The Book Of Negroes [Paperback]

 

 

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In all the fiction I've read pertaining to that bleak period of African slavery in the Americas, none has left me feeling as hope-filled as "The Book of Negroes" has. It is courageous enough a feat that our Black ancestors survived the indignities of slavery to bring us here today, but it is so very uplifting to read of a character who doesn't merely survive it, but makes it her life's work to change the condition for all slaves.

Although a work of fiction, "The Book of Negroes" reminds us of the dangerous labour of those exceptional real-life heroes - Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Frances Harper, and the countless others who worked tirelessly in the abolitionist movement - who believed that fighting for freedom was worth infinitely more than dying in silence.

What makes "The Book of Negroes" so engaging is the insight we have into Aminata Diallo's childhood in Africa before she is even captured. This sets the tone for the way she sees her condition as a slave - as merely something she must overcome so as to return to the land of her birth. And although she bravely endures the harsh rigors of being owned and debased, there is never a moment when the reader feels this woman will not prevail. Even not having been born into a family of storytellers, she recognizes very soon into her captivity that it is her duty to live, and to record the horror facing her people, knowing she will one day have to give an account.

Lawrence Hill has beautifully captured the voice of this precocious child growing into a wise old woman. We are led to smiles in the midst of indescribable despair as Aminata discovers her world through child-like eyes, and to chuckle with her at Buckingham Palace at the irony of King George III marrying an African queen. Hill also balances his story with conflicted characters like Solomon Lindo, who owns Aminata, but teaches her more than anyone else. These characters encourage us to consider the realities of the time, and the limitations of people, both Black and White, trying to survive with some shred of humanity left intact.

The story is gripping, entertaining and educational, and the gift of four and half pages of additional recommended reading which Hill used in research, makes it very well worth it.

The actual Book of Negroes is an amazing historical document (a British military ledger) that contains the names and descriptions of 3,000 men, women, and children who served or were supported by the British during the American Revolutionary War. Lawrence Hill's The Book of Negroes is a brilliantly imagined novel based on the document of the same name and the events surrounding the relocation of thousands of Black Loyalists to various British colonies and eventually to Sierra Leone after the conflict. Similar in approach to The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Hill's offering spans the lifetime of the fictional Aminata (Meena) Diallo, an African born woman who escaped to freedom.

At the beginning of the novel Meena is in London, an old woman who has lived a tumultuous life. At the urging of her abolitionist sponsors, she is asked to pen her story which would be used as evidence depicting the cruelty and inhumanity of the slave trade. Meena, an intelligent, educated woman, authors her autobiography via vivid flashbacks through time. She writes, "Let me begin with a caveat to any and all who find these pages. Do not trust large bodies of water, and do not cross them. If you, dear reader, have an African hue and find yourself led toward water with vanishing shores, seize your freedom by any means necessary." She continues and details her life as a young child in an African village, her capture and Middle Passage crossing, enslavement while in America, relocation to Nova Scotia, return to Africa (Freetown, Sierra Leone), and partnering with abolitionists in England.

However to summarize the book in such a way is a huge understatement - it is steeped in historical facts that educate and enlighten the reader; I was pulled in immediately after reading the opening passages. Before her capture, African spirituality/religion, education (Meena's father taught her to read and write, her mother taught her midwifery), family structure, and culture are illustrated in her interactions with her parents and other villagers. After witnessing her parent's murder at the hands of African slavers, she is coffled and mournfully treks through the African interior for months before arriving exhausted at the coastal slave port. Meena transcribed the inhumanity of the trade, the stifling stench and horrid conditions aboard the slave ship, the rapes and attempted revolts that occurred during the crossing, and the shameful and dehumanizing experience on the auction block. She suffers hardships in America at an indigo producing plantation in South Carolina. She experiences the love and loss of a husband and children. Unwilling to work after the abrupt sale of her son, she is eventually sold to a new owner and escapes to freedom while in New York. Once there, she is employed by the British to record entrants into the infamous "book" and relocates to Nova Scotia. After a decade of struggling against the harsh elements, barren landscape and broken promises regarding land ownership; she and 1,200 other Africans relocate yet again to Africa to establish Freetown in partnership with London-based abolitionists.

