This is the story 8 generation-long story of a family separated by the slave trade. Effia and Esi are half-sisters who suffer a very different fate when one is sold as a slave and the other is married to a colonizer. 

We’re introduced to their descendants who endure Chattel Slavery, forced prison labor, and unspeakable racism. The impacts of Imperialism and Colonization are central to this story and you begin to understand how the displacement of the African/African-American still impacts families today. 

Each descendent of Effia and Esi shows up as an intriguing, layered character and you won’t want to put this book down once you pick it up. 

This has easily become one of my favorite books and it deserves all the praise.