Banned Book Series: Homegoing

Homegoing stands out as one of the most powerful examinations of history’s long reach. Yaa Gyasi did something that made censors deeply uncomfortable. She refused to let the past remain isolated. She traced how trauma, displacement, and resilience move through families across centuries.

Published in 2016, the novel faced challenges for its depictions of slavery, sexual violence, and racial trauma. The stated concern was graphic content. The real issue was that Gyasi made history personal and unavoidable.

One line captures the threat.

‘History is storytelling.’

Two roots winding beneath the surface, merging into a broken iron shackle.

Gyasi shows that the stories we preserve and the stories we bury shape identity and opportunity. By connecting the Gold Coast to American plantations, coal mines, and modern prisons, she exposed a lineage that many prefer to ignore.

This matters today. Curriculum bans target discussions of generational trauma and systemic inequality. Textbooks are being rewritten to separate slavery from modern racial disparities. If students cannot see the connection, they cannot ask why those disparities exist.

The historical through-line is clear. After emancipation, forced labor continued through convict leasing. Jim Crow restricted movement and opportunity. Redlining shaped neighborhoods and wealth. Modern incarceration patterns reflect that legacy. Gyasi threads those connections through individual lives.

My reflection is simple. They banned Homegoing because it made lineage visible. When you can trace harm across generations, you can trace responsibility. That truth threatens systems built on denial.

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Support local bookstores and purchase this book here. Banned Book list found here.

-Smart Brown Girl