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Someone Knows My Name
2015 Group Reads
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July Group Read: Someone Knows my Name by Lawrence HIll
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kisha, The Clean Up Lady
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Jul 11, 2015 10:59AM
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YAY! Good choice!I will not have time to read it this month I have too much to do. But I read it a couple of years ago so I will still enjoy the discussion if that is ok?
I read this book earlier this year. I think I still remember the important parts
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I'm in too. I read it awhile back to.
I'm in. Its been on my kindle for a while.
New member, I plan to join for Someone Knows My Name.
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Welcome Ariel!
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Hi GuysI'll probably join in late on this one as I'm waiting for it to arrive from the US. Loooking forward to reading this.
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by
Lulu, The Book Reader who could.
(last edited Aug 20, 2015 03:32PM)
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rated it 5 stars
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Book One (approx. 95 pgs) *** Wednesday, July 22 *** Message 17
Book Two (approx. 130 pgs) *** Wednesday, July 29 *** Message 27
Book Three (approx. 138 pgs) *** Wednesday, August 5 *** Message 42
Book Four (approx. 95 pgs) *** Wednesday, August 12 *** Message 45
Helen wrote: "YAY! Good choice!I will not have time to read it this month I have too much to do. But I read it a couple of years ago so I will still enjoy the discussion if that is ok?"this is the same for me looking forward to your povs
I read it a little earlier this year. Great book.
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Book 1 opens up with Aminata in her present day (London, 1802). She says, “Here I am, a broken-down old black woman who has crossed more water than I care to remember, and walked more leagues than a work horse, and the only things I dream of are the things I can't have – children and grandchildren to love, and parents to care for me”.
Aminata is in London to meet with the king and share her story with Parliament in the hopes of ending the slave trade. Her story is prefaced with “Let me begin with a caveat to any and all who find these pages. Do not trust large bodies of water, and do not cross them. If you, dear reader, have an African hue and find yourself led toward water with vanishing shores, seize your freedom by any means necessary. And cultivate distrust of the colour pink. Pink is taken as the colour of innocence, the colour of childhood, but as it spills across the water in the light of the dying sun, do not fall into its pretty path. There, right underneath, lies a bottomless graveyard of children, mothers and men. I shudder to imagine all the Africans rocking in the deep. Every time I have sailed the seas, I have had the sense of gliding over the unburied”.
Aminata was taught well as a child, and this had to have played a major part in her survival. The kidnapping and the journey to the ocean wreaked havoc, mentally,, physically, and emotionally on all of the victims, yet Aminata said that her mind stay intact...why do you think this was possible?
Aminata notes that they “passed village after village, and town after town”, but no one comes to help. I'm sure a village of women and men armed and willing could overtake the kidnappers. Why wouldn’t people come to the aid of their fellow citizens being held against their will?
How do you feel about Fanta's actions during the rebellion?
What are you thoughts? Questions?
I loved Fanta's courage. I cant really remember what all she did but I remember she played a big part in the rebellion.I loved Aminata. She so mature and wise for her young age. I wonder if it came from helping her mother midwife.
It is not unusual to have strong people survive tough situations. Were it not for people like Aminata and Fanta, I doubt I would be here today. That's why I love to read and write historical fiction.
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I didn't start it. I plan to read it at some point, but probably not in time for the discussion.
I didn't start it. I plan to read it at some point, but probably not in time for the discussion.
Yes. I've read it. lol
Read it and loved it years ago
My copy hasn't arrived yet, but I plan to read it.
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message 27:
by
Lulu, The Book Reader who could.
(last edited Aug 02, 2015 08:50AM)
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rated it 5 stars
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Aminata (back in London, 1893) is actually in London to speak w/ Parliament and the King in hopes of abolishing the slave trade, but she lets it be known that she can't speak on the slave trade and not mention slavery. Do you think the abolitionist were using her as a political pawn or did they truly view her as their "equal" and valued her as an individual?
Sullivan Island, 1757...
The slave ship has finally arrived in America and every one seems to be getting better and healthier except Aminata, Binto tells her "You crossed the big river,child. Don't die now". They are getting prepared to go through the auction process which is confusing for Aminata. Aminata is in a new, strange world and observes that “not a single homelander fought or shouted or ran. They showed no resistance at all”.
St. Helena Island, 1757...
Aminata settles in at the Appleby plantation, where she is now called Meena. She lives with a woman named Georgia who teaches her a lot about survival and in turn Aminata teaches Georgia a lot.
Aminata eventually gets in contact with Chekura and becomes pregnant. A pregnancy of which she is very proud of. Why was Appleby unhappy about Aminata’s pregnancy?
