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Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill
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Someone Knows My Name (original 2007; edition 2008)

by Lawrence Hill

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3,6551773,423 (4.31)467
Dreaming of escaping her life of slavery in South Carolina and returning to her African home, slave Aminata Diallo is thrown into the chaos of the Revolutionary War, during which she helps create a list of black people who have been honored for their service to the king.
Member:a022422
Title:Someone Knows My Name
Authors:Lawrence Hill
Info:W.W. Norton & Co. (2008), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 512 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
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Work Information

The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill (2007)

  1. 74
    The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (Bcteagirl)
    Bcteagirl: The book has a similar familial tone and is also told from the point of view of young girls growing up in a difficult situation. I had been looking for a book with a similar writing style and was happy to find this one. If you liked The Book of Negroes I recommend The Poisonwood Bible and vice versa.… (more)
  2. 30
    A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry (LDVoorberg)
  3. 20
    The Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano (tangentialine)
  4. 20
    A Mercy by Toni Morrison (tangentialine)
  5. 10
    Slave: My True Story by Mende Nazer (_Lana_)
    _Lana_: If you enjoyed reading about slavery in a historical setting you might be interested in a true-tale of slavery’s modern form. Both books also have strong female protagonists.
  6. 10
    The Classic Slave Narratives by Henry Louis Jr Gates (Cecilturtle)
  7. 10
    The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom (vancouverdeb)
  8. 10
    Epic Journeys of Freedom: Runaway Slaves of the American Revolution and Their Global Quest for Liberty by Cassandra Pybus (susanbooks)
    susanbooks: Pybus offers a brilliant nonfiction account of the events in Hill's novel, as well as extending the story to penal colonies in Australia.
  9. 10
    Roots by Alex Haley (charlie68)
  10. 00
    Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup (charlie68)
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» See also 467 mentions

English (166)  Dutch (8)  French (1)  Norwegian (1)  All languages (176)
Showing 1-5 of 166 (next | show all)
Very good story about one person?s life in slave trade in the late 1700?s.Overview-Barnes & obleSomeone Knows My Name by Lawrence HillWinner of the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. "Wonderfully written...populated by vivid characters and rendered in fascinating detail." ¥Nancy Kline, New York Times Book ReviewKidnapped from Africa as a child, Aminata Diallo is enslaved in South Carolina but escapes during the chaos of the Revolutionary War. In Manhattan she becomes a scribe for the British, recording the names of blacks who have served the King and earned their freedom in Nova Scotia. But the hardship and prejudice of the new colony prompt her to follow her heart back to Africa, then on to London, where she bears witness to the injustices of slavery and its toll on her life and a whole people. It is a story that no listener, and no reader, will ever forget.Published in Canada as The Book of Negroes and the basis for the award-winning BET miniseries of the same name.
  bentstoker | Jan 26, 2024 |
This is one of the best books I have ever read! ( )
  nogomu | Oct 19, 2023 |
This book represents all that historical fiction can and should be. Amazing storytelling, a strong and sympathetic protagonist, and a piece of history not broadly addressed. Someone Knows My Name is the story of Aminata, a woman sold into slavery as a young girl. It details her experiences both as a slave and personally. While I've certainly read quite a few books that focus on slavery in the southern United States, this book discusses the migration of slaves to Nova Scotia and ultimately back to Africa. It was this latter part of the book that was unique and very educational, but the storytelling is strong and compelling throughout. ( )
  Anita_Pomerantz | Mar 23, 2023 |
I listened to the audio version of this book, and I was riveted by the story of the main character's journey from freedom to slavery and beyond. Beyond that, listening to it caused me to think more deeply about the ways people justified the slave trade and about the ways they chose to participate in it or resist it. ( )
  CarolHicksCase | Mar 12, 2023 |
An incredible first person account of a black woman's journey from when she is abducted from her home village in Africa to her travels on a slave ship and her work on an Indigo plantation. An accurate portrayal of the time and the era. Shocking perhaps to modern readers. Vividly portrayed by the narrator the story really comes alive. ( )
  charlie68 | Sep 3, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 166 (next | show all)
With mature themes (e.g., a rape scene on the ship, descriptive killings, and sexual situations), this book is suited for older teens. Hill clearly researched multiple and sources to provide an accurate acount of Aminata's heroic journey and brings to life crucial world history. Teens who enjoyed Sharon Draper's Copper Sun will appreciate this page-turning novel.
added by Christa_Josh | editSchool Library Journal, Gregory Lum (Mar 1, 2008)
 
An unforgettable epic, seen through the eyes of a sharply realized, indomitable heroine.
added by Christa_Josh | editBooklist, Sarah Johnson (Oct 15, 2007)
 
Unfortunately, [Hill's] didactic purpose gets the upper hand and overwhelms the story. Aminata is simply too noble to be believable, and other major characters are mainly symbolic. Nevertheless, Hill's fascinating source material makes this a good choice for book clubs and discussion groups.
added by Christa_Josh | editLibrary Journal, Edward St. John (Oct 1, 2007)
 
In depicting a woman who survives history's most trying conditions through force of intelligence and personality, Hill's book is a harrowing, breathtaking tour de force.
added by Christa_Josh | editPublishers Weekly (Sep 3, 2007)
 
Livet som slave: Velbalansert historisk fiksjon om slavehandelen og ondskapens banalitet
added by annek49 | editDagbladet, Cathrine Krøger (Jun 29, 2006)
 

» Add other authors (5 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Hill, Lawrenceprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Grundvig, KirstiTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Howard, RobCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Löcher-Lawrence… WernerÜbersetzersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ojo, AdenreleNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Omland, StianOvers.secondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sakulensky, LisaAuthor Photosecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Scarlino, AnnaInlezersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Willems, InekeTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Epigraph
I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore choose life.

--Deuteronomy 30:19
So geographers, in Afric-maps,

With savage-pictures fill their gaps;
And o'er unhabitable downs
Place elephants for want of towns.
--Jonathan Swift
Dedication
For my daughter, and kindred spirit, Genevieve Aminata
First words
I seem to have trouble dying.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
The Book of Negroes (2007) was published as Someone Knows My Name in the U.S.A, Australia, and New Zealand.
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Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
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Wikipedia in English (2)

Dreaming of escaping her life of slavery in South Carolina and returning to her African home, slave Aminata Diallo is thrown into the chaos of the Revolutionary War, during which she helps create a list of black people who have been honored for their service to the king.

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Book description
Publisher Comments:
Abducted from Africa as a child and enslaved in South Carolina, Aminata Diallo thinks only of freedom—and of the knowledge she needs to get home. Sold to an indigo trader who recognizes her intelligence, Aminata is torn from her husband and child and thrown into the chaos of the Revolutionary War. In Manhattan, Aminata helps pen the Book of Negroes, a list of blacks rewarded for service to the king with safe passage to Nova Scotia. There Aminata finds a life of hardship and stinging prejudice. When the British abolitionists come looking for "adventurers" to create a new colony in Sierra Leone, Aminata assists in moving 1,200 Nova Scotians to Africa and aiding the abolitionist cause by revealing the realities of slavery to the British public. This captivating story of one woman's remarkable experience spans six decades and three continents and brings to life a crucial chapter in world history.
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W.W. Norton

2 editions of this book were published by W.W. Norton.

Editions: 0393065782, 0393333094

 

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