February 27, 2018
By Shweta Kondapi and Emily Ma
On February 27, Yaa Gyasi, author of the novel Homegoing, will pay a visit to Lexington High School to discuss the process of writing her novel—as well as the powerful themes it contains. Gyasi is a highly acclaimed author, receiver of multiple awards such as the American Book Award and the National Book Foundation’s ‘5 Under 35,’ by the age of 26.
Gyasi was born in Mampong, Ghana, but her family moved to Alabama during her childhood. According to TIME magazine, this was where she first became captivated by the literary arts and began to build up her writing skills. “Very quickly for me reading and writing went hand in hand,” Gyasi said to TIME.
In 2009, she returned to her homeland to reconnect with her cultural roots. While visiting Cape Coast Castle, one of the commercial forts used to hold slaves before they were sold in the Americas, the strong emotions she felt inspired her to begin writing Homegoing. “That juxtaposition of the majesty upstairs with the awfulness and despair downstairs really struck me,” Gyasi said to TIME.
Homegoing follows the paths of two Ghanaian sisters, one who lead a life of relative comfort in the Cape Coast Castle, and the other, who was brutally captured and held in the dungeon right below her sister, then sold into slavery. The book weaves together their contrasting, but connected, stories, as well as the stories of their descendants for generations afterwards.
Many students were excited to hear that such a highly acclaimed author was visiting Lexington High School. For them, Gyasi novel struck a chord with them and gifted them with important personal takeaways and realizations.
“[Homegoing] resonates with the hard truths of that time period in racism and slavery, which are not always discussed in such detail,” said Keena Gao, a sophomore. “It encapsulates what we’re learning in history class, but through a powerful first person narrative.”
Gyasi’s visit will also serve as a unique opportunity for students to connect to an author in person and ask questions. “Usually, when we don’t know what certain parts of the book mean, we just infer what the author must have meant. Now, we don’t have to do that,” said Serena Behera, a sophomore. Gyasi’s talk will provide a chance for sophomores to better understand the themes of Homegoing.
One of the many reasons why Homegoing stands out among other books is that Gyasi is not afraid to state exactly what she means. “It doesn’t just sugar coat [history], as it clearly states all the disturbing and emotional details associated with [slavery],” said Behera. “The numerous messages that we sophomores can learn from it make it a must-read.”
In order to get Yaa Gyasi to visit, the teachers had to contact Penguin Random House, where there are specific bureaus for coordinating author visits. The sophomore english teachers had leftover money from a previous project, which served as a jumping off point in collecting funds to pay for the talk. Lexington Education Fund, as well as Lexington Continuing education were able to support the endeavor by offering further funding in the form of a grant, and donation respectively.
Yaa Gyasi will be coming in for two sessions on the 27th, one specifically for the sophomore class during the school day and one after school. Tickets are $10 and the session is open to the entire community. The event will be held in the Lexington High school auditorium from 6-7 pm.
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