Aminata goes to live in Charles Town with Lindo and his wife, who treat their "servants" totally different than Appleby. Lindo lets it be known that he is a Jew and that is very different from a white man. He tells Aminata that "you and
I are both outsiders” What do you think he means by this? Do you think Lindo is a hypocrite?
I also thought it was very sad that Aminata was allowed to care for Mrs. Lindo when she was sick, but was not
permitted to attend her shiva—the mourning period—after her death.
What are you thoughts? Questions?
Hi. I'm new to Goodreads. Can someone explain how I get notified about discussions related to our group reads, (without being bombarded by general notices from Goodreads)? Thanks, Ariel
Ariel wrote: "Hi. I'm new to Goodreads. Can someone explain how I get notified about discussions related to our group reads, (without being bombarded by general notices from Goodreads)? Thanks, Ariel"Hi Ariel
Everytime you post a comment on a thread, beneath your comment it will give you the option of receiving a notification each time someone posts a new comment. Also when you sign up to be a member of a group, it will ask you how you prefer to receive notitifications of new discussions, threads etc. I hope that's helpful.
I’ve just finished Part 1 and I’m really enjoying it so far. I thought the journey to the ship was bad enough, especially the fact that they were all naked and I felt really sorry for Aminata when her period started and also for Sanu and the fact that she had to keep on walking even after giving birth and with blood running down her leg. I think at one point Aminata said that the reason why she survived is because of the fact that she was a child and so people were more likely to look out for her. She was also taken under the wing of the ship’s doctor and he gave her better food and she slept in his cabin instead of in the hold with the other slaves. She also was too young to be subjected to sexual abuse although that was clearly what the ship’s doctor had in mind when he took her under his wing.
I think the reason why no one from the other villages came to their aid is because slavery was a part of African life back in those times. I think Fomba might have been a slave. But although slaves in those times had a low status in African society in those times, they were still viewed as human beings unlike American and Caribbean slaves who were viewed as subhuman so were treated as such. I think if Africans had known just what awaited those slaves, they would have gone to their aid.
I thought Fanta’s actions were shocking, but I could understand it, unfortunately, though I was horrified when she threw Sanu’s baby overboard.
It was a very detailed and visual description of what the middle passage was like, especially her description of throwing dead and sick slaves overboard.
Part I: It seemed a bit unlikely to me that Aminata would have really survived the middle passage. There seemed to be a lot of luck involved -- the dr. not abusing her, being hidden under a dead body, etc. I do think a lot about the resilience African Americans had and have today to survive racism in America. I think people who were raised to believe strongly in themselves have a better chance of resisting the psychological cultural oppression that still continues.
Part II: I wouldn't say the abolitionists were entirely using Aminata as a pawn, but I don't think they respected her completely as an individual either. I think it was easy for them to let what they ASSUMED to be shared goals over-ride their thinking or awareness about Aminata's personal priorities and needs. There is some development in this as the story goes on.I don't think Lindo is being hypocritical. Jews were given less privilege than White Christian men, but obviously they were not enslaved in the same way as Africans. I believe Lindo was genuinely using empathy and self-understanding to do what he could to be fair to Aminata.
Ariel wrote: "Part I: It seemed a bit unlikely to me that Aminata would have really survived the middle passage. There seemed to be a lot of luck involved -- the dr. not abusing her, being hidden under a dead ..."It seems unlikely that anyone would survive an experience like that, but children - and adults - did survive the middle passage. I do agree that people who have been taught to believe strongely in themselves have a better chance of resisting oppression. There are also biological reasons why some slaves were able to survive the middle passage and others died. Most African Americans are prone to high blood pressure and that's because the Africans who survived the middle passage were able to retain salt. I think the slavers worked this out (though they probably didn't know why) because there are paintings of slavers licking slaves to see if their sweat was salty or not.
A.D. wrote: "Ariel wrote: "Part I: It seemed a bit unlikely to me that Aminata would have really survived the middle passage. There seemed to be a lot of luck involved -- the dr. not abusing her, being hidden..."Thanks for your response, A.D.. Obviously somehow people did survive the middle passage, so my comment sounds a little silly. I meant it specifically about how convincing the fictional account for Aminata was. But you know what? It still sounds silly! I guess I'm really saying that it is amazing that anyone survived! And your info about high blood pressure is really interesting!
Hi ArielIt wasn't a silly comment. It is difficult to believe that anyone could survive that. And it was such a realistic account like you said. I think it shows that human beings have the ability to withstand a great deal physically and mentally.
