Yonder - Jabari Asim

I normally do not like reading fiction books about slavery. Knowing that it existed and that white people still benefit from it to this day is enough. But I am glad I read this one. Yonder is extraordinary.

The book follows several characters, all from the same plantation. Each are different and the same. The same because they are all enslaved and have had horrors in their lives that would keep even the most hardened person awake at night. Bu they are different because of their hopes, their dreams and what they will do to be free. The same because even while living in a Hell created by white people, these characters feel pain, loss and love.

I enjoyed this book so much because the author used language that made me relate to the characters in a different way than I have reading other fiction books depicting slavery. The slave owners are “Thieves” (rightfully so) and those enslaved are the “Stolen,” which is accurate. Thieves, both men and women, are written like the monsters they were. But the author does not write these horrors for shock value. He writes them more so that readers understand what happened to the Stolen, these PEOPLE., something white people today still can't come to grips with (or won't). The Stolen were human beings who were treated like animals. No, less than animals. But had they continued to believe they were, we would still be in bondage.

I definitely plan to purchase this book so I have a finished copy in my library. I can see myself reading this book again and again.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Where to buy: The Lit. Bar Loyalty Bookstores Indiebound Amazon

Jabari Asim, author of Yonder.

Photo courtesy of Shef Reynolds. For more information about Mr. Asim, please visit his website.