The Book That Should Have Made NYT’s Best of the Century List
I’m in the business of being annoyed by the Statlers and Waldorfs grumping about how their favorite book or author didn’t make it on a list, as if any list is capable of satisfying everyone. But if someone told me I could add one–and just ONE–book to New York Times‘ 100 Best Books of the 21st Century list, the book I’m recommending today is the one I would choose. Perhaps it didn’t make the list because it was a debut by an author who doesn’t have a massive catalog, but what a debut. This story left me breathless and in awe of the masterful storytelling that gave this sweeping, multigenerational tale so much power and a page-turning quality even. I’ve read a lot of books since picking this one up, but I struggle to think of one that made as big an impression.
All Access members, read on to find out which book should have made NYT’s Best of the Century list!
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Gyasi’s novel tracking the paths of split family lines beginning with two half-sisters–one married off to a British merchant and the other enslaved and sent to America–over generations isn’t entirely left off the list. It’s offered as a comp for the title in 15th place, Pachinko. I’m not mad at the comp–they’re both impressive multigenerational saga–and some part of me wonders if Homegoing didn’t make the cut because they only had so much room for impressive sweeping sagas on a list that’s meant to capture every genre and category under the sun. But I don’t care, this book is so good it deserves all the flowers.
The writing is excellent and this is a huge reason I love the book, but what makes this book so important to me personally is that it gave me access to a history that has been incredibly challenging to approach because it is both painful and overwhelming in its reach. I mean, if you told me there’s a book out there that attempts to capture the far-reaching effects of slavery not only in the United States, but also in Africa, through a story that spans from the 18th century to present-day, I would imagine a tome both too heavy in heft and in subject matter to bear. The magic of Homegoing is that it accomplishes what it sets out to do in the span of a standard-sized novel and it does deal with extremely heavy subject matter but through a story so compelling, with characters so fully realized, I found I could more than bear it. I honestly don’t know how Gyasi managed it but this book should be on the curriculum of any masterclass in saga writing. That ending!
Another gift this book gave me–when learning about slavery in classes and through my own reading, I mostly learned about African American history while learning next to nothing about Africa and its history. Reading Homegoing took me to unexpected places by telling the story of the half-sister married off to a British merchant and held in the Cape Coast Castle on the Gold Coast (Ghana). Reading this book was eye-opening, unforgettable, and continues to hold its place at the top of my all-time favorite books. Read this book and tell me it doesn’t belong on that list.
