Author Spotlight: Yaa Gyasi

We had kind of pictured the Author spotlight as a place to look over the collected works of an author, to discuss themes, which books to read and why.  However, Jarad was impressed enough to recommend this author as someone to watch.



​As of now, Gyasi has published one book of historical fiction, which was already reviewed on Sacred Chickens, called Homegoing. It detailed the story of two sisters separated at birth on the Gold Coast, modern day Ghana, and the three hundred years of their descendants. The book addresses slavery and its impact on American society as well as in Ghana, post slavery, the crack epidemic of the 1980s, motherhood, the Anglo-Asante Wars, as well as a host of other issues; however, the book does an excellent job of educating the reader on the realities of slavery, both in Ghana and the Americas, and how it continues to impact our society. It's one of those books that should be considered a classic, and is very much worth your time. As for Gyasi, since her debut novel was so brilliant, once can only imagine how her career will progress.

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According to Penguin Random House, "Yaa Gyasi was born in Ghana and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. She holds a BA in English from Stanford University and an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she held a Dean’s Graduate Research Fellowship. She lives in New York City. 

Yaa Gyasi is available for select speaking engagements. To inquire about a possible appearance, please contact Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau at [email protected] or visit www.prhspeakers.com". 

​Bio
Jarad is the co-administrator and writer for Sacred Chickens, attends college at MTSU, loves tea and coffee, and tries to spend every spare second reading. He recently developed an interest (some might say obsession) with gardening. Jarad is an English major with a concentration in literature.  Bless his heart!  Let's all light a candle for him and send him happy thoughts!

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