Kearsten says: Ekundayo (meaning "Sorrow Becomes Joy"), arrives in America in the belly of a pregnant African woman, Amina, on a slave ship. Luckily, the captain of the slave ship, Josiah, is a kind man, drafted into the work through the overwhelming grief he has faced since the death of his beloved wife. Josiah saves Amina from slavery and Ekundayo is born, but he is special, as he is the keeper of all of his people’s memories and emotions, and must find a way to let the souls of his people, left to wander America, find peace. Ekundayo soon finds his own soul taking flight and coming to rest in the body of a slave on a Virginia plantation, and there he finds a way to fulfill his purpose. Well written, gives a view of slavery (slave ships, the capturing of African peoples, and life on a plantation) that is frightening and sad, but gives hope. ( )

- Ekundayo, meaning Sorrow Becomes Joy, arrives in America in the belly of a pregnant African woman, Amina, on a slave ship. Luckily, the captain of the slave ship, Josiah, is a kind man, drafted into the work through the overwhelming grief he has faced since the death of his beloved wife. Josiah saves Amina from slavery and Ekundayo is born, but he is special, as he is the keeper of all of his people’s memories and emotions, and must find a way to let the souls of his people, left to wander America, find peace. Ekundayo soon finds his own soul taking flight and coming to rest in the body of a slave on a Virginia plantation, and there he finds a way to fulfill his purpose. Well written, gives a view of slavery (slave ships, the capturing of African peoples, and life on a plantation) that is frightening and sad, but gives hope. ( )

Like Men of Salt, Time’s Memory features the people of Mali. The thoughtful, lyrical prologue of this book had me ready to vote yes on this one for it alone: “Our lives do not begin when we are born. Only our bodies do.” Lester has taken Dogon tradition of honoring spirits and blending that foundation into something distinctly American. “Our lives begin so long ago that only Time remembers when and where and, most importantly, why. Our lives begin in a past of which we have no knowledge. They extend into a future we cannot imagine.” Ekundayo serves as our Dogon, spirit host. He inhabits the body of a young slave, Nathaniel and guides souls through the Middle Passage and slavery. Lester shapes history based on his understanding of the African cultural roots of the book’s characters. Despite having some transition problems (the change between Amina and Ekundayo in the first section to Nathaniel/Ekundayo in sections two and three is somewhat abrupt), the unique Mali spiritual component make this book an easy one to recommend for middle school and high school libraries. ( )

A young woman is stolen from West Africa and carried in shackles across the Atlantic to be sold as a slave. But Amma, the creator-god and master of life and death, has chosen a different fate for her: She is to give birth to Ekundayo, a spiritually-conceived being whose mission is to bring peace to the miserable and restless souls of countless African descendents who die in slavery. The task seems impossible, and Ekundayo fears that his world and traditions will disappear in chaos and grief, until he finds the key that may release a flood of healing compassion and humanity. This elegantly crafted book does not shy away from its subject: A world where the line between good an evil is blurred, and even the gods do not know where they stand. Time’s Memory vividly depicts themes of West African spirituality, American history, and the possibility of inter-racial love and cooperation. ( )