This is the 2nd book we’ve read in which white abolitionists have been viewed negatively. I don’t believe they are using her as a pawn as such. They seem to be the kind of people who believe in the idea/theory of abolitionism wholeheartedly and the slave stories seem to be extremely important to them. But they don’t really seem to see these slaves as their equals and they come across as very patronising. There is a part in the novel where there are talking about Aminata not being able to understand complex things right in front of her and it is difficult to gauge if this is because of her race, age or sex - or all three.I found it surprising that Appleby behaved like that. The description of his body language in that scene when he confronts her about her pregnancy suggests he had an emotional response that wasn’t the anger he eventually displayed. There wasn’t a reason for him to be upset because her pregnancy meant another slave to add to his wealth and there were other slave women for him to sleep with so I found it hard to understand his reaction and thought it was maybe just possessiveness.
Is Lindo a hypocrite? It’s difficult to say at this stage as we still haven’t heard his version of what happened with Mamadou. They are both outsiders, but he is free, male and white so there are huge differences between them.
I really liked the fact that Georgia became a surrogate mother to Aminata and that even Mamod(?) was kind to her. I think her relationship with Chekura is really sweet and I can understand the way the feel about each other even though they see each other infrequently.
A.D. wrote: "This is the 2nd book we’ve read in which white abolitionists have been viewed negatively. I don’t believe they are using her as a pawn as such. They seem to be the kind of people who believe in the..."My copy of the book hasn't arrived yet so I can't comment on this particular passage however earlier this year I read Uncle Tom's Cabin which was written contemporaneously with the institution of slavery. I'd have to say the presentation of white abolitionists being patronizing and while sympathetic to the suffering of black people not viewing them as intellectual equals would seem to be more historically accurate than any attempt on the part of the author to portray white abolitionists negatively. Harriet Beecher Stowe was a staunch abolitionist but she seemed to view black people as eternal children, though I would have to give her credit for allowing her character George Harris to directly challenge that conception, though even he (also the voice of the author) didn't think emancipated black people could ever live as equals in the United States and must ultimately return to Africa.
Hi SoschaI've read Uncle Tom's Cabin and I agree, it does seem as if writers like Lawrence Hill rely on Historical fact when it comes to their portrayal of abolitionists. I do remember at university (I really wish I could remember in more detail) that one of my lecturers referred to a letter that a female abolitionist had written to a freed slave (it could have been Harriet Jocobs, I can't be sure) regarding her daughter accompanying them on trips. This abolitionist expressed concerns based on sexual stereotypes of slave women suggesting that her daughter would not be able to contain her sexual appetite on this trip even though there was no reason for this to be a concern.
The thing about Stowe is that she did generalise a lot but there were a lot of things she portrayed so accurately and I think this is because a lot of the characters were based on real people.
I don't think the Abolitionists were using her as a pawn. They wanted blacks to be treated equally and as human beings. I honestly think they were intrigued by her strength and perseverance.I think Appleby was jealous of anyone that has been with Aminata. Thats why he was so cruel. He wanted her all to himself. Appleby literally owned her and never wanted Aminata to forget.
I dont think Lindo was a hypocrite. In a sense Jews were also made to feel they were beneath Christian whites. As far as the mourning process, some people act totally different in private versus in public.
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Very interesting....I didn't know about the retention of salt at all.
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A lot of people have held this belief throughout history. Even today some believe it to be true.
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Nations not so blest as thee {London, 1804}
It's clear that Aminata is to the point of exhaustion and who can blame her, she'd done a lot in her life. I think that writing and sharing her story with Parliament is what's keeping her going at this point.
They come and go from holy ground {Manhattan, 1775}
Aminata arrives in Manhanttan with Lindo and is warned to stay away from Canvas Town. Why do you think Lindo gave her this warning? Maybe he was simply looking out for Aminata because he considered her a class higher than the residents of Canvas Town?
Aminata is introduced to Black Sam. After being able to sign her name into the hotel registry in public, she vows never to return to Charles Town and ask Black Sam about escaping and going back to Africa.
It amazes me how the "Rebels" were fighting for freedom from the "Tories", but still kept black slaves and denied them their freedom. Even though a lot of the British citizens owned slaves, I think an offer of freedom was made to the slaves just in hopes of dealing a crushing blow to the rebels.
Negroes or other property
Was it more than coincidence that Waters should save Aminata from rape only to see her become so useful to the British Army in preparing for the settlement of the Loyalists?
Why is Chekura not impressed to learn that “the British were indeed sending some fugitives to freedom, but were also allowing white Loyalists to bring along slaves”?
Why would Appleby pull that stunt, knowing he had sold Aminata to Lindo? I guess he was hoping for a lucky break.
What do you think Lindo wanted to say to Aminata after the court case? Do you think Aminata should have spoken with him?
