賱囟毓賮 .
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鈥�" 賮賯丿鬲 兀賲賶 賵兀亘賶 賵亘賱丿鬲賶. 囟丕毓鬲 賮乇氐鬲賶 賮賷 鬲毓賱賲 賰賱 丕賱氐賱賵丕鬲 丕賱賯乇丌賳賷丞. 賱賲 賷毓丿 賲賲賰賳丕賸 兀賳 賷毓賱賲賳賶 兀亘賶 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 賵丕賱賰鬲丕亘丞貙 賰賲丕 賰丕賳 賷賮毓賱 賮賶 丕賱爻乇 "
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乇賰亘鬲 賲毓賴丕 丕賱爻賮賷賳丞 賵乇兀賷鬲 賲毓賴丕 丕賱兀賴賵丕賱 丕賱鬲賶 丨丿孬鬲 賲毓 賰賱 乇丕賰亘賷 丕賱爻賮賷賳丞 . 賵廿賱賯丕亍 丕賱賲乇囟賶 賵丕賱兀賲賵丕鬲 賲賳賴賲 賮賷 丕賱亘丨乇
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" 賮賷 爻賮賷賳丞 丕賱毓亘賷丿 鬲賱賰 貙乇兀賷鬲 兀卮賷丕亍 賱丕 賷賲賰賳 賱兀賴賱 賱賳丿賳 兀賳 賷氐丿賯賵賴丕 丕亘丿丕賸. 賵賱賰賳賳賶 兀賮賰乇 賮賷 丕賱賳丕爻 丕賱匕賷賳 毓亘乇賵丕 丕賱亘丨乇 賲毓賶. 丕賱匕賷賳 亘賯賵丕 毓賱賶 賯賷丿 丕賱丨賷丕丞. 乇兀賷賳丕 丕賱兀卮賷丕亍 賳賮爻賴丕. 賲丕夭丕賱 亘毓囟賳丕 賷氐乇禺 賮夭毓丕賸 賮賶 賲賳鬲氐賮 丕賱賱賷賱"
鈥徹关簇� 賲毓賴丕 兀丨丿丕孬 賰賱 卮卅 丨丿孬 賲毓賴丕 賮賷 兀賲乇賷賰丕 賵乇兀賷鬲 賳馗乇丕鬲 丕賱亘賷囟 賱賴丕 貙 兀丨爻爻鬲 亘噩乇賵丨賴丕 賵兀賱丕賲賴丕 賵毓卮鬲 賲毓賴丕 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 賰孬賷乇丞. 兀丨亘亘鬲 賲毓賴丕 賵丕賳鬲馗乇鬲 夭賷丕乇丞 丨亘賷亘賴丕 貙 丨賲賱鬲 賲毓賴丕 兀賵賱 賲賵賱賵丿 賱賴丕 .
鈥�
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鈥徹池з佖必� 賲毓賴丕 賵賰鬲亘鬲 賲毓賴丕 賰鬲丕亘 丕賱夭賳賵噩 .兀賳賰爻乇鬲 賲毓賴丕 賵毓丿鬲 孬丕賳賷丞 賱賱賵賯賵賮 . 匕賴亘鬲 賲毓丕 賱賳賷賵賷賵乇賰 賵毓丕氐乇鬲 賮鬲乇丞 丕賱丕爻鬲賯賱丕賱 賵乇兀賷鬲 鬲兀孬賷乇 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 毓賱賷賴丕 . 賮賰丕賳鬲 賴匕賴 丕賱賮鬲乇丞 賲賴賲丞 賮賷 丨賷丕丞 兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 . 兀丨爻爻鬲 亘囟毓賮賴丕 賵賯賵鬲賴丕 賮賷 匕丕鬲 丕賱賵賯鬲 . 賵乇兀賷鬲 亘毓賷賳賷賴丕 賰賱 賲丕賷丨丿孬 兀賲丕賲賴丕 賱賷爻 賮賯胤 賱賴丕 賱賰賳 賱賰賱 賲賳 丨賵賱賴丕 . 賵鬲兀賱賲鬲 賲賳 兀噩賱賴賲 噩賲賷毓丕賸. 賵丨賱賲鬲 賲毓賴丕 丨賱賲賴丕 丕賱匕賷 賱賲 鬲鬲禺賱賶 毓賳賴 賷賵賲丕 " 賰賱 賲丕 兀乇賷丿 兀賳 兀賮毓賱賴 賴賵 丕賱毓賵丿丞 廿賱賶 丕賱賲賰丕賳 丕賱匕賷 賵賱丿鬲 賮賷賴"
毓卮鬲 賲毓賴丕 毓丿賲 賲毓乇賮鬲賴丕 賲賳 兀賷賳 噩丕亍鬲 賵廿賱賶 兀賷賳 賴賶 匕丕賴亘丞 責 賱賲 丕毓乇賮 賲孬賱賴丕 爻賵賶 丕爻賲 賯乇賷鬲賴丕 亘丕賷賵 . 賱賰賳 兀賷賳 賴賶 亘丕賷賵 責 賵廿賱賶 兀賷賳 賷兀禺匕賴丕 禺丕胤賮賷賴丕 責
" - 兀禺匕賵賰 賲賳 廿賮乇賷賯賷丕 賱鬲毓賲賱賶 毓賳丿 丕賱亘賷囟
-兀賮乇賷賯賷丕 .. 賲丕 賴賶 責
-丕賱丕乇囟 丕賱鬲賶 噩卅鬲 賲賳賴丕.
-鈥徺娯迟呝堎嗁囏� 廿賮乇賷賯賷丕責
-鈥徺嗀官�..賱賵 兀賳賰 賲賵賱賵丿丞 賴賳丕賰.. 賷爻賲賵賳賰 廿賮乇賷賯賷丞.. 賵賱賰賳賴賲 賴賳丕 賷爻賲賵賳賳丕 噩賲賷毓丕賸 亘賳賮爻 丕賱兀爻賲丕亍 : 丕賱夭賳賵噩.. 丕賱爻賵丿 .. 賷爻賲賵賳賳丕 亘丕賱鬲丨丿賷丿: 丕賱毓亘賷丿.
-鈥徹关ㄙ娯� 責
-鈥徹关ㄙ娯� .. 賴匕丕 賷毓賳賶 丕賳賳丕 賲賱賰 賱賱亘賷囟
-鈥徺勜池� 賲賱賰丕賸 賱兀丨丿.. 賵賱爻鬲 廿賮乇賷賯賷丞 .. 兀賳丕 亘丕賲丕賳賷丞..賵賮賵賱丕賳賷丞. 兀賳丕 賲賳 亘丕賷賵 賯乇亘 爻賷噩賵.. 賱爻鬲 賰賲丕 鬲賯賵賱 .. 兀賳丕 賱爻鬲 廿賮乇賷賯賷丞"
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"兀賷賳 丕賮乇賷賯賷丕 亘丕賱鬲丨丿賷丿.. 賵賰賷賮 鬲爻鬲胤賷毓 丕賱賵氐賵賱 廿賱賶 賴賳丕賰 責 兀丨賷丕賳丕 兀卮毓乇 亘丕賱禺夭賶 賱兀賳賳賶 賱丕 兀毓乇賮 廿噩丕亘丞 . 賰賷賮 賷賲賰賳 兀賳 丌鬲賶 賲賳 賲賰丕賳貙 賵賱丕 兀毓乇賮 兀賷賳 賴賵 責"
鈥徹ㄘ必嘿� 賰賱 丕賱兀賱賲 賮賷 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 賱賰賳 鬲丨賷丞 賱賱賰丕鬲亘 丕賱匕賷 廿爻鬲胤丕毓 兀賳 賷賳賯賱賳賷 丕賱賶 兀賮乇賷賯賷丕 賵兀賲乇賷賰丕 賵賱賳丿賳 賵噩毓賱賳賷 丕鬲兀孬乇 亘賰賱 賲丕丨丿孬 賵賴匕丕 卮卅 賱賷爻 爻賴賱 丕賳 賷丨丿孬 賲毓賷.
賱丕 兀爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 兀丨賵賱 亘氐乇賷 毓賳賴賲 賵賱丕 兀賳 兀賲賳毓 賳賮爻賶 賲賳 丕賱鬲賮賰賷乇 賮賷 丕賱夭賵噩丕鬲 賵丕賱兀夭賵丕噩 賵丕賱兀亘賳丕亍 賵丕賱丌亘丕亍 丕賱匕賷賳 賮賯丿賵賴賲 賮賷 爻賷乇賴賲 丕賱賲胤乇丿 亘丕鬲噩丕賴 丕賱亘丨乇. 賵賰賱賶 賮夭毓 賲孬賱賴賲 鬲賲丕賲丕賸貙 兀爻鬲胤賷毓 兀賳 兀鬲禺賷賱 鬲賵鬲乇賴賲 賵賴賵 賷鬲氐丕毓丿 丨鬲賶 賷氐賱 廿賱賶 賳賵亘丕鬲 賲賳 丕賱賴爻鬲賷乇賷丕 賵賮賯丿丕賳 丕賱賯丿乇丞 毓賱賶 丕賱賰賱丕賲貙 亘賱 丕賱噩賳賵賳 兀丨賷丕賳丕貙 毓賳丿賲丕 賷鬲賰丿爻賵賳 賰丕賱爻乇丿賷賳 賮賷 爻賮賳 丕賱毓亘賷丿貙 賵賷爻丕賯賵賳 毓亘乇 丕賱亘丨乇 賵賷亘丕毓賵賳貙 廿匕丕 賳噩賵 貙 賮賷 丕賱賲夭丕丿丕鬲."
