Lawrence Hill Books

Abducted as an 11-year-old child from her village in West Africa and forced to walk for months to the sea in a coffle--a string of slaves-- Aminata Diallo is sent to live as a slave in South Carolina. But years later, she forges her way to freedom, serving the British in the Revolutionary War and registering her name in the historic "Book of Negroes." This book, an actual document, provides a short but immensely revealing record of freed Loyalist slaves who requested permission to leave the US for resettlement in Nova Scotia, only to find that the haven they sought was steeped in an oppression all of its own. Aminata's eventual return to Sierra Leone--passing ships carrying thousands of slaves bound for America--is an engrossing account of an obscure but important chapter in history that saw 1,200 former slaves embark on a harrowing back-to-Africa odyssey. Lawrence Hill is a master at transforming the neglected corners of history into brilliant imaginings, as engaging and revealing as only the best historical fiction can be. A sweeping story that transports the reader from a tribal African village to a plantation in the southern United States, from the teeming Halifax docks to the manor houses of London, The Book of Negroes introduces one of the strongest female characters in recent Canadian fiction, one who cuts a swath through a world hostile to her colour and her sex.

Abducted from her West African village at the age of eleven and sold as a slave in the American South, Aminata Diallo thinks only of freedom and of finding her way home again. After escaping the plantation, torn from her husband and child, she passes th

Langston Cane V is 38, divorced and working as a government speechwriter, until he’s fired for sabotaging the minister’s speech. It seems the perfect time for Langston, the eldest son of a white mother and prominent black father, to embark on a quest to discover his family’s past -- and his own sense of self. Any Known Blood follows five generations of an African-Canadian-American family in a compelling story that slips effortlessly from the slave trade of 19th-century Virginia to the modern, predominantly white suburbs of Oakville, Ontario -- once a final stop on the Underground Railroad. Elegant and sensuous, wry and witty, it is an engrossing tale about one man’s attempt to find himself through unearthing and giving voice to those who came before him.

This book is designed to be a cherished keepsake, offering timeless themes that resonate across generations. It emphasizes the importance of connection and the sharing of stories, making it a meaningful gift for families. The narrative invites readers to reflect on their own experiences while fostering a sense of belonging and understanding among different generations. With its rich emotional depth and relatable characters, it serves as a bridge between past and present, encouraging conversations that honor heritage and memory.

" Je n'aurais jamais cru que j'allais perdre mon pays ni imaginé qu'il m'abandonnerait. J'ai été élevé en bon patriote américain, j'ai appris à respecter mon gouvernement et à croire en mon Président. Il y a dix ans à peine, je jouais au football au lycée, je vivais dans une caravane avec ma mère et mon beau-père, je bossais et j'espérais fonder une famille dans la seule ville que je connaissais à ce moment-là : Guthrie dans l'Oklahoma, dix mille habitants. A l'époque, j'aurais éclaté de rire si on m'avait dit que j'allais devenir un criminel recherché par la police, que j'allais vivre la vie d'un fugitif et que j'allais faire de ma femme et de mes enfants des exilés quand nous fuirions les Etats-Unis en franchissant la frontière canadienne. Voici l'histoire de ce que j'ai infligé au peuple irakien et de ce que j'ai vu mes compatriotes américains lui infliger. Pourquoi j'ai déserté et pourquoi je suis devenu un hors-la-loi dans mon propre pays. En Irak, on a fait de moi un criminel. Mais je ne le suis plus et jamais je ne le redeviendrai. "