Gone missing with my most recent exhalation {Birchtown, 1783}
Do you think Birchtown is better or worse for Aminata than Manhattan? Charles Town? St. Helena Island?
My children were like phantom limbs
Daddy Moses warns...“Don’t get too close to white folks, they can be fair-weathered friends”
What reasons the Witherspoons might have had for taking May with them. If Aminata had found them in time, before they disappeared with May, what do you think the Witherspoons would have said in their defense?
Elephants for want of towns
Why was the Sierra Leone Company so interested in resettling the Black Loyalists?
Questions? Comments?
Lulu wrote: "A.D. wrote: "Ariel wrote: "Part I: It seemed a bit unlikely to me that Aminata would have really survived the middle passage. There seemed to be a lot of luck involved -- the dr. not abusing her,..."I found out from watching Oprah lol
It may not have been a coincidence that Waters saw Aminata get attacked. He needed her services and knew she would be at the church at a certain time so he was probably on his way there too and happened to see her get attacked.Chekura probably saw it as a bit hypocritical. I was actually surprised that the British kept their promise as slaves were seen as non-human so some wouldn’t have bothered keep a promise made to them.
I think it might have been desperation that made Appleby do that. Maybe he had hit on hard times and saw an opportunity to make some money as Aminata was still of child bearing age in addition to her skills, so she was very valuable.
I think Lindo may have wanted to say something about Mamadu. I think she should have spoken to him as he did the right thing by bringing proof to the court to show Appleby was lying. He was legally in the position to claim her as his slave, but he didn’t.
Birchtown seems much worse. The description of the levels of poverty they endured – especially in the winter when some just dug a hole in the ground and covered it with logs for the winter shows the abject levels of poverty some faced. I could understand how the tension between the blacks and whites began considering the levels of hardship people experienced in Canada. But blacks were in a much worse position than whites even if they did have a job as they were paid much less than whites for doing the same job.
I think the witherspoons took May because they wanted a child and they had gotten attached to May. They probably told themselves that May was better off with them financially so they didn’t see what they did as wrong. If Aminata had seen them, they probably would have called the police or the guard - because she is a poor black woman and they are rich and white - and then just got on the ship with May. Whether or not Aminata got May back if she had seen them would have depended on if the police or guard was racist or not.
The resettlement seems like a noble act on the surface, but I’ve read before that some wanted blacks resettled to Africa because they just didn’t want them in the states as they didn’t think blacks and whites could life in harmony.
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Toubab with black face {Freetown, 1792}
After wishing for so long to get back to Africa, Why does Aminata feel lost and disconnected, wondering “who exactly I was and what I had become”, even though she has returned to her homeland?
Do you think it's true that the British betrayed the settlers again?
Help from the Saints
Mrs. Falconbridge suggests that Aminata write a story about her life, similar to the account of OlaudahA
Equiano, a former African slave. Falconbridge comments that “I have no idea if his account is entirely true.
But no matter”. Why do you think she made this statement? Maybe people didn't want to believe the cruel truth about slavery.
questions, comments? What are your overall thoughts about the book? Where there any unanswered questions for you?
Overall I really enjoyed this book.
I think that any kind of migration, whether forced or not, leads to the kind of disconnect Aminata experiences when she returns to Africa. In the US the slaves developed an entirely new culture and even a new language when you think about the earlier passages when she talks about the way the slaves spoke in comparison to whites and the fact that it changed when their master wasn’t around. So it isn’t surprising that Africa and African culture would seem so different to them and that they aren’t seen as African by other Africans.I don’t actually think the British betrayed them. They did what they said but they misled the settlers by letting them think they would be able to completely govern themselves. As for the plots of land they settlers were promised, it sounds as if the British themselves were betrayed as they thought they had bought land from King Jimmy only for him to tell them they were mistaken and he had only leased it to them.
I though the conversation with the slaver guy at the fortress was interesting in that he was in complete denial about what he was doing and actually didn’t like to even think about it. I can imagine that that is probably how they were.
I think that those slave narratives were always written further the abolitionists cause, so although I don’t believe they were exaggerated, their focus was always on the worst experiences of that person. It is also quite difficult for people to believe accounts like that and I’ve even heard some people say the same about modern books with difficult subject matter like the Pelzer books.
I really enjoyed this book. I don't think I've read a book on slavery with this much detail.
Hi GuysThere is an adaptation of "Someone knows my name" on Fox in the UK. I have included a link to Fox's website with the details but don't know if you guys can view it in the US.
http://www.foxtv.co.uk/shows/fox/some...
I haven't seen it yet, but it looks good.
You're welcome, Joe:-)