丨賷賳 賷賰賵賳 丕賱亘卮乇 鬲噩丕乇丞 賷卮丕乇賰 賮賷賴丕 賰賱 賲賳 賷爻鬲胤賷毓 丕賱廿爻鬲賮丕丿丞 賲賳賴丕 貙 丨鬲賶 丕賳 丕賱丕賮丕乇賯丞 兀賳賮爻賴賲 賰丕賳賵丕 賷爻丕毓丿賵賳 賮賷 廿爻鬲毓亘丕丿 丌禺乇賷賳 賲賳 亘賳賶 噩賳爻賴賲 貙 賷禺胤賮賵賳賴賲 貙 賷賯賵賲賵賳 亘丕賱賲爻丕賵賲丞 毓賱賷賴賲 賵亘賷毓賴賲 . 丕賳 賷氐亘丨 兀 禺賷賰 賮賷 丕賱賵胤賳 賴賵 丕賱丌禺乇 毓丿賵賰 賴匕賴 賲兀爻丕丞 兀賯賵賶 賵兀卮丿 賲賳 賲鬲丕噩乇丞 丕賱亘賷囟 亘賴賲 .
" 賷亘丿賵 賱賶 兀賳 丕賱鬲噩丕乇丞 賮賷 丕賱亘卮乇 賱賳 鬲賳鬲賴賶貙 胤丕賱賲丕 亘賯賷鬲 賱亘毓囟 丕賱賳丕爻 丨乇賷丞 丕賯鬲賳丕亍 丕賱丌禺乇賷賳 "
佟贍 / 伲 / 佗贍佗佗
December 18, 2014
This is definitely the best book I read in 2011 and one I will remember for a long time. Aminata Diallo is such a powerful character, a woman who had to deal with so much in her life but came out with a small victory in the end. Slavery is something we all know about but it's very rare we really think about what the slaves went through, and how they were forced to adopt to a new culture and life separated from their family and homeland.Lawrence Hill did exceptional work on this book.
July 8, 2017
UPDATE: $1.99 Kindle special today! It's soooooooo GOOD!!!
Lisi: (my best friend since Jr. High School). Thank you for last week-end!
NOTE: If you have received your mail, I have started this book which you told me I MUST MUST read. I started it this morning.
WOW....I'm hooked already! WONDERFUL ---just as you said!!!!
Thanks *Ilyce*! (luv, ya...'Hi to Ken')
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WOW!!!! I could not stop thinking about this story even when I wasn't reading it. (I'll be thinking about this book for a long time)!
"The Book of Negroes" is a real historical document -which lists names of slaves who chose to leave the United States to go to Canada. (had to be frightening).
This book is packed-filled with history- and struggles for survival. Slave-trades? --my God ---what a journey you're taken on by excellent writing of the author Lawrence Hill!
The storytelling is TOP QUALITY ---absorbing ---page after page!!! Amazing characters, (indomitable heroine), times, places, human suffering, and eventual freedom.
Its a long thick-fat paper-back book ---but I enjoyed reading EVERY WORD!. I 'couldn't skip over anything!
Very impressive epic novel!! Cheers to Lawrence Hill!
Lisi: (my best friend since Jr. High School). Thank you for last week-end!
NOTE: If you have received your mail, I have started this book which you told me I MUST MUST read. I started it this morning.
WOW....I'm hooked already! WONDERFUL ---just as you said!!!!
Thanks *Ilyce*! (luv, ya...'Hi to Ken')
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WOW!!!! I could not stop thinking about this story even when I wasn't reading it. (I'll be thinking about this book for a long time)!
"The Book of Negroes" is a real historical document -which lists names of slaves who chose to leave the United States to go to Canada. (had to be frightening).
This book is packed-filled with history- and struggles for survival. Slave-trades? --my God ---what a journey you're taken on by excellent writing of the author Lawrence Hill!
The storytelling is TOP QUALITY ---absorbing ---page after page!!! Amazing characters, (indomitable heroine), times, places, human suffering, and eventual freedom.
Its a long thick-fat paper-back book ---but I enjoyed reading EVERY WORD!. I 'couldn't skip over anything!
Very impressive epic novel!! Cheers to Lawrence Hill!
August 20, 2024
A moving indictment of Canada's part in the history of slavery!
Many of us will remember being moved to tears by the power and depth of ROOTS, Alex Haley's compelling novel on the slave trade that was published almost 40 years ago. Lawrence Hill's THE BOOK OF NEGROES gives contemporary readers the opportunity to savour a very similar novel and to experience the horror, shame and embarrassment of acknowledging that such abhorrent conduct towards black people is an indelible part of North America's past.
I was fascinated to discover that the THE BOOK OF NEGROES is a real historical document. It painstakingly lists the names and details of freed Loyalist slaves who chose to leave the United States to go to Canada, a difficult and frightening decision that, for them, must have seemed no less daunting than the Israelite's search for the Promised Land. To my shame as a Canadian, many of the blacks who were part of this migration discovered that their treatment in Nova Scotia was just as reactionary and oppressive as that which they had hoped to leave behind as freed slaves in the northern states of New England.
Constructing his novel around the fact of this amazing document, Lawrence Hill has presented THE BOOK OF NEGROES as a fictionalized autobiography. Aminata Diallo, a precocious and brave young girl kidnapped from her village in West Africa, marched in chains to the Atlantic coast, squashed into the hold of a stifling, disease-ridden slaver and shipped to South Carolina where she was sold as a slave, tells her own story. We hear of the love and loss of her husband, her life as a slave under multiple owners, her migration to Nova Scotia, her return to Freetown in Sierra Leone and, ultimately, her trip to England and the presentation of her fascinating but appalling story to the British people through the members of British Parliament seeking to abolish slavery.
The history that Lawrence Hill presents to us is at once spellbinding and repulsive. The incredible art and archival material that Hill has chosen to accompany the text in the illustrated edition starkly bring the story to life. We are reminded that, while THE BOOK OF NEGROES is a novel, it is based in a reality the horror of which is almost impossible to exaggerate. As a Canadian, I felt, frankly, that I had been soundly slapped for an entirely unwarranted sanctimonious attitude. Until I read THE BOOK OF NEGROES, I was blissfully unaware of the extent of Canada's involvement in the ugliness that was the treatment of ostensibly free black people when they moved to Canada.
February 2010 is Black History month. I urge every reader to take the time to participate in this worthy event by reading Lawrence Hill's THE BOOK OF NEGROES. Perhaps, in time, bigotry and racism will come to be no more than a historical memory.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
Many of us will remember being moved to tears by the power and depth of ROOTS, Alex Haley's compelling novel on the slave trade that was published almost 40 years ago. Lawrence Hill's THE BOOK OF NEGROES gives contemporary readers the opportunity to savour a very similar novel and to experience the horror, shame and embarrassment of acknowledging that such abhorrent conduct towards black people is an indelible part of North America's past.
I was fascinated to discover that the THE BOOK OF NEGROES is a real historical document. It painstakingly lists the names and details of freed Loyalist slaves who chose to leave the United States to go to Canada, a difficult and frightening decision that, for them, must have seemed no less daunting than the Israelite's search for the Promised Land. To my shame as a Canadian, many of the blacks who were part of this migration discovered that their treatment in Nova Scotia was just as reactionary and oppressive as that which they had hoped to leave behind as freed slaves in the northern states of New England.
Constructing his novel around the fact of this amazing document, Lawrence Hill has presented THE BOOK OF NEGROES as a fictionalized autobiography. Aminata Diallo, a precocious and brave young girl kidnapped from her village in West Africa, marched in chains to the Atlantic coast, squashed into the hold of a stifling, disease-ridden slaver and shipped to South Carolina where she was sold as a slave, tells her own story. We hear of the love and loss of her husband, her life as a slave under multiple owners, her migration to Nova Scotia, her return to Freetown in Sierra Leone and, ultimately, her trip to England and the presentation of her fascinating but appalling story to the British people through the members of British Parliament seeking to abolish slavery.
The history that Lawrence Hill presents to us is at once spellbinding and repulsive. The incredible art and archival material that Hill has chosen to accompany the text in the illustrated edition starkly bring the story to life. We are reminded that, while THE BOOK OF NEGROES is a novel, it is based in a reality the horror of which is almost impossible to exaggerate. As a Canadian, I felt, frankly, that I had been soundly slapped for an entirely unwarranted sanctimonious attitude. Until I read THE BOOK OF NEGROES, I was blissfully unaware of the extent of Canada's involvement in the ugliness that was the treatment of ostensibly free black people when they moved to Canada.
