Homegoing
The debut novel and chronological starting point for Gyasi's published book-length fiction.
Author guide
Yaa Gyasi Books in Order
Yaa Gyasi is a Ghanaian American novelist born in Ghana and raised in Huntsville, Alabama. She studied English at Stanford University and earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Her debut novel, Homegoing, traces the effects of slavery across generations and continents; her second novel, Transcendent Kingdom, explores family, addiction, grief, faith, and science in a Ghanaian American family.
literary fictionhistorical fictioncontemporary fiction
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Novels (2)
- Homegoing
novel · 2016
A novel of breathtaking sweep and emotional power that traces three hundred years in Ghana and along the way also becomes a truly great American novel. Extraordinary for its exquisite language, its implacable sorrow, its soaring beauty,…
- Transcendent Kingdom
novel · 2020
Gifty is a sixth-year PhD candidate in neuroscience at the Stanford University School of Medicine studying reward-seeking behavior in mice and the neural circuits of depression and addiction. Her brother, Nana, was a gifted high school…
Frequently asked questions about Yaa Gyasi
Where was Yaa Gyasi born, and where did she grow up?
She was born in Mampong, Ghana, moved to the United States with her family at age two, and settled in Huntsville, Alabama, at age nine.
Source: arts.gov (opens in a new tab)
What is Yaa Gyasi’s cultural and educational background?
Gyasi is a Ghanaian American writer. She earned a BA in English from Stanford University and an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
What inspired Yaa Gyasi to become a writer?
She began writing as a child, but reading Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon at 17 helped her see writing as a possible profession. A 2009 Stanford-funded trip to Ghana, including a visit to Cape Coast Castle, also shaped her literary direction.
Sources: encyclopediaofalabama.org (opens in a new tab)arts.gov (opens in a new tab)
Which awards has Yaa Gyasi received?
For Homegoing, she received the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel, the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 honor, and the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Award.
Source: loc.gov (opens in a new tab)
Why is Yaa Gyasi’s writing considered significant?
Her fiction connects Ghanaian and African American histories while examining slavery’s afterlife, migration, family, memory, faith, and belonging. The National Endowment for the Arts’ selection of Homegoing for its Big Read program reflects its continuing cultural and educational reach.
Sources: arts.gov (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)