The Book of Negros

 I picked up this pretty acclaimed book (it has a Canada Reads award) on the recommendation of my lovely mother. Loved it for its historical fiction and for the questions it raises. The issue of how difficult it is to deem events good or bad, because of the unforeseen opportunities and tragedies they open, is explored along with what it feels like to work really hard to come back to a dream and find it different than remembered. The other  theme that I liked having the opportunity to think about as I read this novel was the community of black people imported to North America and how they worked to cope/survive within the system of abuse.  This was a window into a world I could never access in such a personal way. Aminata Diallo was a very real person as I read, -abated an exceptional one.

As I meandered on the topic of this book I found an archival site on the history of Black Loyalists in Canada where you  can actually read The Book of Negro as it was recorded in 1783. There's also tons of related information on these sites. Pretty cool way to bring the details of history to life!