February 2010 is Black History month. I urge every reader to take the time to participate in this worthy event by reading Lawrence Hill's THE BOOK OF NEGROES. Perhaps, in time, bigotry and racism will come to be no more than a historical memory.
Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
February 10, 2025
毓賱賶 毓賰爻 毓丕丿鬲賷 兀孬賳丕亍 賯乇丕亍丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丕鬲貙 賵兀賳丕 亘賯乇兀 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丿賷 賲賰鬲亘鬲卮 兀賷 賲賱丕丨馗丕鬲貙 賲丨丿丿鬲卮 兀賷 丕賯鬲亘丕爻丕鬲 兀賳賯賱賴丕 賮賷 丕賱賲乇丕噩毓丞貙 賲賰鬲亘鬲卮 丕賷賴 毓丕噩亘賳賷 賵丕賷賴 賲卮 毓丕噩亘賳賷貙 賱匕丕 賲卮 毓丕乇賮丞 兀賰鬲亘 賲乇丕噩毓丞 丿賱賵賯鬲賷.
胤賷亘 丕賷賴 丕賱爻亘亘責 賷賲賰賳 毓卮丕賳 賰賳鬲 亘賯乇兀賴丕 毓賱賶 兀爻丕爻 廿賳賴丕 丨賯賷賯賷丞貙 賲卮 賯丕丿乇丞 兀賮乇賯 亘賷賳 丕賱丨賯賷賯丞 賵賲禺賷賱丞 丕賱賲丐賱賮貙 賮賲賷賳賮毓卮 兀賯賵賱 廿賳 丕賱丨丿孬 丕賱賲毓賷賳 賲卮 賲賯賳毓 賲孬賱賸丕貙 兀賵 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 丕賱賮賱丕賳賷丞 賲卮 賲亘賳賷丞 賰賵賷爻貙 兀賳丕 亘鬲毓丕賲賱 廿賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丿丕 爻乇丿 賱鬲丕乇賷禺 丨賯賷賯賷貙 賲卮 乇賵丕賷丞.
毓丕乇賮丞 廿賳 丿丕 賲卮 氐丨貙 賵廿賳 丿乇丕爻丞 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 賱賴丕 賰鬲亘賴丕 賵賲氐丕丿乇賴丕 丕賱賲毓乇賵賮丞貙 賮賴丨丕賵賱 兀毓乇賮 毓賳 鬲噩丕乇丞 丕賱毓亘賷丿 賲賳 賲氐丕丿乇 賲賵孬賵賯丞貙 禺丕氐丞賸 廿賳 賮賷 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 兀賳丕 亘卮賰 賮賷賴丕 夭賷 廿賳 賰丕賳 賮賷賴 兀賮丕乇賯丞 亘賷爻丕毓丿賵丕 鬲噩丕乇 丕賱毓亘賷丿貙 賵卮禺氐賷丞 "賮丕鬲賷賲丕" 丕賱賱賷 鬲賯乇賷亘賸丕 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丨胤賴丕 毓卮丕賳 亘爻 賷賯賵賱 廿賳 賮賷賴 兀賮丕乇賯丞 乇賮囟賵丕 賷爻丕毓丿賵丕 兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 賵丕毓鬲亘乇賵賴丕 賵丕丨丿丞 賲賳 丕賱亘賷囟!!
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丿賷 氐毓亘丞 兀賵賷貙 賵賲丐賱賲丞貙 賵爻丕亘鬲 噩賵丕賷丕 賲卮丕毓乇 賰乇丕賴賷丞 賵丨賯丿 賵睾囟亘 鬲噩丕賴 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賰賱賴. 賰賳鬲 亘鬲賵賯賮 毓賳 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 賱賮鬲乇丞 亘毓丿 賰賱 丨丿孬 氐丕丿賲 - 賵賲丕 兀賰孬乇 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 丕賱氐丕丿賲丞 賮賷 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞! - 賱兀賳賴丕 鬲毓亘鬲賳賷 賵賲卮 賯丕丿乇丞 兀賰賲賱. 賱賰賳 禺賱氐鬲賴丕貙 賵賵氐賱鬲 賱賱賳賴丕賷丞貙 丕賱賱賷 亘丕賱賲賳丕爻亘丞 賳賴丕賷丞 丨賱賵丞 賵賲購乇囟賷丞.
乇賵丕賷丞 鬲爻鬲丨賯 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞.
胤賷亘 丕賷賴 丕賱爻亘亘責 賷賲賰賳 毓卮丕賳 賰賳鬲 亘賯乇兀賴丕 毓賱賶 兀爻丕爻 廿賳賴丕 丨賯賷賯賷丞貙 賲卮 賯丕丿乇丞 兀賮乇賯 亘賷賳 丕賱丨賯賷賯丞 賵賲禺賷賱丞 丕賱賲丐賱賮貙 賮賲賷賳賮毓卮 兀賯賵賱 廿賳 丕賱丨丿孬 丕賱賲毓賷賳 賲卮 賲賯賳毓 賲孬賱賸丕貙 兀賵 丕賱卮禺氐賷丞 丕賱賮賱丕賳賷丞 賲卮 賲亘賳賷丞 賰賵賷爻貙 兀賳丕 亘鬲毓丕賲賱 廿賳 丕賱賰鬲丕亘 丿丕 爻乇丿 賱鬲丕乇賷禺 丨賯賷賯賷貙 賲卮 乇賵丕賷丞.
毓丕乇賮丞 廿賳 丿丕 賲卮 氐丨貙 賵廿賳 丿乇丕爻丞 丕賱鬲丕乇賷禺 賱賴丕 賰鬲亘賴丕 賵賲氐丕丿乇賴丕 丕賱賲毓乇賵賮丞貙 賮賴丨丕賵賱 兀毓乇賮 毓賳 鬲噩丕乇丞 丕賱毓亘賷丿 賲賳 賲氐丕丿乇 賲賵孬賵賯丞貙 禺丕氐丞賸 廿賳 賮賷 鬲賮丕氐賷賱 兀賳丕 亘卮賰 賮賷賴丕 夭賷 廿賳 賰丕賳 賮賷賴 兀賮丕乇賯丞 亘賷爻丕毓丿賵丕 鬲噩丕乇 丕賱毓亘賷丿貙 賵卮禺氐賷丞 "賮丕鬲賷賲丕" 丕賱賱賷 鬲賯乇賷亘賸丕 丕賱賰丕鬲亘 丨胤賴丕 毓卮丕賳 亘爻 賷賯賵賱 廿賳 賮賷賴 兀賮丕乇賯丞 乇賮囟賵丕 賷爻丕毓丿賵丕 兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 賵丕毓鬲亘乇賵賴丕 賵丕丨丿丞 賲賳 丕賱亘賷囟!!
丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 丿賷 氐毓亘丞 兀賵賷貙 賵賲丐賱賲丞貙 賵爻丕亘鬲 噩賵丕賷丕 賲卮丕毓乇 賰乇丕賴賷丞 賵丨賯丿 賵睾囟亘 鬲噩丕賴 丕賱毓丕賱賲 賰賱賴. 賰賳鬲 亘鬲賵賯賮 毓賳 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞 賱賮鬲乇丞 亘毓丿 賰賱 丨丿孬 氐丕丿賲 - 賵賲丕 兀賰孬乇 丕賱兀丨丿丕孬 丕賱氐丕丿賲丞 賮賷 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞! - 賱兀賳賴丕 鬲毓亘鬲賳賷 賵賲卮 賯丕丿乇丞 兀賰賲賱. 賱賰賳 禺賱氐鬲賴丕貙 賵賵氐賱鬲 賱賱賳賴丕賷丞貙 丕賱賱賷 亘丕賱賲賳丕爻亘丞 賳賴丕賷丞 丨賱賵丞 賵賲購乇囟賷丞.
乇賵丕賷丞 鬲爻鬲丨賯 丕賱賯乇丕亍丞.
December 11, 2020
Abducted by slave traders as a young child, Aminata is a survivor. She is taken so far from home that her ultimate vow is to get back. This is her powerful story that will make you laugh, tear and jump for joy all at the same time. Powerful. Moving. Memorable. The Book of Negroes will stay with you long after you have read it.
