Review: Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill

The original title of "Someone Knows My Name" was "The Book of Negroes", a historical  fiction novel.  I absolutely loved this book and appreciated Mr. Hill's dedication to detail and historical fact.  I truly believe that Aminata and her story, will always have a special place in my heart.  Slavery is wrong on every level and the story of African slaves must be told time and time again so history does not repeat itself.  This novel is a must read and I pray that it touches you as much as it has me.

The actual Book of Negroes is a historical document (a British military ledger) that contains the names and descriptions of 3,000 men, women, and children who served or were supported by the British during the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.

SYNOPSIS by Barnes & Noble

Unrolling a map of the world, Aminata Diallo puts one finger on the coast of West Africa and another on London. The first is where she was born in 1745, the second is her location six decades later. Her story is what happened in between, and her remarkable voice is the heart and soul of Hill's magnificent novel. Brought before the British public by the abolitionists to reveal the realities of slavery, she has come, old and weary, to change the tide of history and bear witness to some of the world's most grievous wrongs.

Kidnapped and taken from her family as a child, Diallo is forced aboard a ship bound for South Carolina, where she arrives at age 12, weak and ill, the other slaves her only family. But soon she is sold again and begins an exodus that will lead to Canada, where she discovers the same relentless hardship and stinging prejudice. Her hunger for freedom drives her back across the Atlantic to England, and in 1792, Aminata undertakes yet another ocean crossing, bound for the place of her birth.Unrolling a map of the world, Aminata Diallo puts one finger on the coast of West Africa and another on London. The first is where she was born in 1745, the second is her location six decades later. Her story is what happened in between, and her remarkable voice is the heart and soul of Hill's magnificent novel. Brought before the British public by the abolitionists to reveal the realities of slavery, she has come, old and weary, to change the tide of history and bear witness to some of the world's most grievous wrongs.

Kidnapped and taken from her family as a child, Diallo is forced aboard a ship bound for South Carolina, where she arrives at age 12, weak and ill, the other slaves her only family. But soon she is sold again and begins an exodus that will lead to Canada, where she discovers the same relentless hardship and stinging prejudice. Her hunger for freedom drives her back across the Atlantic to England, and in 1792, Aminata undertakes yet another ocean crossing, bound for the place of her birth.

FAVORITE QUOTES:
"She asked why I was so black.  I asked why she was so white.  She said she was born that way.  Same here I replied."

"Some say that I was once uncommonly beautifu, but I wouldn't wish beauty on any woman who has not her own freedom, and who chooses not the hands that claim her."

"I remember wondering, within a year or two of taking my first steps, why only men sat to drink tea and converse, and why women were always busy.  I reasoned that men were weak and needed rest."

"Beauty comes and goes.  Strength, you keep forever."

"Words fly on wild winds from the mouths of sly people."

"Never have I met a person doing terrible things who would meet my eyes peacefully.  To gaze into another persons face is to do two things; to recognize their humanity, and to assert your own."

"Only from the calm, can you see how to protect yourself from trouble."

"Without education our children's hopes are drowned."


RATING 5 STARS