The author notes in the Afterword where he has taken a few liberties with the timeline and some historical figures; however the vast majority of the book is factual; extracted from history books and inspired by diaries, memoirs, notes, etc. Hill expertly layers the social and political climates of the time against the protagonist's story. This novel is extremely well-written, perfectly paced, and highly recommended as a study aid for students or to anyone who enjoys the historical fiction genre.

Reviewed by Phyllis
APOOO BookClub

Our book club met last night to discuss The Book of Negroes and all but one of us loved and identified strongly with the central character Aminata, and even she said she enjoyed the book but simply wasn't captivated or convinced by it. Everyone felt that learning more about the history of "free" blacks in Nova Scotia had opened our eyes about Canadians' treatment of blacks in this country.

The Hollywood ending, touching though it was, was a disappointment to us. And all of us questioned why such an intelligent woman would insist on venturing back to her home village despite repeated warnings about the very real risks of being re-captured and sold or even killed. Surely that must have outweighed her understandable desire to see her village again. I found this so inexplicable that I began to wonder if, having lost so much by that point, she even had a subconscious death wish. That was the only reason I could come up with to justify such a foolhardy trip to the interior of Africa. There were also occasional anachronisms -- for example, I doubt very much that the expression "Say what?" was used in the 18th century. For most of the book, Hill's writing style sweeps you along and you can't wait to turn the page but events towards the end of the book seem rushed and devoid of the necessary detail and background to make them ring true. Despite these small quibbles, the book dishes up a marvelously engaging central character, important historical information and lots to admire. Enjoy it!

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5.0 out of 5 stars The Book of Negroes
This is a great story of historical and geographic fact presenting the reality of the journey of free
African slaves. Read more

Published 8 days ago by traveller

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning
I absolutely loved this book and it might just make it on my Top 10 List. I got so absorbed in The Book of Negroes that I read it in three days even after slowing down my usual... Read more

Published 1 month ago by Lydia - Novel Escapes

5.0 out of 5 stars The book of negroes.
It is very well written and very informative. There is a lot in this book that very few Canadians or Americans know. I recomment it to all ages.

Published 2 months ago by Nelly

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful writing and a wonderful story
***CONTAINS SPOILERS***

While I had recently picked up Lawrence Hill's novel, One Great Thing (which is currently sitting on my shelf un-read), after seeing it on the... Read more

Published 3 months ago by Reading in Winter

5.0 out of 5 stars ten out of ten
I rate all my books I read on a number system and this one gets a ten out of ten.

Published 5 months ago by Debbie Chatfield

5.0 out of 5 stars Great transaction
Product exactly as described. Good price. Fast delivery but book was very thick and split the end of the package open. Perhaps heavy tape next time.

Published 5 months ago by Myrna Pawlick

5.0 out of 5 stars Harrowing, heartwrenching and a good job done.,
"Let me begin with a caveat to any and all who find these pages. Do not trust large bodies of water, and do not cross them. Read more

Published 5 months ago by Heather Marshall Negahdar

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book of Negroes: Bringing History to Life
I thought that The Book of Negroes was a great summer read. Lawrence Hill assumes a tone which allows one to learn about the history of slavery in a way that is personal and... Read more

Published 5 months ago by sinthu

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
This book was good from the first page. I read it in only a few day because I was not able to put it down. It is very moving and touching and you need to know what comes next.

Published 7 months ago by Jacy

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous
I picked it up and couldn't put it down. It was one of the best novels I have read in a long time.

Although it's historical fiction, it is contextually accurate... Read more

Published 8 months ago by Mj Perry

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