I couldn't put this one down. I know it seems like such a daunting read and the font is tiny, but trust me, you'll fly through this. There are times it's heart-breaking, so I had to pause and not read it for a day but I couldn't wait to get back to it. The characters are so vivid and so real. The amount of research that was put into motion is clearly evident when you're reading her harrowing journey. You can't help but feel like you went on this journey with her. The story is one of survival and also one where our main character can't call anywhere else "home." Aminata is one character to admire, that's a fact.听
I'd give this a billion more stars if I could. Such an excellent book!!! I cried tears of sadness and joy all at the same time. Now I can finish watching the rest of the TV show adaptation. The writing is excellent and the story and the characters and just everything about it screams "classic."听
RATING 5/5
QUOTES
鈥淚 prayed that this was a dream, but the dream would not relent.鈥� (33)
鈥淭hat, I decided, was what it meant to be a slave: your past didn't matter; in the present you were invisible and you had no claim on the future.鈥� (215)
鈥淚 knew that it would be called United States. But I refused to speak that name. There was nothing united about a nation that said all men were created equal, but that kept my people in chains.鈥� (349)
鈥淚t's about more than land. It's about freedom. Negroes want to make our own lives.鈥� (411)
鈥淚 had learned that there were times when fighting was impossible, when the best thing to do was to wait and to learn.鈥� (424)
鈥淭hey did not attempt to enslave us, but nor did they set us free.鈥� (433)
鈥淪ometimes a deal with the devil is better than no deal at all.鈥� (461)
鈥淲ho was to blame for all this evil, and who had started it?鈥� (473)
I couldn't put this one down. I know it seems like such a daunting read and the font is tiny, but trust me, you'll fly through this. There are times it's heart-breaking, so I had to pause and not read it for a day but I couldn't wait to get back to it. The characters are so vivid and so real. The amount of research that was put into motion is clearly evident when you're reading her harrowing journey. You can't help but feel like you went on this journey with her. The story is one of survival and also one where our main character can't call anywhere else "home." Aminata is one character to admire, that's a fact.听
I'd give this a billion more stars if I could. Such an excellent book!!! I cried tears of sadness and joy all at the same time. Now I can finish watching the rest of the TV show adaptation. The writing is excellent and the story and the characters and just everything about it screams "classic."听
RATING 5/5
QUOTES
鈥淚 prayed that this was a dream, but the dream would not relent.鈥� (33)
鈥淭hat, I decided, was what it meant to be a slave: your past didn't matter; in the present you were invisible and you had no claim on the future.鈥� (215)
鈥淚 knew that it would be called United States. But I refused to speak that name. There was nothing united about a nation that said all men were created equal, but that kept my people in chains.鈥� (349)
鈥淚t's about more than land. It's about freedom. Negroes want to make our own lives.鈥� (411)
鈥淚 had learned that there were times when fighting was impossible, when the best thing to do was to wait and to learn.鈥� (424)
鈥淭hey did not attempt to enslave us, but nor did they set us free.鈥� (433)
鈥淪ometimes a deal with the devil is better than no deal at all.鈥� (461)
鈥淲ho was to blame for all this evil, and who had started it?鈥� (473)
October 20, 2009
My expectations were set really high for this one. It sat proudly at the top of my to-read pile with an imposing 4.40 average across close to 1400 ratings.
Now, I'm not one of those dinks who look to read popular novels (see Da Vinci Code pinheads) just so they can turn their haughty noses up on them and knock down averages), but I'm afraid my rating will knock this average down just a notch. Not because I'm a pinhead, but because
The Book of Negroes lacks what I need in a novel.
Time and again, when I read these types of novels, I can't help but hold them up to the bars that were raised by Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance, or Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. Particularly . That novel tore my heart apart. Mistry had developed those characters so well, that with every turmoil or setback they came up against, I hurt with them, I rooted for them,I damn near cried for them.
The slave trade is one of the truly dark stains on our history. All of those wasted lives, and families torn apart forever. How could this story of a girl sold into slavery and sent halfway around the world be anything but tragic?
While I felt for everything she had gone through, and felt for her losses, the betrayals, I didn't feel a whole lot for her.
The Book of Negroes reads like an autobiography, but this is a novel. I need novels to be rich in character development to engage me enough to care not only what is going on with them, but to care about them as if I know them.
There are rare exceptions to my rule (Brian Lumley's Necroscope series for one, and hey, if you're the type of person who will read everything from Book of Negroes to Necroscope, well, you are a kindred spirit to yours truly. Anyways...), but, by and large, strong characters are IT for me, and I found Hill to be somewhat lacking in this skill. There are some authors out there (Stephen King is one, John Irving is another)
who can paint a vivid picture of a character with the subtlest of details or quirks in the space of one paragraph, that will stick with you through the entire story. I found through this story, Aminata relays these terrible things that are happening to her, and I felt like nothing more than a bystander, albeit feeling sadness that these types of things really happened, much in the way I felt it when I learned about this in history class. I also found his prose to be just a little too simple.
Anyways, I'm rambling here and more or less repeating myself. Bottom line: I liked the story. I had hit a point with about 100 pages to go where I was anxious to move on to something else, but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did.
Hill did touch me emotionally with the last few pages, so don't think that I didn't feel anything at all for Aminata. I just didn't feel it a whole lot through most of the story. There I go repeating myself again.
Okay. Good story. Thinly developed characters. Recommended for those interested in this point in history. And there were parts to the story where the plight of her people really hit me. Oh yeah, and I loved reading about what New York City was like in the late 1700s. Follow Broadway to the woods. That's rich.
Now, I'm not one of those dinks who look to read popular novels (see Da Vinci Code pinheads) just so they can turn their haughty noses up on them and knock down averages), but I'm afraid my rating will knock this average down just a notch. Not because I'm a pinhead, but because
The Book of Negroes lacks what I need in a novel.
Time and again, when I read these types of novels, I can't help but hold them up to the bars that were raised by Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance, or Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns. Particularly . That novel tore my heart apart. Mistry had developed those characters so well, that with every turmoil or setback they came up against, I hurt with them, I rooted for them,I damn near cried for them.
The slave trade is one of the truly dark stains on our history. All of those wasted lives, and families torn apart forever. How could this story of a girl sold into slavery and sent halfway around the world be anything but tragic?
While I felt for everything she had gone through, and felt for her losses, the betrayals, I didn't feel a whole lot for her.
The Book of Negroes reads like an autobiography, but this is a novel. I need novels to be rich in character development to engage me enough to care not only what is going on with them, but to care about them as if I know them.
There are rare exceptions to my rule (Brian Lumley's Necroscope series for one, and hey, if you're the type of person who will read everything from Book of Negroes to Necroscope, well, you are a kindred spirit to yours truly. Anyways...), but, by and large, strong characters are IT for me, and I found Hill to be somewhat lacking in this skill. There are some authors out there (Stephen King is one, John Irving is another)
who can paint a vivid picture of a character with the subtlest of details or quirks in the space of one paragraph, that will stick with you through the entire story. I found through this story, Aminata relays these terrible things that are happening to her, and I felt like nothing more than a bystander, albeit feeling sadness that these types of things really happened, much in the way I felt it when I learned about this in history class. I also found his prose to be just a little too simple.
Anyways, I'm rambling here and more or less repeating myself. Bottom line: I liked the story. I had hit a point with about 100 pages to go where I was anxious to move on to something else, but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did.
Hill did touch me emotionally with the last few pages, so don't think that I didn't feel anything at all for Aminata. I just didn't feel it a whole lot through most of the story. There I go repeating myself again.
Okay. Good story. Thinly developed characters. Recommended for those interested in this point in history. And there were parts to the story where the plight of her people really hit me. Oh yeah, and I loved reading about what New York City was like in the late 1700s. Follow Broadway to the woods. That's rich.
August 10, 2018
EVERYBODY PLEASE READ THIS BOOK NOW!!!!!!!!
I felt a whole range of emotions when reading this book. I can't even form a complete review to give Hill's novel justice. However, I will say that this is the type of book that demands to be read and more importantly, to reach a vast readership. It demands that you sit down and put your WHOLE heart into reading this novel. I say this because this story doesn't fully release the reader until they have hit the very last page and felt every emotion one could ever think to feel and even then, Hill's writing grips you and won't let you rest. In short, this book requires a lot out of its readers.
Case in point, when I read this book, it begged me as a reader to do so in small increments because I felt as if I was making the same painful journey into slavery that Aminata Diallo was thrust into at the mere age of eleven years old. Out of frustration and anger, I turned to to cleanse my pallet before I could continue on. The book is by no means a simple or quick read. Rushing through this book would be a HUGE mistake for any reader. I beseech everyone who reads this review to READ this book AND to spread the word, Hill's novel deserves to be the next phenomenon.
I felt a whole range of emotions when reading this book. I can't even form a complete review to give Hill's novel justice. However, I will say that this is the type of book that demands to be read and more importantly, to reach a vast readership. It demands that you sit down and put your WHOLE heart into reading this novel. I say this because this story doesn't fully release the reader until they have hit the very last page and felt every emotion one could ever think to feel and even then, Hill's writing grips you and won't let you rest. In short, this book requires a lot out of its readers.
Case in point, when I read this book, it begged me as a reader to do so in small increments because I felt as if I was making the same painful journey into slavery that Aminata Diallo was thrust into at the mere age of eleven years old. Out of frustration and anger, I turned to to cleanse my pallet before I could continue on. The book is by no means a simple or quick read. Rushing through this book would be a HUGE mistake for any reader. I beseech everyone who reads this review to READ this book AND to spread the word, Hill's novel deserves to be the next phenomenon.
June 14, 2020
Blame is on me. I expected a lot from this story but it didn't meet them, so I am a wee bit disappointed.
June 12, 2023
They say home is where the heart is. For Aminata Diallo, our strong female protagonist, all she wanted was nothing more than to return to her home in Africa after being captured at the terrifyingly young age of 11 and sold into slavery.
