Author Anna Kemp introduces The Hollow Hills, the sequel to her dark magical tale, Into Goblyn Wood. Laurie Goering, "Role of Gorée Island in slave trade now disputed by historians". Chicago Tribune, February 1, 2005. Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark... In his village in Upper Kwanta, 11-year-old Kofi loves his family, playing oware with his grandfather and swimming in the river Offin. He’s warned though, to never go to the river at night. His brother tells him ”There are things about the water you do not know." “Like what?" Kofi asks. “The beasts,” his brother answers. Kwame Alexander has a beautiful way with words. This book is written in a unique format that is poetic sharing the thoughts of Kofi, delivering Asante folklore and brilliantly immersing the reader into life of the people.

Diop grew up in Senegal, he has a French mother and a Senegalese father; in the text, he writes from the perspectives of Fisher, Max (28 June 2013). "What Obama really saw at the 'Door of No Return,' a disputed memorial to the slave trade" . Retrieved 1 October 2017– via www.washingtonpost.com.When they died they were thrown into the sea. They said if they gave them good food, they would fight. Some refused to eat, they preferred to die," said Kugbey. I won this as a giveaway, but it’s going to be gracing my favorites shelf in my home. My girls will be reading it soon enough.

The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander is a powerful and stunning verse novel set in the heart of the Ashanti Kingdom in Africa in 1860. The story follows Kofi Offin, an 11-year-old boy who has an affinity with water, and especially swimming in the Offin River - his friend Ebo claims "He is like a fish in the water". Family, friends and the fireside tales of his grandfather fill his days when he's not at school - where he is bullied by his older and larger cousin, also called Kofi. When his brother announces that he has been selected to participate as a wrestler in the forthcoming Kings Festival contest between the villages of the Upper and Lower Kwanta, Kofi and his family are delighted - both pride and gold are at stake! But the outcome of the final wrestling match will have deadly consequences that will change Kofi's life forever. The importance of staying true to your culture and traditions and passing on this knowledge down the generations. Memorial [ edit ] Boubacar Joseph N'Diaye, the curator of the Museum of Slavery in Island of Gorée, Senegal, 2007 Kwame has given young readers so many relatable books. This one was the first from him that I have read that really gave history behind the characters. Based in Africa, Alexander dug deeply into what the culture holds. As a white woman, I probably don’t understand it all, but I strive to.You'd think the resentment built up in the neglected child of a botanist would cause her to hate plants and possibly even reject nature, but if anything, she loved the natural world more than her father did. She learned that unlike cruel people, plants and trees harbor no ill will towards us. If we tend to them, they will provide enduring joy. She is able to open herself up, in opposition to her closed-off father. As for her father, like all narcissists, Adanson cannot abide criticism. He holds on to grudges and simple grievances forever. Oddly enough, though, for a man so seduced by vanity, one of the characteristics Adanson likes best about pure reference material like encyclopedias and dictionaries, is that they leave no room for the author to add themselves in the text. The reader is either impressed with the work, or they're not. That's why his attempt to write the Universal Encyclopedia of Natural History was so important to him. He wanted his work to stand for itself (and of course, engender praise). The Door of No Return” tells of an inquisitive young boy named Kofi who loves his family, childhood friend and crush Ama, and most of all, swimming in the Offin River. Many key emancipation anniversaries took place when the world commemorate the 150 anniversary of the emancipation proclamation in the US; 220 years since slaves were emancipated in Haiti; 180 years in Canada, the British West Indies and the Cape of Good Hope; 170 years in India; 165 years in France; 160 years in Argentina; 150 years in the Dutch colonies; and 125 years in Brazil. For the UN, scholars like Mr. Mazrui and many others, 2013 presented an opportunity both to celebrate and to refocus attention on arresting all forms of modern-day slavery.