41 pages • 1 hour read
Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along The Atlantic Slave Route
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Book Brief
292
Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction
Ghana • Early 2000s
2007
Adult
18+ years
Super Short Summary
Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route by Saidiya V. Hartman explores the history of slavery and her ancestry as Hartman travels to Ghana. She discovers that an authentic return to roots is unattainable due to the erasure caused by slavery and grapples with the complexities of internal power dynamics and colonialist imperatives that fueled the slave trade.
Contemplative
Emotional
Melancholic
Informative
Mysterious
Reviews & Readership
2,651 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Review Roundup
Saidiya V. Hartman's Lose Your Mother has been lauded for its poignant narrative and insightful examination of the transatlantic slave trade's enduring impact. Reviewers praise Hartman's eloquent prose and deep historical analysis. Some critics, however, find the non-linear structure challenging. Overall, it's a compelling and profound exploration of identity and memory.
Who Should Read Lose Your Mother?
Readers who appreciate Lose Your Mother by Saidiya V. Hartman are typically engaged with African American history, diaspora studies, and personal narratives of heritage and identity. Fans of Beloved by Toni Morrison and Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates will find this book compelling and insightful.
2,651 ratings
Loved it
Mixed feelings
Not a fan
Mary Ellen Ray & John Ray
Mary Ellen Ray & John Ray
An African American couple who moved to Ghana in the 1960s and 1970s, offering Hartman a perspective on the challenges and misconceptions faced by Black Americans seeking a connection to Africa.
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah
The first president of independent Ghana, known for his efforts to unify the country and his advocacy for socialism and pan-Africanism, representing the aspirations of post-colonial leaders.
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce
A British parliamentarian influential in the movement to abolish the transatlantic slave trade, noted for his persistent legislative advocacy and moral stance against slavery.
292
Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction
Ghana • Early 2000s
2007
Adult
18+ years
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