Written in first person point of view, you are right there with Aminata throughout all the horrors she endures during her long life in her fight for survival. All the losses, inequality, injustices, broken promises, pain, and suffering. This isn鈥檛 a light read. It鈥檚 a tearjerker and quite agonizing. But it鈥檚 definitely worth a read. From the very first few pages, I was whisked away into Aminata鈥檚 life and mind. The writing instantly displayed strong prose and a poetic flow. I鈥檝e read other books set in this time period revolved around slavery but never one quite like this due to its extremely personal account and attention to time period specific details in relation to actual events. This story actually starts at the origin鈥擜frica itself, and I learned so many things I actually never knew.
One of the strongest quotes Aminata uses to describe how slavery appeared to her in Africa:
"I imagined the biggest lion of my land--as big as the lion mountain on shore, but living and breathing and hungry....the lion had already rampaged through the villages and swallowed all the people live, and was now keeping them stacked and barely breathing in the faint light of its belly."
I will be haunted for some time by the imagery and losses represented in this story. Though its focus isn鈥檛 on the sheer brutality of such traumatic scenes, you are aware they happened and the emotions themselves linger. Thankfully, Aminata doesn鈥檛 lose herself completely in these images/experiences. She鈥檚 very strong considering her young age. But even as she grows older, the very mention of the slave ships bring her right back to her capture experience. Most definitely representing what we now know as a true form of PTSD. The slave ships represent the end for so many and the beginning of a lifetime of suffering and captivity for others. They definitely stuck with me too throughout the whole story, so I can only imagine鈥�..
What I love most though about this story is that through it all Aminata stays true to who she was born as鈥攈er name and where she came from despite even being renamed by the toubabu; she consistently holds onto that one piece of herself which seems impossible considering the trauma she has faced for an entire lifetime. During the capture, the book references adults simply losing their minds after being captured. Losing the ability to speak or follow directions. But Aminata only develops a stronger mind. Perhaps it is because she was so young when it happened? They say children are more easily resilient in that sense.
I also appreciated learning that the Book of Negroes actually existed! What a powerful piece of history. A book beaming with renewed hope and an opportunity of escape from the slavery chains of America.
"I knew that it would be called the United States. There was nothing united about a nation that said all men were created equal, but that kept my people in chains."
~ Aminata
It was also interesting to learn what effect the British Americans had on slavery even though the outcome was also disappointing and bleak. I am looking forward to watching the miniseries based on the book even though I know it will be an emotionally rough experience. The book was very well written and unforgettable.
Written in first person point of view, you are right there with Aminata throughout all the horrors she endures during her long life in her fight for survival. All the losses, inequality, injustices, broken promises, pain, and suffering. This isn鈥檛 a light read. It鈥檚 a tearjerker and quite agonizing. But it鈥檚 definitely worth a read. From the very first few pages, I was whisked away into Aminata鈥檚 life and mind. The writing instantly displayed strong prose and a poetic flow. I鈥檝e read other books set in this time period revolved around slavery but never one quite like this due to its extremely personal account and attention to time period specific details in relation to actual events. This story actually starts at the origin鈥擜frica itself, and I learned so many things I actually never knew.
One of the strongest quotes Aminata uses to describe how slavery appeared to her in Africa:
"I imagined the biggest lion of my land--as big as the lion mountain on shore, but living and breathing and hungry....the lion had already rampaged through the villages and swallowed all the people live, and was now keeping them stacked and barely breathing in the faint light of its belly."
I will be haunted for some time by the imagery and losses represented in this story. Though its focus isn鈥檛 on the sheer brutality of such traumatic scenes, you are aware they happened and the emotions themselves linger. Thankfully, Aminata doesn鈥檛 lose herself completely in these images/experiences. She鈥檚 very strong considering her young age. But even as she grows older, the very mention of the slave ships bring her right back to her capture experience. Most definitely representing what we now know as a true form of PTSD. The slave ships represent the end for so many and the beginning of a lifetime of suffering and captivity for others. They definitely stuck with me too throughout the whole story, so I can only imagine鈥�..
What I love most though about this story is that through it all Aminata stays true to who she was born as鈥攈er name and where she came from despite even being renamed by the toubabu; she consistently holds onto that one piece of herself which seems impossible considering the trauma she has faced for an entire lifetime. During the capture, the book references adults simply losing their minds after being captured. Losing the ability to speak or follow directions. But Aminata only develops a stronger mind. Perhaps it is because she was so young when it happened? They say children are more easily resilient in that sense.
I also appreciated learning that the Book of Negroes actually existed! What a powerful piece of history. A book beaming with renewed hope and an opportunity of escape from the slavery chains of America.
"I knew that it would be called the United States. There was nothing united about a nation that said all men were created equal, but that kept my people in chains."
~ Aminata
It was also interesting to learn what effect the British Americans had on slavery even though the outcome was also disappointing and bleak. I am looking forward to watching the miniseries based on the book even though I know it will be an emotionally rough experience. The book was very well written and unforgettable.
February 12, 2021
My family is anti conditions-of-blacks-in-the-American-south type of literature. I was taught to avoid being "one of those black people who obsess over slavery" and focus on our future. Being born in Canada and growing up in an East African/West Indian family, there was a belief that the American slave experience was somehow not "our" experience. With that said, the only reason I read this book is because the author is from Canada. Shallow, but true.
The story is told in retrospect through the eyes of the main character, Aminata. Her character is complex. She is a strong woman, yet she worries about her appearance and acceptance, at times she questions herself, she feels tenderness for her loved ones, she feels fear and sadness. To her benefit (and at times to her detriment), she is assertive throughout her journey. Despite loss, violation, and overt and covert attempts to "put her in her place" she remains dignified. I loved the way all of the characters were portrayed. White doesn't necessarily mean bad/enemy. Black doesn't necessarily mean good/friend. And then there are the people in between (Jewish, Mulatto) trying to find a balance between being an insider and outsider.
The novel covers about a 50ish year period. It explains some of the historical connections between the roles of Africa, USA, Canada, Europe, (with a touch of the West Indies) in the slave trade. But it also addresses some issues that persist to this day (defining cultural and religious identity, relations between minority groups). Because the book was so expansive, there are points in the story towards the end that seem rushed in terms of character/plot development. However, this works on some level because the circumstances in the plot suggest that Aminata herself may have been rushed towards the end of writing her story....but I could also be making excuses for the author because I like the book. This is actually the first book I have read about the slave trade, but it will definitely not be my last.
The story is told in retrospect through the eyes of the main character, Aminata. Her character is complex. She is a strong woman, yet she worries about her appearance and acceptance, at times she questions herself, she feels tenderness for her loved ones, she feels fear and sadness. To her benefit (and at times to her detriment), she is assertive throughout her journey. Despite loss, violation, and overt and covert attempts to "put her in her place" she remains dignified. I loved the way all of the characters were portrayed. White doesn't necessarily mean bad/enemy. Black doesn't necessarily mean good/friend. And then there are the people in between (Jewish, Mulatto) trying to find a balance between being an insider and outsider.
The novel covers about a 50ish year period. It explains some of the historical connections between the roles of Africa, USA, Canada, Europe, (with a touch of the West Indies) in the slave trade. But it also addresses some issues that persist to this day (defining cultural and religious identity, relations between minority groups). Because the book was so expansive, there are points in the story towards the end that seem rushed in terms of character/plot development. However, this works on some level because the circumstances in the plot suggest that Aminata herself may have been rushed towards the end of writing her story....but I could also be making excuses for the author because I like the book. This is actually the first book I have read about the slave trade, but it will definitely not be my last.
January 10, 2019
I loved this book from the beginning. Read it for book club and so glad I did. The novel tells the story of a young girl stolen from her village in Africa to be sold into slavery. As an old woman she is recounting the story of her life. This is where our story begins.
Aminata is sold to several masters and then finally gains her freedom. She is part of a large exodus from the US by the British who had promised them freedom if they fought for the British or helped them in any way during the revolutionary war. They are taken to Nova Scotia only to once again encounter prejudice and no jobs, land or opportunity to form a good life.
Eventually they are offered a trip back to Africa to found a new colony. She takes this opportunity and tries to find her home village. She goes through many trials and hardships but always hangs on to her "true self". she is finally rewarded with passage to London and an opportunity to tell her story.
I would highly recommend this book, it is very well written with descriptions of Aminata that made me feel as though I knew her.
***All time favorite novel with great heart and a revelation about the British and slavery that I had never known existed***
Aminata is sold to several masters and then finally gains her freedom. She is part of a large exodus from the US by the British who had promised them freedom if they fought for the British or helped them in any way during the revolutionary war. They are taken to Nova Scotia only to once again encounter prejudice and no jobs, land or opportunity to form a good life.
Eventually they are offered a trip back to Africa to found a new colony. She takes this opportunity and tries to find her home village. She goes through many trials and hardships but always hangs on to her "true self". she is finally rewarded with passage to London and an opportunity to tell her story.
I would highly recommend this book, it is very well written with descriptions of Aminata that made me feel as though I knew her.
