ne woman's reckoning with her family of origin, its dysfunctional aspects, a suicidal mother, a tragic event with a brother, science, and so much more.
I had a feeling I would like TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM (Knopf, September 2020), I had no idea how much I would *LOVE* TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM. Yaa Gyasi is an immensely talented writer who tells a dark story with such luminous grace and compassion.
Quick take: Gifty is a sixth-year neuroscience PhD candidateat the Stanford University School of Medicine. She's studying the reward-seeking behavior of mice and the neural circuits in depression and anxiety and addiction, and with good reason. As often the case, many scientists study what they study because they have somehow been touched by the issues personally. In Gifty's case, it's her family members who have.
Gifty's brother, Nana, was a talented athlete with much promise, but before all of that, the family immigrated from Ghana to Alabama (and then on to California). Here, we become immersed in the deep south, the unique aspects of sports in this part of the country, but also religion and racism. Still, Gifty is a thoughtful observer, brilliant in her own right, and is plagued with many of her own questions of spirituality and science, guilt, and more. As Gifty grows older, she is determined to discover the scientific basis for suffering--of which she is keenly aware.
The structure of TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM meanders and spirals, there is no direct path, and this, I think adds to the story. We see, first-hand Gifty's evolution and journey in becoming the woman she is in the end, because all of these events--our childhood shape us.
Told in first person, TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM is an intimate portrayal of faith, science, dysfunction, family, love, immigration, loss, grief, guilt, and so much more. I had to remind myself that this is not a memoir, although I think it's evident the author borrowed from her own experiences, as we writers tend to do.
What a gift this book is. Be patient with it--it's a slower, more contemplative read, but provides so many thinking--and talking points--and will most certainly leave a residue.
I was reminded, in part, of the work of Chloe Benjamin in THE IMMORTALISTS (particularly the science pieces) but also some connection to Maya Shanbhag Lang's WHAT WE CARRY meets Cara Wall's THE DEARLY BELOVED.
L.Lindsay|Always with a Book
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We read the Bible how we want to read it. It doesn’t change, but we do.Highlighted by 3,864 Kindle readers- But the memory lingered, the lesson I have never quite been able to shake: that I would always have something to prove and that nothing but blazing brilliance would be enough to prove it.Highlighted by 2,616 Kindle readers
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Luninously told tale of depression, addiction, dysfunction
ne woman's reckoning with her family of origin, its dysfunctional aspects, a suicidal mother, a tragic event with a brother, science, and so much more.I had a feeling I would like TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM (Knopf, September 2020), I had no idea how much I would *LOVE* TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM. Yaa Gyasi is an immensely talented writer who tells a dark story with such luminous grace and compassion.Quick take: Gifty is a sixth-year neuroscience PhD candidateat the Stanford University School of Medicine. She's studying the reward-seeking behavior of mice and the neural circuits in depression and anxiety and addiction, and with good reason. As often the case, many scientists study what they study because they have somehow been touched by the issues personally. In Gifty's case, it's her family members who have.Gifty's brother, Nana, was a talented athlete with much promise, but before all of that, the family immigrated from Ghana to Alabama (and then on to California). Here, we become immersed in the deep south, the unique aspects of sports in this part of the country, but also religion and racism. Still, Gifty is a thoughtful observer, brilliant in her own right, and is plagued with many of her own questions of spirituality and science, guilt, and more. As Gifty grows older, she is determined to discover the scientific basis for suffering--of which she is keenly aware.The structure of TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM meanders and spirals, there is no direct path, and this, I think adds to the story. We see, first-hand Gifty's evolution and journey in becoming the woman she is in the end, because all of these events--our childhood shape us.Told in first person, TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM is an intimate portrayal of faith, science, dysfunction, family, love, immigration, loss, grief, guilt, and so much more. I had to remind myself that this is not a memoir, although I think it's evident the author borrowed from her own experiences, as we writers tend to do.What a gift this book is. Be patient with it--it's a slower, more contemplative read, but provides so many thinking--and talking points--and will most certainly leave a residue.I was reminded, in part, of the work of Chloe Benjamin in THE IMMORTALISTS (particularly the science pieces) but also some connection to Maya Shanbhag Lang's WHAT WE CARRY meets Cara Wall's THE DEARLY BELOVED.L.Lindsay|Always with a Book
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2021
I had a feeling I would like TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM (Knopf, September 2020), I had no idea how much I would *LOVE* TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM. Yaa Gyasi is an immensely talented writer who tells a dark story with such luminous grace and compassion.
