Dear Sir, I Intend to Analyse Your Book

Having finished reading The Book of Negroes for what is technically the second time, I am left, of course, with questions. But what good would a book do if it did not make us wonder? Reading is an exercise in the imagination, and cold hard answers are signs of a textbook, not a novel.

So yes, I have many unanswered questions about this incredible story, but I believe that it is more important to draw my own conclusions rather than ask for the ‘correct’ answers. That said, I would still not pass up the opportunity to ask the author a couple questions about his work.

Most of all, I’d like to know what Hill believes is the most important message that readers can take away from Aminata’s story. The novel does a very good job of teaching us about the horrors of the Trans-Atlantic Slave trade and also has themes of family, feminism, freedom, and more. But what does Hill hope that readers will change (either in their actions or their beliefs) after reading his book?

Personally, one of the most interesting message that I took away from this book is the one that I discussed in my last post “On Chickens and Moral Ambiguity”. Throughout the book, we have examples of people justifying the things that they do and basically fiddling with the meaning of right and wrong. Some, like Thomas Peters, are tied extremely closely to their morals, while others, like Alassane the great Fula trader, are not influenced by those pesky ideas.

Is there truly an inherent right and wrong? Or is it up to us to decide what they are? In both cases, we still must take responsibility for our actions. If it so happens that there is a preordained right and wrong, then acting against them is immoral. On the other hand, if we decide what is right and what is wrong, then we are responsible for both creating our principles and for following them.

Another message that I found interesting in this novel was the idea that there is a great difference between what we believe we want and what we truly want. Aminata's character arc is a fascinating one. For most of the book, all she wants is to go back home. When she reaches Africa, however, she does not rejoice with the rest of the passengers. And when she comes extremely close to Bayo, she chooses freedom over her long-time goal of returning home.

I think that it is not the place that she wants, but instead that she will never stop wishing to go back to the time before she was stolen. Since she associates that time of happiness with her home in Bayo, she longs to be there. But in the end, she has to accept that she, and her childhood home, have changed.

Some may be disappointed with how Aminata never reached her goal, but I think it is part of the beauty of the story. Life is not a neat, pretty road-map. It's more like a child decided to scribble on a piece of paper, and those squiggles are the path you will follow. No one can predict how their life will go or where it will take them, so accepting that you need to adapt is crucial.

So, Mr. Hill, these are some of the things I took away from your book, but is there any great piece of the puzzle that I am missing? What did you intend to impart upon your readers?

Also, if you are actually reading this, thank you for writing this book, it was amazing.

- A.M. Ham