***All time favorite novel with great heart and a revelation about the British and slavery that I had never known existed***
January 19, 2021
賱賵 胤賱亘 賲賳賷 丕丨丿 丕賱丕氐丿賯丕亍 丕賳 丕賯鬲乇丨 毓賱賷賴 乇賵丕賷丞 賮賲賳 丕賱賲丐賰丿 丕賳 賰鬲丕亘 丕賱夭賳賵噩 爻鬲賰賵賳 丕丨丿 丕賴賲 禺賷丕乇丕鬲賷 , 丕賱爻乇丿 賴賳丕 賲鬲毓丞 賯氐賵賶 賵 毓匕賵亘丞 禺丕賱氐丞 , 丕賱賰賱賲丕鬲 鬲噩乇賷 賮賵賯 丕賱賱爻丕賳 賵丕賱毓賯賱 賱鬲賲鬲賱賰 禺賷丕賱 丕賱賯丕乇卅 賮賱丕 賷噩丿 賲賮乇 爻賵賶 丕賳 賷賰賵賳 卮丕賴丿 賵 噩夭亍 賲賳 丕賱賯氐丞 , 賵亘丕賱乇睾賲 賲賳 丕賳 丕賱賲賵囟賵毓 賷丨鬲賲賱 賰孬賷乇丕 賲賳 丕賱賲兀爻丕丞 丕賱丕 丕賳 丕賱賯氐丞 亘毓賷丿丞 毓賳 丕亘鬲夭丕夭 丕賱賲卮丕毓乇 亘丕賱氐賵乇 丕賱賲毓賱亘丞 亘賱 賮賷賴丕 噩賵賴乇 丕賱賲毓丕賳丕丞 賵 丕賱賲兀爻丕丞 賵丨鬲賶 賱賵 賰賳鬲 賲賳 賯爻丕丞 丕賱賯賱賵亘 賲孬賱賷 爻兀囟賲賳 賱賰 丕賱亘賰丕亍 賲乇丞 毓賱賶 丕賱丕賯賱 , 賴匕賴 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 兀賮囟賱 賲丕 賯乇兀鬲賴 丕賵 卮丕賴丿鬲賴 毓賳 夭賲丕賳 丕賱毓亘賵丿賷丞 丕賱丕爻賵丿 , 亘賱 丕賱丕亘賷囟 , 賮丕丨賷丕賳丕 賷賰賵賳 丕賱賱賵賳 丕賱丕亘賷囟 丕卮丿 亘睾囟丕
October 3, 2024
I read this book over 10 years ago.
It was perfect. The writing was stellar and the author did an amazing job making me FEEL everything he was trying to say.
Today in a FB group someone asked for a book recommendation that was historical fiction but not WWII. This is the first book I thought of.
I wish I could read it again for the first time.
It was perfect. The writing was stellar and the author did an amazing job making me FEEL everything he was trying to say.
Today in a FB group someone asked for a book recommendation that was historical fiction but not WWII. This is the first book I thought of.
I wish I could read it again for the first time.
February 10, 2017
This book was obviously sad and depressing given the topic, but it was also fascinating. There was so much history I was unfamiliar with, especially about slavery in Nova Scotia and and the return of ex-slaves to Sierra Leone. At times, the main character seemed a bit improbable and the ending was particularly improbable, but she was a great vehicle for seeing and understanding slavery in a number of contexts and also understanding that "undoing" the damage done is very complicated.
June 11, 2021
Never has a book pained me so much or put me through so many emotions before than this one. One that languished on the TBR mountain for years. I kept ordering the audio, returning, ordering....a vicious cycle. Then finally I pushed it and started the audio.
No story on slavery is an easy read. Someone Knows My Name tells the life story of Aminata Diallo, who as a small child was kidnapped by slave traders with her mother in Africa. Her mother didn't get that chance to leave Africa as she was killed. And so began the misery of this small child. You watch her grow as she is taken to South Carolina where she is bought by a horrible man to work on his indigo plantation. The story weaves in historical facts, such as ultimately Aminata works with British to write down all the names of the slaves who helped the British fight the rebels, ultimately gaining their freedom, and being placed on boats to far away lands (Nova Scotia, Britain, Africa, etc.). This became known as The Book of Negroes (the title of the book outside the US).
I was obsessed with hearing the story. I put the audio on my phone and carried it with me everywhere so I could hear what happens. It's a lengthy story, over 18 hours in audio. But that didn't stop me. I loved it and was thinking this is a 5 star read for me. It's horrible the things that Aminata went through, but she was strong, a fighter. Then, something happened and it completely changed my direction. I thought REALLY, now why would you throw that it there other than to tug on my heart strings when it's really not needed. So much bad has happened to this woman and now this. But I thought OK, I'll see what happens next. But then it was more gloom and doom and just more bad things kept happening and I started to hate this book. I didn't care what happened and started to utter under my breath 'of course this happened'. Around 4+ hours left I couldn't stand it. I started fast forwarding and yup, let's throw more bad her way. I'm going with a 3 as I loved most of the book, the narrator was AMAZING, but when an author just piles on more and more and more I just loose interest. Had this book been trimmed down (and cut a bunch of misery out) it would have been better (IMO). It was made into a tv movie which I did seek out to get....but not now. Many love this story and I'm sure I'm being super picky. I'll just say I've read it.
No story on slavery is an easy read. Someone Knows My Name tells the life story of Aminata Diallo, who as a small child was kidnapped by slave traders with her mother in Africa. Her mother didn't get that chance to leave Africa as she was killed. And so began the misery of this small child. You watch her grow as she is taken to South Carolina where she is bought by a horrible man to work on his indigo plantation. The story weaves in historical facts, such as ultimately Aminata works with British to write down all the names of the slaves who helped the British fight the rebels, ultimately gaining their freedom, and being placed on boats to far away lands (Nova Scotia, Britain, Africa, etc.). This became known as The Book of Negroes (the title of the book outside the US).
I was obsessed with hearing the story. I put the audio on my phone and carried it with me everywhere so I could hear what happens. It's a lengthy story, over 18 hours in audio. But that didn't stop me. I loved it and was thinking this is a 5 star read for me. It's horrible the things that Aminata went through, but she was strong, a fighter. Then, something happened and it completely changed my direction. I thought REALLY, now why would you throw that it there other than to tug on my heart strings when it's really not needed. So much bad has happened to this woman and now this. But I thought OK, I'll see what happens next. But then it was more gloom and doom and just more bad things kept happening and I started to hate this book. I didn't care what happened and started to utter under my breath 'of course this happened'. Around 4+ hours left I couldn't stand it. I started fast forwarding and yup, let's throw more bad her way. I'm going with a 3 as I loved most of the book, the narrator was AMAZING, but when an author just piles on more and more and more I just loose interest. Had this book been trimmed down (and cut a bunch of misery out) it would have been better (IMO). It was made into a tv movie which I did seek out to get....but not now. Many love this story and I'm sure I'm being super picky. I'll just say I've read it.
March 28, 2010
I chanced upon this novel in a rather random way. I was invited to discuss my own forthcoming book at a book club and the book club were reading The Book of Negroes for March. I'd heard of the novel but didn't have immediate plans to read it. In the end I read the entire huge tome (it's about 500 pages) in just two or three days. I actually could not stop reading it.
I learnt a lot from this book. I learned a lot about my own family history. I am half Sierra Leonean and the Sierra Leonean half of my family hails from Freetown. I know that they arrived in Freetown after becoming Maroons in Jamaica and then being expelled from Jamaica and sent to Nova Scotia. Apparently they were actually born in Africa, then enslaved and then they returned to Africa - via Sierra Leone - all in the space of one lifetime. So my ancestors' journey may well have had much in common with that of Aminatta Diallo, the protag in The Book of Negroes.
One of the other things I learned from The Book of Negroes is that I'm a sucker for the epic, melodramatic saga-type novel! I fell deeply in love with this book and although it has faults, I was so smitten that the faults didn't matter to me.
To thoroughly enjoy this novel you need to be able to suspend disbelief. Our heroine possesses extraordinary, almost supernatural luck and charm. Despite being enslaved, she manages to avoid ever being whipped or otherwise physically punished despite the fact that she is incredibly outspoken. Every time an evil slave-owner feels inclined to rape her or beat her or otherwise humiliate her, she always manages to escape just in the nick of time. She is raped on one occasion, by a disgusting slave-owner, but she miraculously bounces back and seems unscathed by the rape. I got the sense that the writer, Lawrence Hill, adored his protagonist so much that he just couldn't bear to let the very worst elements of slavery befall her. That said, he does 'go there' sometimes. The description of Aminatta's passage from her idyllic village in Mali to the slave ship and beyond is so visceral and disturbing that I had to keep closing the book and taking a break to pull myself together. I felt I was there and it was emotionally draining but insightful.
Never before has a work of fiction made slavery feel quite so vivid and relatable. When I closed the book I had a renewed respect for the bravery of my ancestors who had made this same journey as captives from Africa to America (and, in their case, back to Africa again). Aminatta describes the African captives who survived the Middle Passage (or strived to survive it) as heroes and I completely agree with her.
I learnt a lot from this book. I learned a lot about my own family history. I am half Sierra Leonean and the Sierra Leonean half of my family hails from Freetown. I know that they arrived in Freetown after becoming Maroons in Jamaica and then being expelled from Jamaica and sent to Nova Scotia. Apparently they were actually born in Africa, then enslaved and then they returned to Africa - via Sierra Leone - all in the space of one lifetime. So my ancestors' journey may well have had much in common with that of Aminatta Diallo, the protag in The Book of Negroes.
One of the other things I learned from The Book of Negroes is that I'm a sucker for the epic, melodramatic saga-type novel! I fell deeply in love with this book and although it has faults, I was so smitten that the faults didn't matter to me.
To thoroughly enjoy this novel you need to be able to suspend disbelief. Our heroine possesses extraordinary, almost supernatural luck and charm. Despite being enslaved, she manages to avoid ever being whipped or otherwise physically punished despite the fact that she is incredibly outspoken. Every time an evil slave-owner feels inclined to rape her or beat her or otherwise humiliate her, she always manages to escape just in the nick of time. She is raped on one occasion, by a disgusting slave-owner, but she miraculously bounces back and seems unscathed by the rape. I got the sense that the writer, Lawrence Hill, adored his protagonist so much that he just couldn't bear to let the very worst elements of slavery befall her. That said, he does 'go there' sometimes. The description of Aminatta's passage from her idyllic village in Mali to the slave ship and beyond is so visceral and disturbing that I had to keep closing the book and taking a break to pull myself together. I felt I was there and it was emotionally draining but insightful.
Never before has a work of fiction made slavery feel quite so vivid and relatable. When I closed the book I had a renewed respect for the bravery of my ancestors who had made this same journey as captives from Africa to America (and, in their case, back to Africa again). Aminatta describes the African captives who survived the Middle Passage (or strived to survive it) as heroes and I completely agree with her.
August 21, 2009
Update (2):
This just in from BOOK NEWS -
"Lawrence Hill's bestselling novel The Book of Negroes is set to be adapted for film thanks to a chance meeting in a Toronto bookstore."
Update:
"The Book of Negroes" by Lawrence Hill tops Amazon.ca books list for the week ending June 16, 2009
Larry's extensive research and plain great story-telling are only two of the reasons why it was Longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize; the winner of The Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize; went on to become a #1 National Bestseller; and was most recently not only the winner of Canada Reads, but was declared the readers' choice -- by a landslide.
I read this book as soon as it hit the shelves, but was not writing reviews, to speak of, at that time. If the above awards are not reason enough to pick up this book, there are many reviews that have already been written.
It goes without saying that, especially in Canada, but also in The United States (Title: Someone Knows My Name), this is quite likely the most high-profile book out there today. I personally, cannot recommend it highly enough.
A final note: Larry says in BOOK BLOGS, re: Why I am not allowed to use my book title:
When I began touring with the novel in some of the major US cities, literary African-Americans kept approaching me and telling me it was a good thing indeed that the title had changed, because they would never have touched the book with its Canadian title.
February 8, 2016
I can't believe I never rated this book.
Iris if you are reading this, Lisi and I both read this together years ago.
It's soooo gripping. Possible to put down... sooooo heartbreaking.
The author, Lawrence Hill, has a new book our...( I'm in the middle of hiking -audiobook listening to another book...stopped to use the girls room- check mail -- and just discover his new book.
It's called "The Illegal"....
But I can't recommend this book highly enough. Warning though...you'll be 'spent' when finished!!!
Iris if you are reading this, Lisi and I both read this together years ago.
It's soooo gripping. Possible to put down... sooooo heartbreaking.
The author, Lawrence Hill, has a new book our...( I'm in the middle of hiking -audiobook listening to another book...stopped to use the girls room- check mail -- and just discover his new book.
It's called "The Illegal"....
But I can't recommend this book highly enough. Warning though...you'll be 'spent' when finished!!!
February 21, 2016
This is the story of Aminata, stolen from her homeland in Africa and taken into slavery in America on the cusp of the Revolutionary听 War.听 Just heart wrenching what she endured, and she was actually one of the lucky ones.听 Known as Mina, she easily learned languages听and how to read, which helped her survive from one owner to the next, from one town to the next, from one country to the next, and from one continent to the next.听 All she wanted was to have a family and to some day return to her homeland. She meets some abolitionists who ask her to tell her story to some very influential people. She does this but we all know that a century later slavery still existed. I like to think that stories such as hers had some influence in the beginning of changes to come. Except for consistently pronouncing wonder as wander, and strength as shtrength, the narrator was excellent.听 5 stars because honestly, it is an amazing, accomplished story. Read it.
March 25, 2009
What an amazing book! The protagonist is spectacular - I don't think that I have ever identified so completely with a character in slavery. The author incorporates historical events which were new to me - always a plus. The story was so compelling and so true to human behavior. No group was all good or all bad, just human. I am just dazzled by this superb work.
September 23, 2020
I didn't realize Aminata was a real person in history until I had already started the book.
This historical fiction hits hard.
Her story is emotionally stirring and quite intense.
I recommend this to anyone looking for an accurate portrayal of the impossible things that slaves (females especially) had to grapple with throughout their lives.
***Take note that any and all triggers you can think of will be found in this book.***
This historical fiction hits hard.
Her story is emotionally stirring and quite intense.
I recommend this to anyone looking for an accurate portrayal of the impossible things that slaves (females especially) had to grapple with throughout their lives.
***Take note that any and all triggers you can think of will be found in this book.***
August 11, 2016
There isn't enough space to fill all the accolades Lawrence Hill deserves with Someone Knows My Name!! Captivating in every way with a story line that grabs you from the first sentence and ends with you thinking....Awesome!! A book I won't forget and one that is a on my top, top favorites!!!
May 2, 2025
Tinha tempo para deixar a mente vaguear durante as muitas horas de marcha, e dei comigo a pensar no que iria fazer quando chegasse 脿 minha aldeia. Passara mais de quarenta anos a sonhar com Bayo, mas nunca pensara em como seria esse regresso. Agora, perguntava-me quem viria cumprimentar-me e se algu茅m se lembraria sequer do meu nome ou dos meus pais. Talvez as pessoas me homenageassem por ter regressado a casa para lhes falar da minha vida entre os toubabus. Eu seria decerto a primeira a faz锚-lo. Percebi, a dada altura, que n茫o estava mais preocupada com as coisas que queria fazer, mas antes com o lugar onde queria estar. Em bom rigor, s贸 queria voltar ao s铆tio onde nasci.
Este livro estava na biblioteca, na estante das novidades, e trouxe-o porque era mais f谩cil do que andar a procurar nas prateleiras, ainda para mais pr贸ximo da hora de fecho. A pregui莽a, muitas vezes, ganha-me. :D
S贸 posso dizer que a minha pregui莽a compensou, pois gostei muito de ler a hist贸ria de Aminata Diallo.
Este livro estava na biblioteca, na estante das novidades, e trouxe-o porque era mais f谩cil do que andar a procurar nas prateleiras, ainda para mais pr贸ximo da hora de fecho. A pregui莽a, muitas vezes, ganha-me. :D
S贸 posso dizer que a minha pregui莽a compensou, pois gostei muito de ler a hist贸ria de Aminata Diallo.
April 26, 2019
This slave narrative was a hard book to read and I kept putting it down because of its depressing nature, and because I felt the story was told in a dry, exacting, even punishing tone. But finish it I did, and I feel like I am a better person for what I gained in knowledge, understanding and the appreciation of my many blessings. Well researched historical fiction, it is the amazing story of a fictional 11-year-old African girl stolen from her family and sold into slavery. The incidents are taken from actual events. It tells of her horrendous journey from Africa to South Carolina, to New York where she eventually gains her freedom, to Nova Scotia where there was an actual community for freed black slaves, to London, then back to Africa, and again to London where she is instrumental in helping to secure freedom and rights for the Negro people there. The title for the book comes from the ledger that the British used to record "loyal" slaves who were set free and sent to a black settlement Nova Scotia where they were welcome until an economic collapse brought about the first white attack on a black settlement. I felt the "happy" ending was a bit unrealistic and too contrived. I recommend the book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and would specifically like to learn more about slavery and Black history.
It made me appreciate all the wonderful blessings I have in my life. Overall, this was a great book
It made me appreciate all the wonderful blessings I have in my life. Overall, this was a great book
March 27, 2009
I found it absorbing; I found it readable. I wanted to like it more than I actually did. If any of Horatio Alger's characters had been born African and sold into slavery, Aminita Diallo might be its preincarnation. It's hard to say that any slave is fortunate, yet Aminita, compared to those around her, keeps drawing to an inside straight only to be dealt the right card. Hollywood should love it. Maybe plausibility is not the most important element in historical fiction. The story "feels good" from beginning to end in spite of the sordid background; our hero manages to rise above it, to persevere against all odds, and drink from the Holy Grail in the final chapter. She becomes a mix of Indiana Jones, Roy Rogers and Gandalf, a fine role model for underprivileged 21st century youth. But even as I was drawn into the mythos of accomplishment and social triumph, I kept objecting that the slave trade was not a literary romance but a real time irony and tragedy. In much the same way Horatio Alger sold a dream to oppressed workers, Lawrence Hill uses Aminita to revises a horrific chapter of human history just enough to give hope to a generation so far removed from it, the truth might be met with disbelief. But does that end justify the fiction?
