The book I’m reading is called The Book Of Negroes, or in some places, Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill. This book is by far one of the most interesting novels I’ve read, and I’ve read many. The main character, Aminata Diallo, is from a village in Africa called Bayo. So far in part 1, Aminata has gone from living happily within the, so she thought, safe walls of Bayo, to the loss of both of her parents in the fight to keep from being captured by the ‘toubabs’. She then continued a long journey chained to many other captives to the ocean where hundreds of ‘homelanders’ were forced into dirty, dark rooms beneath the deck of a large boat. The journey then continues for months while Aminata talks about her good treatment by one of the crewman aboard, letting her sleep in his room and feeding and cleaning her. Unlike the rest of the boat, Aminata had a decent set up. Until after one of Aminatas villagers has her baby, and a huge outbreak pursues on the boat. Homelanders attacked the toubabs, but in the end many homelanders were killed and they lost the battle, resulting in harsher treatment to all of them. At the end of part one Aminata describes seeing land along the horizon, the year or so long boat ride was coming to an end. Throughout the hundred pages I read it was clear the the author had developed a very mature, strong female role for Aminata. She had become so wise by working alongside her mother in delivering babies, and is very smart. She is a brave girl, and inspires many along her journey. Chekura, a friend she met along the way, looks up to Aminata. For example, when she delivers Fanta’s baby. Fanta, a woman from Aminatas village in Bayo had always been very mean to Aminata. So we find out later that this was because Aminata was soon going to become the Chiefs, Fantas husband, new wife. Fanta was jealous. But Aminata was a strong, mature girl and though she never took well to Fanta either, she still overcame her feelings and helped deliver Fanta’s baby, throughout constant ridicule.
I find that in a few instances, Hill has given too much information. During the scene when Aminatas mother is fighting off the captors, it goes into detail about how she is beaten and killed. Another example is when Aminata is laying in the bed of the medicine man ( the man who took care of her on the boat) and Hill explains how he is sleeping with another woman beside Aminata. I found that that information didn't need to be talked about because it didn't play any important part in the story. During the reading, I made some connections to other books I’ve read. For some reason, when the story talked about the boat and how they were treated, I thought of The Boy In The Striped Pajamas and how they were treated within the concentration camps. Though this story takes place way before the Holocaust, the treatment to the people they consider to be lesser, are strangely similar.
During the scene of the battle on the boat, Fanta, having just given birth, slits her babies throat and throws it overboard. She then continues over to Sanu, another homelander who had her baby along the way, and fights Sanu taking away her baby and throwing her overboard. Sanu jumped in after her child. But, throughout this scene I was continually trying to figure out why on Earth this was necessary. Why Fanta couldn't have just passed the child that she had carried for nine months to another homelander, or why she felt the need to hurt Sanu as well. Definitely one of the most puzzling parts of the story so far.
Finally, the mental pictures I get while reading this novel are so detailed. Lawrence Hill does a great job at including everything the reader needs to know in order to create a good mental picture. The boat that they travelled on was a clear image in my head. A boat similar to a garbage dump, or a sewer. A dark crawlspace with streams of light bouncing off small spots of the cellar. I also picture the characters based on their personalities. For example, I picture Fanta as a large woman, with harsh eyes and a lips that always curl down like a hook. Aminata strikes me as a tall, well built girl. She has big eyes and an intriguing face, a beautiful face, that gives her a few advantages along the way such as special treatment on the walk to the boat, and special treatment by the medicine man while travelling on the boat, as well as respect from all of the homelanders that are travelling with her.
So far in my novel, I really enjoy it, I’m really into it and can’t wait to see where Aminatas journey goes next.
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