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.