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Quick answer: If you loved Homegoing, read Yaa Gyasi's Transcendent Kingdom, then Beloved, The Underground Railroad, Americanah and The Warmth of Other Suns. All are powerful novels and histories about the long shadow of slavery and migration.
Yaa Gyasi's 2016 debut follows two half-sisters born in eighteenth-century Ghana, one sold into slavery and one married to a British slaver, and traces their descendants across generations in Africa and America. It is sweeping, moving and carefully structured. The books below offer similar stories of family, history and identity.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transcendent Kingdom | Yaa Gyasi | Adult | Gyasi's second novel |
| Beloved | Toni Morrison | Adult | haunting history |
| The Underground Railroad | Colson Whitehead | Adult | alternate history |
| Americanah | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Adult | love and race |
| The Warmth of Other Suns | Isabel Wilkerson | Adult | Great Migration |
| The Water Dancer | Ta-Nehisi Coates | Adult | slavery and magic |
| Roots | Alex Haley | Adult | family saga |
| Sing, Unburied, Sing | Jesmyn Ward | Adult | Southern ghost story |
| Half of a Yellow Sun | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie | Adult | Nigerian civil war |
| Things Fall Apart | Chinua Achebe | Adult | classic African novel |
| Kindred | Octavia E. Butler | Adult | time travel and slavery |
| The Vanishing Half | Brit Bennett | Adult | identity and sisters |
| The Invention of Wings | Sue Monk Kidd | Adult | friendship and slavery |
| Pachinko | Min Jin Lee | Adult | epic family saga |
| The Color Purple | Alice Walker | Adult | letters and survival |
1. Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi
A neuroscientist grapples with grief and her family's past. Intelligent and moving.
Best for: Gyasi's second novel.
2. Beloved by Toni Morrison
A former slave is haunted by her past. Powerful and unforgettable.
Best for: haunting history.
3. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Cora escapes slavery on a literal railroad. Inventive and harrowing.
Best for: alternate history.
4. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A Nigerian woman moves to the US and experiences race. Wide-ranging and witty.
Best for: love and race.
5. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Wilkerson tells the story of Black Americans who left the South. Moving and sweeping.
Best for: Great Migration.
6. The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A man with a gift for memory escapes slavery. Lyrical and ambitious.
Best for: slavery and magic.
7. Roots by Alex Haley
Haley traces his family from Africa through slavery. A landmark of American storytelling.
Best for: family saga.
8. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
A family road trip to a prison is haunted by ghosts. Lyrical and sad.
Best for: Southern ghost story.
9. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Three people live through the Biafran war. Rich and moving.
Best for: Nigerian civil war.
10. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
A village leader faces colonialism. Short and influential.
Best for: classic African novel.
11. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
A modern woman is pulled back to a plantation. Powerful and tense.
Best for: time travel and slavery.
12. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Twin sisters take separate paths, one passing as white. Deeply felt.
Best for: identity and sisters.
13. The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
A wealthy white girl and an enslaved girl in Charleston grow up together. Based on real history.
Best for: friendship and slavery.
14. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
A Korean family lives in Japan across four generations. Sweeping and deeply felt.
Best for: epic family saga.
15. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Celie writes letters to herself and finds love and strength. A landmark.
Best for: letters and survival.
How to Choose
For more Gyasi read Transcendent Kingdom. For slavery's legacy choose Beloved, Kindred or The Underground Railroad. For African stories read Things Fall Apart, Half of a Yellow Sun or Americanah. For migration try The Warmth of Other Suns. For family sagas pick Pachinko or Roots. Homegoing is structured as linked stories, so these picks suit readers who like generational journeys. Gyasi wrote Homegoing after a trip to Ghana, where she visited Cape Coast Castle, a slave-trading fort, and it became a bestseller that won the PEN/Hemingway Award. The book is made of short chapters, which makes it easy to read in short sessions.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Homegoing about?
Two half-sisters in eighteenth-century Ghana and eight generations of their descendants.
Who wrote it?
Yaa Gyasi.
When was it published?
2016.
Is it a novel or short stories?
A novel told in linked chapters.
Did it win awards?
Yes, including the PEN/Hemingway Award.
Is it hard to follow?
There is a family tree at the start.
Is it graphic?
It depicts violence of slavery and its legacy.
What should I read next?
Try Beloved or Transcendent Kingdom.
Which book here is best for love and race?
Try Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which suits readers looking for love and race.
Which book here is best for family saga?
Try Roots by Alex Haley, which suits readers looking for family saga.
Which book here is best for classic African novel?
Try Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, which suits readers looking for classic African novel.
Which book here is best for friendship and slavery?
Try The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd, which suits readers looking for friendship and slavery.
Which book here is best for haunting history?
Try Beloved by Toni Morrison, which suits readers looking for haunting history.
Which book here is best for Great Migration?
Try The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, which suits readers looking for Great Migration.