The Book of Negroes, by Lawrence Hill
The Book of Negroes, a novel by Lawrence Hill, is also published as Someone Knows My Name. It is written through the character Aminata’s eyes, bringing the reader into her life including her captivity and slavery.
The book is interesting, and I appreciate that much of it likely reflects historical or close-to-historical information. It is a novel, though, and Hill notes that at times he “knowingly bent facts to suit the purposes of the novel” (p.473). Reading stories that involve oppression may broaden perspective on personal hardships; perhaps it can also broaden the heart in terms of compassion for the oppressed. This book might trigger further the reader’s interest or pursuit of knowledge of slavery and the lives of those who experienced it.
Some readers may like to be warned ahead of time that there is some sexual content in this book.
The copy of the edition I checked out is not the illustrated one, but I think it would be neat to skim through that one. You can see samples of pages from the illustrated edition here.
