Beautifully written story about a remarkable woman and her life experience as an African woman enslaved before the Revolutionary War.

It deserves the high rating it has! It was very interesting to learn about the Black Loyalists on top of everything else making it an amazing book. If you’re looking for something of this genre, you have to read this one.

Difficult read emotionally, but couldn't put it down

4.5 stars. Aminata Diallo is a wonderful narrator, a woman of true grit who was stolen from her African village and sold into slavery. She lives in Charles Town, Canada, New York, and London. Through her own intelligence and ingenuity, she manages to elevate herself far beyond the station in which her captors would keep her.

Orphaned at a young age, snatched from her homeland, and relocated many times, she has to make a new life for herself repeatedly. She finds ways to earn money and trade, she teaches other Africans to read and write, and she earns the respect of many. She finds hope and happiness, despite living in deplorable conditions and enduring terrible trials. Truly an inspirational character.

I read this several years back (under the title of Book of Negroes, which I can't seem to find in Goodreads?!) and it moved me deeply. I learned so much; for example, I was not aware there had been pre-existing slave trade in Africa. I've just finished reading [b:1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created|9862761|1493 Uncovering the New World Columbus Created|Charles C. Mann|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327900945s/9862761.jpg|14754158], and that book adds to the picture by explaining that the word "negro" is a spanish word and was used to differentiate between the blacks who could traded and those who were free.

Even having read these two books, I find it almost impossible to imagine what it must feel like to be a person who can be bought and sold.

I'm grateful to Hill, because this book got me as close to understanding slavery as I can ever get. He writes with sensitivity, grace, and knowledge. He wrote about hard issues and difficult facts (I had no idea how much prejudice former slaves were faced with in Canada - that broke my heart) and he did it very thoughtfully and with great respect. I find him to be a wonderful storyteller!

Great book about the history of slavery by a Canadian author!

I never liked history class in school. But occasionally, I like to read historical fiction. I used to read books like this all the time. I now find historical fiction to be somewhat difficult to read, but I still like to keep a few in the rotation because, unlike in history class, I actually learn something. I always finish books like this and feel some sense of satisfaction that I know/understand more than I did when I started.

Someone Knows My Name (also published as The Book of Negroes) is about a girl, Aminita, who is stolen from her homeland in Africa at the age of 11 and sold into slavery. She is sold overseas to a plantation owner in the Colony of South Carolina.

Let me just tell you that the things that happen to this girl and what she witnesses from the time of her capture are horrifying. As she grows up, more and more tragedy is forced upon her. But Aminita continues to find the will to survive and continues to dream of one day being free.

This book is so well written. Obviously, due to the subject matter, this is not an easy book to read but thanks to exceptional storytelling you won't want to stop reading without finding out what happens to Aminita.

I highly recommend this book to those who like historical fiction.