March 4, 2024
This novel builds on remarkably detailed research into the world of enslaved people in the 1700s. Then it fills in the universe of personal experience with close to the greatest performance of empathetic imagination I've ever seen. I'm really glad to have read it.
June 4, 2020
丕賱毓賱丕賲丞 丕賱賰丕賲賱丞 賮賷 丕賱兀丿亘 賵亘噩丿丕乇丞...
爻乇丿 乇丕卅毓 賵爻賱爻 賵賳氐 賲丨賰賲 賷兀禺匕賰 賱毓丕賱賲 兀禺乇 賱丕 賷賲賰賳賰 丕賱丕 丕賳 鬲乇賮毓 丕賱賯亘毓丞 賱賴..
賷兀禺匕賳丕 賱賵乇丕賳爻 賴賷賱 賮賷 乇丨賱丞 賲賳 丕賱賲毓丕賳丕丞 丕賱兀賱賲 賷卮賵亘賴丕 賯賱賷賱 賲賳 丕賱兀賲賱 賲毓 亘胤賱丞 乇賵丕賷鬲賴 兀賲賷賳丕鬲丕 丿賷丕賱賱賵 賲賳匕 丕禺鬲胤丕賮賴丕 賲賳 丕賮乇賷賯賷丕 賰毓亘丿丞 賵鬲毓乇囟賴丕 賱噩賲賷毓 兀賳賵丕毓 丕賱毓匕丕亘丕鬲 賵丕賱賮馗丕毓丕鬲 賵丕賱丕賳鬲賴丕賰丕鬲 賵賮賯丿丕賳賴丕 賰賱 卮賷亍 鬲賯乇賷亘丕 賵賲乇賵乇賴丕 亘丕賱賵賱丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賲鬲丨丿丞 賵丨鬲賶 賵氐賵賱賴丕 賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷丕..丕賲賷賳丕鬲丕 丿賷丕賱賱賵 丕賱亘胤賱丞 丕賱禺丕乇賯丞 賵賯丿乇丞 乇賴賷亘丞 毓賱賶 鬲丨賲賱 丕賱兀賱賲 亘賰賱 丕賳賵丕毓賴 賵丕賱鬲賲爻賰 亘卮鬲賶 禺賷賵胤 丕賱兀賲賱 賱賲 鬲鬲乇賰 賳賮爻賴丕 賱賱賰乇丕賴賷丞 丨鬲賶 賱丕 鬲丿賲乇 賲丕 鬲亘賯賶 賲賳賴丕貙 鬲賲賳鬲 丕賱毓賵丿丞 賱賱賵胤賳 賵賱賰賳 兀賷 賵胤賳 亘丕賱賮毓賱 賵賱賲 賷亘賯 賲賳賴 兀丨丿.
賯賷賱 毓賱賶 賱爻丕賳 亘胤賱丞 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞 "廿匕丕 賰丕賳鬲 丕賱爻賲丕亍 亘賴匕丕 丕賱賰賲丕賱 賮賱賲丕匕丕 丕賱兀乇囟 亘賴匕丕 丕賱馗賱賲責"
賵丕賱丕噩丕亘丞 賵丕囟丨丞 賰賲丕 毓乇賮鬲賴丕 丕賱賲賱丕卅賰丞 賲賳匕 賯丿賷賲 丕賱丕匕賱 賵丨賰賲丞 丕賱賱賴 鬲毓丕賱賶 賮賷賴丕貙 丕賳賴 丕賱丕賳爻丕賳 丕賱匕賷 兀賮爻丿 賵兀賳賴賰 丕賱丕乇囟 賵兀賳賴賰 賳賮爻賴 賵丕賯乇丕賳賴貙 賲丕 丕賱匕賷 賷噩毓賱 卮禺氐 賲丕 賷毓匕亘 賵賷爻鬲毓亘丿 卮禺氐 丕禺乇 賱賲噩乇丿 丕禺鬲賱丕賮賴 賮賷 賱賵賳 亘卮乇鬲賴貙 鬲毓匕賷亘 賳賮爻賷 噩爻丿賷 賵噩賳爻賷 賵丕賳鬲賴丕賰 賱丨乇賷丞 丕賱丕賳爻丕賳 賵鬲賲賱賰 賯乇丕乇丕鬲賴 賵鬲賵噩賷賴賴 亘丿賵賳 丕毓鬲亘丕乇 賱賲賰賳賵賳 賳賮爻 丕賱丕禺乇.
丕賱匕賱 丕賱匕賷 賷噩毓賱賰 鬲賯乇兀 賴匕丕 丕賱丨賵丕乇 賵鬲丨丿孬 賳賮爻賰 亘睾乇丕亘丞 丕賱丕賲乇 毓賳丿賲丕 賷毓乇囟 毓賱賷賰 丕賳 鬲噩乇亘 賱賲賳 爻鬲賰賵賳 毓亘丿丕:
". 毓賳丿賲丕 賷乇賮毓 丕賱賲丨丕賮馗賵賳 丕禺乇 賲乇丕爻賷賴賲.. 爻鬲乇賷賳 丕賳 丕賱丕賲乇賷賰賷賷賳 賴賲 丕賱丕賮囟賱.. 丕賳賭鬲 賱賲 鬲毓胤賴賲 丨賯賴賲 賲乇丞-"
". 爻丌禺匕 賮乇氐鬲賷 賲毓 丕賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷賷賳-"
丕賱睾乇賷亘 丕賷囟丕 丕賳 賲賳 爻丕毓丿 鬲噩丕乇 丕賱毓亘賷丿 賲賳 丕賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷賷賳 賴賲 丕賮丕乇賯丞 賲賳 賳賮爻 噩賳爻 賲賳 賷爻賲賵賳 亘丕賱毓亘賷丿.
毓賳丿賲丕 孬丕乇 丕賱丕賲乇賷賰賷賵賳 毓賱賶 丕賱亘乇賷胤丕賳賷賷賳 卮毓乇鬲 亘丕賱鬲禺賱賮 毓賳丿賲丕 毓乇賮鬲 丕賱兀爻亘丕亘 賮丕賱兀賲乇賷賰賷賷賳 賷乇賷丿賵賳 丕賱丨乇賷丞 賱賴賲 亘丿賵賳 賵氐丕賷丞 亘乇賷胤丕賳賷丞 賵賴賲 兀賳賮爻賴賲 丕賱丕賲乇賷賰賷賵賳 賮毓賱賵丕 賲丕 賮毓賱賵丕 亘丕賱賴賳賵丿 丕賱丨賲乇 賵賷爻兀賱賵賳 毓賳 丨乇賷鬲賴賲 賮賷 丕乇囟 賱賲 鬲賰賳 賲賱賰賴賲 賲賳 丕賱兀氐賱 賵賷爻兀賱賵賳 毓賳 鬲丨乇乇 賲賳 賵氐丕賷丞 賵賴賲 賷爻鬲毓亘丿賵賳 亘卮乇丕 賱丕禺鬲賱丕賮 賱賵賳賴賲.
賮賷 丕賱賳賴丕賷丞 乇賵丕賷丞 賲賲鬲毓丞 賲賳 丕賱丿乇噩丞 丕賱兀賵賱賶 賵鬲爻鬲丨賯 丕賱 5 賳噩賵賵賵賲
賲賭賭賭賭賯鬲胤賮丕鬲 賲賳 丕賱乇賵丕賷丞:
"丕匕賳..賱賲丕匕丕 賴賵 毓亘丿責"
"丕賲賰 噩丕乇賷丞..鬲賰賵賳賷賳 噩丕乇賷丞..丕亘賵賰賶 毓亘丿..鬲賰賵賳賷賳 噩丕乇賷丞..丕賶 丿賲 夭賳噩賶 賮賷賰賶..鬲賰賵賳賷賳 噩丕乇賷丞 亘賰賱 賵囟賵丨."
"賵賷爻賲丨賵賳 賱賶 亘賲睾丕丿乇丞 丕賱賲爻鬲毓賲乇丕鬲 丕賱孬賱丕孬 毓卮乇丞.丕毓乇賮 丕賳 丕爻賲丕 爻賷賰賵賳 丕賱賵賱丕賷丕鬲 丕賱賲鬲丨丿丞.賵賱賰賳賳賶 丕乇賮囟 丕賳 丕賳胤賯 賴匕丕 丕賱丕爻賲.賱丕 丕鬲丨丕丿 賮賷 丕賲丞 鬲賯賵賱 丕賳 丕賱乇噩丕賱 噩賲賷毓丕 禺賱賯賵丕 賲鬲爻丕賵賷賳貙賵賲毓 匕賱賰 鬲亘賯賶 毓賱賶 丕賴賱賶 賮賷 丕賱賯賷賵丿"
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