This book was read by Meredith Lewis, the Orange County Campus (mostly) Librarian, and several Durham Tech faculty & staff over the summer.

Two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Effia is married off to an Englishman and lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle. Unbeknownst to Effia, her sister, Esi, is imprisoned beneath her in the castle’s dungeons, sold with thousands of others into the Gold Coast’s booming slave trade, and shipped off to America, where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. One thread of Homegoing follows Effia’s descendants through centuries of warfare in Ghana, as the Fante and Asante nations wrestle with the slave trade and British colonization. The other thread follows Esi and her children into America. From the plantations of the South to the Civil War and the Great Migration, from the coal mines of Pratt City, Alabama, to the jazz clubs and dope houses of twentieth-century Harlem, right up through the present day, Homegoing makes history visceral, and captures, with singular and stunning immediacy, how the memory of captivity came to be inscribed in the soul of a nation. (Description from Goodreads)

Why did you choose to read this book? 

I’ve been reading reviews of it all summer and mentally putting it on my “to-read later” list, but when I polled Durham Tech faculty and staff about the best book they read this summer, this one kept coming up and so I picked it up. And it was amazing!

What did you like about it?

The story itself was powerful and, despite many of the settings being upsetting (as enslavement and its various repercussions should be!), it was hard to put the book down. I loved how, even though the point-of-view changed every chapter, it wasn’t hard to follow, either. You could also clearly see how the families’ histories were influencing their present–something I think most people know, but maybe don’t think about in their daily lives.

Who would you recommend the book to?

Anyone who finds the premise interesting! It really was great and incredibly thought-provoking.

What would you pair this book with?

A hefty dose of self-awareness– the past (and the societal forces that shape our families) heavily influences who we are in the present.

You can find this book and more in the downstairs display featuring the rest of Durham Tech Faculty & Staff’s Best of Summer 2016 reads!  Check it out for yourself!

This book was read by Julie Humphrey, Assistant Director, Library.

–It’s What I Do: A Photographer’s Life of Love and War by Lynsey Addario

Why did you choose to read this book?

I really enjoy nonfiction, biographies, memoirs, and reading about women’s lives.  I am also interested in photography, photojournalism, and travel.  This book about a woman war photographer sounded compelling to me.

What did you like about it?

I especially appreciated the author’s honesty and the vivid details she shared of living and working in conflict and war zones around the world. She has worked in Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Libya, etc… and lived in Istanbul and London.  I was really glad the book included many of her photographs.  These striking, award-winning photos really enhanced her story and brought it to life. I also liked learning about the logistics of this work and what happens behind the scenes with support staff like local drivers and translators.  I have a new appreciation for everything and everyone involved in international reporting.   

What feeling did the book leave you with?

Addario deals with sexism so often while working in the heavily male-dominated profession of war photojournalism.  I felt really frustrated for her in many situations and admired her fight to be taken seriously.  I also felt extremely afraid and disturbed when she shares her accounts of being kidnapped, assaulted, and abused while working. I ultimately feel a deep appreciation for the work of journalists around the world who risk their lives every day in order to document and tell important stories.

Who would you recommend the book to?

Readers who like a gripping and intense personal story.  I would also recommend this to anyone interested in world politics and international conflicts.  This is a must-read for aspiring journalists and photographers.    

What would you pair this book with?

Fresh, cold water! She describes being severely dehydrated on some of her work assignments.  Also, a bottle of cold beer, which she describes having from time to time, in order to unwind with her fellow journalists after an intense or grueling day of work.

Interested in reading It’s What I Do? Check it out from the library!