The Book of Negroes

Overview

Abducted as an 11-year-old child from her village in West Africa and forced to walk for months to the sea in a coffle--a string of slaves-- Aminata Diallo is sent to live as a slave in South Carolina. But years later, she forges her way to freedom, serving the British in the Revolutionary War and registering her name in the historic "Book of Negroes." This book, an actual document, provides a short but immensely revealing record of freed Loyalist slaves who requested permission to leave the US for resettlement in Nova Scotia, only to find that the haven they sought was steeped in an oppression all of its own.

Aminata's eventual return to Sierra Leone--passing ships carrying thousands of slaves bound for America--is an engrossing account of an obscure but important chapter in history that saw 1,200 former slaves embark on a harrowing back-to-Africa odyssey. Lawrence Hill is a master at transforming the neglected corners of history into brilliant imaginings, as engaging and revealing as only the best historical fiction can be. A sweeping story that transports the reader from a tribal African village to a plantation in the southern United States, from the teeming Halifax docks to the manor houses of London, The Book of Negroes introduces one of the strongest female characters in recent Canadian fiction, one who cuts a swath through a world hostile to her colour and her sex.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews for this product are not available at this time.

Author Information

Bio of Lawrence Hill

Lawrence Hill is the author of the novels Any Known Blood and Some Great Thing, and the non-fiction work Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada. He also co-authored, with Joshua Key, The Deserter's Tale: The Story of an Ordinary Soldier Who Walked Away from the War in Iraq. He lives in Burlington, Ontario.

Customer Reviews

• Fantastic

  Posted May 22, 2009 by K, Edmonton

  This is a fantastic book. I couldn't put it down and wait to read more. Great historical fiction with rich characters and non stop events. I'd recommend it to anyone.

• Best read in a long time

  Posted October 22, 2009 by chris, canada

  Such a great book, I was fascinated all the way through! An amazing life story.

• Amazing Read

  Posted November 15, 2009 by Reading Randi, Edmonton, Alberta

  This book has become one of my all time favorite books. It makes me proud to be Canadian. I look forward to reading more by Lawrence Hill in the future.

Additional Info

Imprint

HarperCollins Canada

Filesize

3.36 MB

Number of Pages

N/A

eBook ISBN

9781554686551

Awards

• Canada Reads
• Commonwealth Writers Prize
• Libris Awards
• Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize