Her mother is a pediatrician from nigeria and her father is a surgeon and poet from ghana. The debut novel from londonborn taiye selasi, ghana must go is a comingofage tale of family destruction and suffering. Ghana must go by taiye selasi after watching masterpiece, the madeinitaly talent show for aspiring writers that during the last season aroused every kind of criticism all over the world, i obviously was curious to read taiye selasis work. Kweku diesthis is our entry into taiye selasis ghana must go, and we, like kwekus children and their mother fola, must come together, attempt to reconcile this irreconcilable opening. The author has been mentored by toni morrison and endorsed by salman rushdie. Electric, exhilarating, beautifully crafted, ghana must go is a testament to the transformative power of unconditional love, from a debut novelist of extraordinary talent. The novel follows the sai family as they come to terms with their father kweku sais death, and as they work through family troubles. May 27, 20 ghana must go by taiye selasi kweku sai is dead. A buoyant and rapturous debut novel the wall street journal about the transformative power of unconditional love electric, exhilarating, and beautifully crafted, ghana must go introduces the world to taiye selasi, a novelist of extraordinary talent. Taiye selasi is a totally new and near perfect voice that spans continents and social strata as effortlessly as the insertion of an ellipsis or a dash. The book s very first sentence sounds like a scrap of song lyric. When 53yearold kweku sai keels over from a heart attack in his elegant backyard garden, the news quickly travels all the way from ghana to america, wreaking havoc on his estranged adult children.
In her ambitious debut, ghana must go, she brings us into the world of bright, urban professionals, raised in the united states, but with roots in africa. Introducing a powerful new novelist whose evocation of an unforgettable african family is testament to the transformative power of unconditional lovekwaku sai is dead. Read ghana ga weg by taiye selasi available from rakuten kobo. Despite its intriguing premise of a story of entwining generations and cultures, this is a book that, finally, fails to grab hold of you in the way that it could and should. The novel follows the sai family as they come to terms with their father kweku. Selasis novel is a story of immigration, family, the long term ramifications of choices made, and an attempt to peer beyond the stereotypes of africa and africans. It was published in 20, and nominated for an naacp image award.
She graduated summa cum laude from yale before returning to england to earn an m. Ghana must go is at once a portrait of a modern family, and an exploration of the importance of where we come from to who we are. Jun 27, 20 in ghana must go, taiye selasi gives us a cast of characters who pull apart and come together to tell a story with an immaculate sense of truth, tenderness, and severity. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or. In taiye selasis debut novel, ghana must go, the death of the patriarch is the catalyst for the sai familys reunion and regeneration in selasis accomplished debut novel. A fathers death leads to a new beginning for his fractured. The news of kwekus death sends a ripple around the world, bringing together the family he abandoned years before. Ghana must go seems to contain the entire world, and i shall never forget it.
Electric, exhilarating, and beautifully crafted, ghana must go introduces the world to taiye selasi, a novelist. Taiye selasi is of ghanian descent and the books title draws from the name of a bag that is used to carry large quantities. Moving with great elegance through time and place, ghana must go. Ghana must go by taiye selasi reading guidebook club.
Ghana must go, was a popular name given to the migration of illegal migrants mostly ghanaians from nigeria following a presidential executive order in 1983, the president of nigeria, shehu shagari issued an executive order mandating immigrants without proper immigration documents to leave the country or they would be arrested according to the law. The death of kweku sai, a noted surgeon, in the garden of his home in accra, ghana, on page one is followed by an impressionistic account of his lifeglimpses of childhood and parenthood, moments of shame and bad decisions, regrets, ironies and final thoughts. Taiye selasi on the beginnings of her novel, ghana must go. Mar 05, 20 electric, exhilarating, and beautifully crafted, ghana must go introduces the world to taiye selasi, a novelist of extraordinary talent. There was one particularly telling line in taiye selasis essay byebye, barbar or. A stunning novel, spanning generations and continents, ghana must go by rising star taiye selasi is a tale of family drama and forgiveness, for fans of zadie smith and chimamanda ngozi adichie.
Taiye selasi has 14 books on goodreads with 39870 ratings. In ghana must go, taiye selasi gives us a cast of characters who pull apart and come together to tell a story with an immaculate sense of truth, tenderness, and severity. In 2006 taiye joined the wgae screenwriting lab at colubmia university, studying under oscar nominee zach sklar jfk. Ghana ga weg vertelt het verhaal van een westafrikaanse migrantenfamilie. On tuesday april 23rd taiye selasi will talk about her debut novel ghana must go at. The books very first sentence sounds like a scrap of song lyric. In a sweeping narrative that takes readers from accra to lagos to london to new york, it is at once a portrait of a modern family and an exploration of the importance of where we come from to who we are.
Ghana must go is a big novel, elemental, meditative, and mesmerizing sapphire, author of the kid and push in ghana must go, selasi drives the six characters skillfully through past and present, unearthing old betrayals and unexplained grievances at a delicious pace. Electric, exhilarating, beautifully crafted pdf, ghana must go is a testament to the transformative power of unconditional love, from a debut novelist of extraordinary talent. Writer taiye selasi was born in london, england in 1979, and raised in boston, usa. A buoyant and rapturous debut novel the wall street journal about the. A renowned surgeon and failed husband, he succumbs suddenly at dawn outside his home in suburban accra. Ghana must go was a tough read because 1 the authors style is poetic and not always forwardmoving, 2 the character focus shifts without warning and it takes time to determine who youre reading about, and 3 it is extremely painful. Nov, 2016 the big reveal in ghana must go is not as surprising as selasi probably intended and is a little disappointing in a novel that tries so hard to subvert negative ideas and preconceptions. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Family sagas generally start with a joyous birthor, as in the case of taiye selasis debut novel, an unexpected death.
Taiye selasi beautifully, and almost poetically, tells the story of the sai family, piecing together years of hardship into a reflection of kewku, the father, and the legacy he leaves. When kwaku sai drops dead from a massive heart attack, he is living in ghana with his. Ghana must go taiye selasi 9780670065707 netgalley. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read ghana must go. Mar 05, 20 listen to ghana must go audiobook by taiye selasi. The purpose of the study was to explore afropolitanism using selasis 2005 essay who is an afropolitan.
Ghana must go ghana must go audiobook, by taiye selasi. Ghana must go by taiye selasi goodreads share book. Apr 04, 20 ghana must go is a big novel, elemental, meditative, and mesmerizing sapphire, author of the kid and push in ghana must go, selasi drives the six characters skillfully through past and present, unearthing old betrayals and unexplained grievances at a delicious pace. Electric, exhilarating, beautifully crafted, ghana must go follows the sais journey, moving with great elegance through time and place to share the truths hidden and lies told, the crimes committed in the name of love.
Taiye selasis first novel follows a splintered ghanaiannigerian family. Mar 21, 20 in taiye selasi s debut novel, ghana must go, the death of the patriarch is the catalyst for the sai familys reunion and regeneration in selasi s accomplished debut novel. Taiye selasis first novel follows a splintered ghanaiannigerian family across continents and generations. By the time the surviving five convene at a funeral in ghana, we are. The book will appear in 15 countries, including the netherlands, in the translation ghana ga weg. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Moving with great elegance through time and place, ghana must go charts the sais circuitous journey to one another. Firstly when economic crises in 1983 and 1985 resulted in the expulsion, at short notice, of approximately 2 million ghanaian immigrants from nigeria, the bags most readily used as suitcases were christened ghana must go. In a sweeping narrative that takes us from accra to lagos to london to new york, ghana must go teaches that the truths we speak can heal the wounds we hide.
As farreaching as the novel feels, at its heart it is the story of one family. We begin with death fugitive to all reckoning, as we always must. Taiye selasis debut novel, ghana must go, centers on the sai family, a fractured clan of overachieving jetsetters who, like selasi, are immigrants of ghanaian and nigerian descent. Ghana must go by taiye selasi extract books the guardian. When 53yearold kweku sai keels over from a heart attack in his elegant backyard garden, the news quickly travels all the way from ghana to.
With mesmerizing craftsmanship and massive imagination she takes the. Despite these challenges, ghana must go moved my soul, which is why i rated it four stars. B efore you get to page one of this book there is a noisy overture. The sex lives of african girls granta, 2011, selasis fiction debut, will appear in the best american short stories 2012. Novelist taiye selasi coined the word afropolitanism eight years ago to refer to educated, multilingual, multiethnic africans living around the globe. Translating three countries into english and the afropolitan consciousness. The big reveal in ghana must go is not as surprising as selasi probably intended and is a little disappointing in a novel that tries so hard to subvert negative ideas and preconceptions. The first part of the book flashes back, from kwakus perspective, about the events that led to his emigration to the united states and his. A renowned surgeon and failed husband, he succumbs suddenly at dawn outside the home he shares in ghana with his second wife. Writer taiye selasi reads from her acclaimed novel ghana must go from 20. T he title of taiye selasis book ghana must go 20 caught my attention for several reasons.
African girls was published in granta magazine and this debut was received with critical acclaim. Ghana must go by taiye selasi extract in this extract from the authors novel about a family torn apart by events, a student encounters us misconceptions of africa taiye selasi. Selasi s novel is a story of immigration, family, the long term ramifications of choices made, and an attempt to peer beyond the stereotypes of africa and africans. I was surprised that my around the world for a good book selection for ghana turns out to have a good portion of the narrative set close to home in the boston, massachusetts area. In this video interview with waterstones blog, she discusses how the writing of her first novel was like. Taiye selasis debut novel ghana must go is our waterstones eleven choice for april. Electric, exhilarating, and beautifully crafted, ghana must go introduces the world to taiye selasi, a novelist of extraordinary talent. One of the most exhilarating scenes in the book sees a young woman who has developed an eating disorder in the pressurecooker environment of yale. This study is an exploration of the representation of afropolitanism in taiye selasis debut novel ghana must go 20, and chimamanda adichies novel americanah 20. For businessexclusive pricing, quantity discounts and downloadable vat. The bonds of love, loss and misunderstanding connecting an african family are exhaustively dissected in a convoluted first novel. Taiye selasi was born in london and raised in massachusetts.
Ghana must go by taiye selasi make literary productions, nfp. Kweku sais first wife and four children actually visit a fantasy coffin workshop before opting for cremation and letting the ocean take away the urn containing their husband and fathers ashes. Ghana must go is a brilliant and eloquently written novel that explores the meaning of a family unit and the crisis of unknown identity. May 28, 2014 ghana must go by taiye selasi after watching masterpiece, the madeinitaly talent show for aspiring writers that during the last season aroused every kind of criticism all over the world, i obviously was curious to read taiye selasis work. This is the story of a family of the simple, devastating ways in which families tear themselves apart, and of the incredible lengths to which a family will go to put itself back together. In a sweeping narrative that takes us from accra to lagos to london to new york, ghana must go teaches that the truths we speak can. Born in london to nigerian and ghanaian parents, taiye selasi was raised in massachusetts. Oct 08, 2015 there was one particularly telling line in taiye selasis essay byebye, barbar or. Mar 10, 20 taiye selasis first novel follows a splintered ghanaiannigerian family across continents and generations.