Author Yaa Gyasi speaks to Hood students.

By Maddie Collins//

Hood College hosted this year’s first-year read author Yaa Gyasi – the young writer behind the novel “Homegoing” – to campus on Wednesday, Oct. 25. to discuss her creative journey and how she came to publish her debut book.

Every freshman or transfer student who goes through the orientation process must read a book over the summer chosen by students, faculty and staff who are a part of the First-Year Read Program committee.  When they arrive at Hood, the freshman and transfer students then complete an assignment based on what they read. This is considered their first college-level assignment. Not only does the book serve an academic purpose, it usually prepares students for the next chapter they are about to begin in their lives as the committee hopes that “Homegoing” did.

Dr. Martha Bari who is the head of the program chose “Homegoing” because she said it was, “very meaty, very thoughtful and historical. It talked about a lot of complex issues which was something that was really good for first-year students so that when they went to discuss it during orientation there would be a lot of different ways to approach it.”

The night began with a reception in which students, faculty and staff welcomed Gyasi to Hood’s campus. She had some time to mingle with those who have read her book and answer any questions that her audience had for her.

Gyasi explained that, “In 2009 I took a trip to Ghana to visit the Cape Coast Castle and it was while there and taking a tour of the castle that I learned about how the British soldiers who would work in the castle would sometimes marry the local women, which was something I had never heard before. From there we got to see the dungeons where slaves were held, and that was the experience that really inspired my book.”

President Chapdelaine opened the event by welcoming Gyasi and explaining that she too found the book “incredibly impactful and inspiring,” and was thankful that “Homegoing” was the “cornerstone of our academic school year.”

Gyasi told the audience of her life starting with that she was born in Ghana and her parents moved their family to the United States when she was 2-years-old, that her family did not have much money for toys so the free books at the public libraries always kept her busy and entertained.

After Gyasi’s trip to Ghana, she began the extensive process of researching the slave trade and the British soldiers who participated in them. Five long years of researching and writing had given her the time to complete “Homegoing.”

“Fiction can work a type of magic”, Gyasi said. Her advice to young writers was simply this: read as much as you can and as often as you can. She closed her speech by reading the last chapter of her book.

Freshman Avianna Gordon who enjoyed reading the book concluded that “the detail was really captivating and the story was unique. I would definitely recommend this book to others.”