I found this book even more enlightening than Cane River. It brought to light the evils of slavery without focusing on sex or violence.

I have been meaning to finish this book for a very long time and I’m glad I finally did. Aminata Diallo is stolen from her village in Africa and is ensnared in the transatlantic slave trade. This very well researched book spans her life and all the love, loss, devastation and triumph in between.

A powerful exploration of one woman's journey through slavery to freedom.
I am particularly interested in the section detailing "Escape to Nova Scotia" and the challenges of racism faced by Black Loyalists in Canada.

Another conflicted rating - I consider this a 3.5. I enjoyed the story, and enjoyed reading it, and would recommend it to others. But, the story is pretty implausible in many respects. Actually, I could accept a lot of the twists and turns that seemed too convenient, but there was one that totally jumped the shark for me. Hence, the 3.5.

4.5 stars.

I was conflicted on whether to rate this 4 or 5 stars, so I went right in the middle. This book is incredibly well-written and moving, and it even brought me to tears at the very end (if you've read it, you know why). It's really hard for me to believe that this was somehow a fictional story because it was scary how real it felt. It's sad to realize that the events in this story are based on true things that actually happened and it is a wonder that the main character survived with her sanity intact. There were heart-wrenching parts, and some scenes made me so angry (in a good way) that I screamed in frustration in the car. Thankfully nobody was with me :)

The only reason I docked off half a star was because I felt like the book fell into a sort of pattern (Aminata moves/is transported to a new place, meets and joins a group of other blacks, is used by a white man/family, etc.) and it got tedious for just a little bit. Nothing major, I'm just being nit-picky.

It was a long audiobook but the narrator was fantastic and it is absolutely worth the read or listen. I highly recommend that everybody check it out because it is an important story to be told.

I don't know what I can say about this book that already hasn't been said. It was a fantastic book and it will remain with me for many years to come. The book makes you feel all of the feels and it makes you feel incredibly angry to know that while the characters in the book are fictional, the events in the story is based on true events. This book will make you think and you will continue thinking about it long after you finish reading it. Easily one of my favourite books of all time.

In a word...wow

I consider myself fairly well read and fairly knowledgable about the world and it's past. Yet time and time again I found myself shocked and awed with new information. Or perhaps it was more that the information was being given in a more personable manner. Not simply facts and numbers but a story of a girl who never gave up and persevered through a lifetime of hardships and fighting. For herself, her friends, and her own family.

The book was easy to read despite the content yet I found that fact didn't detract in anyway from the seriousness of the issues it addressed. Parts of our past that would no doubt prefer to be forgotten and yet should never be.

I especially love the ending. Not so much because it is happy. But more so because it is real. She is writing this book, her book. And therefor it only makes sense for it to end when she does. Or at the very least when she last adds to it.

I had been meaning to read this book for a long while. And I'm sad that I didn't finish it sooner.

This is the story of Aminata, an 11 year old who was taken from her town, Bayo, Africa. The story is as horrifying as it is amazing; her struggle and will to survive in the cruel world of the 1700s. The saga of her life is the story of a powerful and brilliant woman who fights for every minute of her life to survive in the world where slavery is king.

Fantastic book. Rich with history and deeply moving. One of those books that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading it.

A very powerful novel about a strong and resilient protagonist, Aminata Diallo. This was also a story about slavery experiences that weren't familiar to me.