Homegoing follows the descendants of one woman from the 18th century into the 21st century. This woman is Maame, an Asante woman who has one daughter while enslaved in a Fante village and has another after escaping back to Asanteland. This is a split in the family tree and each chapter is devoted to the story of a different descendant of one of Maame's two daughters.
Since author Yaa Gyasi's debut novel covers such a large period of time, Homegoing addresses a variety of events and issues: slavery, colonization, segregation, and the Harlem Renaissance, to name a few. Each chapter explores a character whose story may have been overlooked in history and literature.
Gyasi reportedly...