Book Store 16. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

🔥 Challenged for its honest portrayal of slavery and generational trauma — but hailed as a modern masterpiece.

Homegoing follows two half-sisters in 18th-century Ghana: one is sold into slavery, the other married to a British colonizer. Their descendants’ stories unfold across centuries and continents — from the Gold Coast to the Jim Crow South to Harlem. Gyasi’s sweeping debut shows how history shapes us in blood, bone, and memory.

Why it was banned: Includes depictions of slavery, racism, and drug use — real histories that some would rather erase.
Recommended for: Adult readers, intergenerational book clubs, fans of literary fiction and African American history.