One of the most exhilarating scenes in the book sees a young woman who has developed an eating disorder in the pressurecooker environment of yale. In a sweeping narrative that takes us from accra to lagos to london to new york, ghana must go teaches that the truths we speak can. Though the author, taiye selasi, uses poeticprose that is beautifully arresting in parts and original, it often served more as a hurdle rather than a driver of the story. Moving with great elegance through time and place, ghana must go.
Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. When 53yearold kweku sai keels over from a heart attack in his elegant backyard garden, the news quickly travels all the way from ghana to. It was published in 20, and nominated for an naacp image award. About a year ago, nell freudenberger called taiye selasis ghana must go an ambitious first novel in the new york times, and observed that ambitious has a different meaning on each side of the north atlantic. In the british sense, ambitious is a barelyburied criticism of people who would presume to rise above their station, so freudenberger is quick to clarify that she. Like he feels a second pang now for the existence of perfection, the stubborn existence of perfection in the most vulnerable of things and in the face of his refusallogicaladmirable refusalto engage with this existence in his heart, in his mind. Ghana must go 20 follows a ghanaiannigerian family back and forth across the atlantic as first the parents, then the children, must come to terms with transnational living.
Ghana must go is at once a portrait of a modern family, and an exploration of the importance of where we come from to who we are. A hilly colony established by english immigrants fleeing religious restrictions, now teeming with people from all over the world who go to the universities, drive cabs, open restaurants or serve in them, build grassroots. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read ghana must go. Ghana must go interweaves the stories of the sais in a rich and moving drama of separation and reunion, spanning generations and cultures from west africa to new england, london, new york and back. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of ghana must go by taiye selasi. Taiye selasis ghana must go is a big novel, elemental, meditative, and mesmerizing. A renowned surgeon and failed husband, he succumbs suddenly at dawn outside his home in suburban accra. Instead, ghana must go tells a story about a family struggling to operate as one and stay together in the face of adversity. Moving with great elegance through time and place, ghana must go charts the sais circuitous journey to one another. I do have a number of books from chinua achebe and chimamanda adichie so i was excited to read a book similar in nature to their books. In her ambitious debut, ghana must go, she brings us into the world of bright, urban professionals, raised in the united states, but with roots in africa.
The books very first sentence sounds like a scrap of song lyric. Taiye selasi, author info, published books, bio, photo. Taiye selasi was born on november, 2 1979 in london, england, and raised in brookline, massachusetts. The author has been mentored by toni morrison and endorsed by salman rushdie. Discover book depositorys huge selection of taiye selasi books online. Ghana must go seems to contain the entire world, and i shall never forget it.
Ghana must go was recommended based on my past purchasing history on amazon. In a sweeping narrative that takes readers from accra to lagos to london to new york, it is at once a portrait of a modern family and an exploration of the importance of where we come from to who we are. Ghana must go by taiye selasi extract in this extract from the authors novel about a family torn apart by events, a student encounters us misconceptions of africa taiye selasi. Ghana must go was a tough read because 1 the authors style is poetic and not always forwardmoving, 2 the character focus shifts without warning and it takes time to determine who youre reading about, and 3 it is extremely painful. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading ghana must go. Taiye selasis first novel follows a splintered ghanaiannigerian family across continents and generations. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Sapphire, author of precious taiye selasi is a young.
The unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of taiye selasis ghana must go, read by the actress adjoa andoh. Ghana must go tells the story of folasade savage, who leaves lagos for. The news of kwekus death sends a ripple around the world, bringing together the family he abandoned years before. Setting much of the plot in ghana must gotaiye selasis engaging first novel about two african immigrants and their childrenin boston was an clever choice. Elizabeth gilbert, author of eat, pray, love taiye selasi is a totally new and near perfect voice that spans continents and social strata as effortlessly as the insertion of an ellipsis or a dash. Taiye selasis debut novel, ghana must go, centers on the sai family, a fractured clan of overachieving jetsetters who, like selasi, are immigrants of ghanaian and nigerian descent. Other readers will always be interested in your opinion of the books youve read.
Meet the sais, a nigerianghanaian family living in the united states. Electric, exhilarating, beautifully crafted, ghana must go follows the sais journey, moving with great elegance through time and place to share the truths hidden and lies told. Britishamerican author taiye selasi s debut novel, ghana must go 20, touches on themes of parental inadequacy and the kind of shame that would drive a man to abandon his family for fear of appearing inadequate in their eyes. Electric, exhilarating, beautifully crafted, ghana must go is a testament to the transformative power of unconditional love, from a debut novelist of extraordinary talent.
With mesmerizing craftsmanship and massive imagination she takes the. There was one particularly telling line in taiye selasis essay byebye, barbar or. In a sweeping narrative that takes readers from accra to lagos to london to new york, it is at once a portrait. I thought it was a painful story beautifully written. A family prospering until the day father and surgeon kweku sai is victim of a grave injustice. Whether youve loved the book or not, if you give your honest and detailed thoughts then people will find new books that are right for them. Novelist taiye selasi coined the word afropolitanism eight years ago to refer to educated, multilingual, multiethnic africans living around the globe.
Britishamerican author taiye selasis debut novel, ghana must go 20, touches on. Taiye selasi is a totally new and near perfect voice that spans continents and social strata as effortlessly as the insertion of an ellipsis or a dash. A buoyant and rapturous debut novel the wall street journal about the transformative power of unconditional loveelectric, exhilarating, and beautifully crafted, ghana must go introduces the world to taiye selasi, a novelist of extraordinary talent. Ghana must go by taiye selasi extract books the guardian.
Despite these challenges, ghana must go moved my soul, which is why i rated it four stars. Her mother is a pediatrician from nigeria and her father is a surgeon and poet from ghana. The novel is told largely through back story as it begins with the fathers death in ghanawhere he has gone after leaving his. Family sagas generally start with a joyous birthor, as in the case of taiye selasis debut novel, an unexpected death. In the wake of kwakus death, the family gathers in ghana, at their mother, folas, new home. Electric, exhilarating, and beautifully crafted, ghana must go introduces the world to taiye selasi, a novelist of extraordinary talent. In a sweeping narrative that takes readers from accra to lagos to london to new york, it is at once a portrait of a modern family and. The novel follows the sai family as they come to terms with their father kweku sais death, and as they work through family troubles. A stunning novel, spanning generations and continents, ghana must go by rising star taiye selasi is a tale of family drama and forgiveness, for fans of zadie smith and chimamanda ngozi adichie. Electric, exhilarating, beautifully crafted pdf, ghana must go is a testament to the transformative power of unconditional love, from a debut novelist of extraordinary talent. Taiye selasi s first novel follows a splintered ghanaiannigerian family across continents and generations. I was surprised that my around the world for a good book selection for ghana turns out to have a good portion of the narrative set close to home in the boston, massachusetts area.
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