Quick take: Gifty is a sixth-year neuroscience PhD candidateat the Stanford University School of Medicine. She's studying the reward-seeking behavior of mice and the neural circuits in depression and anxiety and addiction, and with good reason. As often the case, many scientists study what they study because they have somehow been touched by the issues personally. In Gifty's case, it's her family members who have.
Gifty's brother, Nana, was a talented athlete with much promise, but before all of that, the family immigrated from Ghana to Alabama (and then on to California). Here, we become immersed in the deep south, the unique aspects of sports in this part of the country, but also religion and racism. Still, Gifty is a thoughtful observer, brilliant in her own right, and is plagued with many of her own questions of spirituality and science, guilt, and more. As Gifty grows older, she is determined to discover the scientific basis for suffering--of which she is keenly aware.
The structure of TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM meanders and spirals, there is no direct path, and this, I think adds to the story. We see, first-hand Gifty's evolution and journey in becoming the woman she is in the end, because all of these events--our childhood shape us.
Told in first person, TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM is an intimate portrayal of faith, science, dysfunction, family, love, immigration, loss, grief, guilt, and so much more. I had to remind myself that this is not a memoir, although I think it's evident the author borrowed from her own experiences, as we writers tend to do.
What a gift this book is. Be patient with it--it's a slower, more contemplative read, but provides so many thinking--and talking points--and will most certainly leave a residue.
I was reminded, in part, of the work of Chloe Benjamin in THE IMMORTALISTS (particularly the science pieces) but also some connection to Maya Shanbhag Lang's WHAT WE CARRY meets Cara Wall's THE DEARLY BELOVED.
L.Lindsay|Always with a Book
Luninously told tale of depression, addiction, dysfunction
Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2021
ne woman's reckoning with her family of origin, its dysfunctional aspects, a suicidal mother, a tragic event with a brother, science, and so much more.Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2021
I had a feeling I would like TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM (Knopf, September 2020), I had no idea how much I would *LOVE* TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM. Yaa Gyasi is an immensely talented writer who tells a dark story with such luminous grace and compassion.
Quick take: Gifty is a sixth-year neuroscience PhD candidateat the Stanford University School of Medicine. She's studying the reward-seeking behavior of mice and the neural circuits in depression and anxiety and addiction, and with good reason. As often the case, many scientists study what they study because they have somehow been touched by the issues personally. In Gifty's case, it's her family members who have.
Gifty's brother, Nana, was a talented athlete with much promise, but before all of that, the family immigrated from Ghana to Alabama (and then on to California). Here, we become immersed in the deep south, the unique aspects of sports in this part of the country, but also religion and racism. Still, Gifty is a thoughtful observer, brilliant in her own right, and is plagued with many of her own questions of spirituality and science, guilt, and more. As Gifty grows older, she is determined to discover the scientific basis for suffering--of which she is keenly aware.
The structure of TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM meanders and spirals, there is no direct path, and this, I think adds to the story. We see, first-hand Gifty's evolution and journey in becoming the woman she is in the end, because all of these events--our childhood shape us.
Told in first person, TRANSCENDENT KINGDOM is an intimate portrayal of faith, science, dysfunction, family, love, immigration, loss, grief, guilt, and so much more. I had to remind myself that this is not a memoir, although I think it's evident the author borrowed from her own experiences, as we writers tend to do.
What a gift this book is. Be patient with it--it's a slower, more contemplative read, but provides so many thinking--and talking points--and will most certainly leave a residue.
I was reminded, in part, of the work of Chloe Benjamin in THE IMMORTALISTS (particularly the science pieces) but also some connection to Maya Shanbhag Lang's WHAT WE CARRY meets Cara Wall's THE DEARLY BELOVED.
L.Lindsay|Always with a Book
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Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2024
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2021
Top reviews from other countries
Ros
Addiction as a disease, religion vs science, depression... uplifting despite serious themes
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2023
