The Book of Negroes/ Someone Knows My Name

I have about a twenty minute bus ride to and from work. With this time, and the time spent waiting at the bus stop, I do quite a bit of reading. I picked up the habit while living in Toronto. Prior to that, I was content to listen to music and daydream. My commute to downtown, with buses and the subway, allowed for a tonne of book time. Now, I feel completely distracted and impatient on public transportation without some fiction to carry me to any other place.

My most recent bus book was The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill. It's an amazing story and I highly recommend it. However, I'm not sure it was the wisest selection for myself considering where I chose to read it. My emotions tend to run high as I can completely lose myself in a story. Ordinarily this would not be a problem but with The Book of Negroes, I was moved to tears more often than I can count. I noticed on more than one occasion that fellow bus riders were peering curiously at me as I sniffled and choked my way from stop to stop. This is not to say that it's an altogether sad and depressing book- quite the opposite actually. While there are many heart-wrenching chapters, the heroine of the story, Aminata Diallo, also has her share of triumphs that left me feeling proud each time I closed the pages and exited the bus. Trust me, I'm an escapist who turns to fiction to lift her mood. If a story makes me cry and I still recommend it, you can believe it's worth the read.

In the USA it's published as Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill.

Check it out here.