Someone Knows My Name by Lawrence Hill

Note: This book was originally released with the title "The Book of Negroes".

Someone Knows My Name is the story of Aminita, a fictional character, who lived in the 1700's and was born in Africa. When she's 11, she is abducted and taken by ship to Charleston where she is sold as a slave. She is bright and desperately wants to be free to return to Africa. The book follows her as she falls in love, becomes a mother, endures the constant mistreatment of white people, and travels to other countries as she attempts to return home.

This is a long book and not always easy to read. But I never knew about the slaves in New York City during the Revolutionary War and their role during that time. And I didn't know that many were shipped to Nova Scotia and what happened to them there. I found it all to be fascinating.

Highly recommend this one. -June

Ask Him Why by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I think this must have been a BookBub selection, and for the price, it was a great read. This novel is by the same author as Pay It Forward, which I confess I never read but did like the theme of the movie. Ask Him Why is another novel where there are multiple narrators, and so you are brought into the minds of two of the central characters: Ruth and her brother, Aubrey. The story starts when they are kids and their older brother Joseph returns from Iraq after only serving for a few short months. Why he has come home and what happens after that is the basis of the book.

The characters are very well developed and the writing is good. I recommend the book with just one small caveat. When friends and business associates of the family discover why Joseph is home, they shun the entire family. I just don't know if this is realistic. Do we really judge and blame an entire family for the supposed actions of one member? But otherwise, I did like knowing the characters and reading the book. -June