Lose Your Mother: A Journey Along the Atlantic Slave Route

This is an important and profound book. It deals with the author going to Ghana to track the slave roots that were part of her undocumented family history. What is most important is how she deals with the nuances of "race," "racial history," class, colorism, and prejudice within and without racial categories. This is a very personal, moving, and troubling account. I bought 4 copies. One for myself, two for my grown sons, and one for a 17 year old high school daughter of a good friend who is interested in writing and the troubles with "race." Hartman is an exceptional writer. Her prose is direct, clear, powerful, and visual. I couldn't put the book down. Buy it and read it.

A really great book--Hartman traces her research journey through various slave trade sites in Ghana alongside her emotional reaction to them and the constant deferral of what she emotionally wants/needs out of that trip. There's so much going on in here about space and geography, and the collapsing of time that is super interesting, and Hartman is a really excellent writer. The way she weaves some sentences leaves a lot of "oh eff" moments, and I really feel like I have to revisit this when I'm not under a time crunch to finish it for class and think a lot more about questions about ghosts and haunting for myself (I'm always thinking about ghosts and haunting.)Anyway, I really strongly encourage folks to read this, it's a great book that provides a lot of information alongside an emotional journey that's interesting and insightful to follow

Beautifully written, weaves the personal with historic research. I feel like I'm reading a personal letter.

I struggled with creating a headline because it is so hard to describe this book. It isn't really a travel book in the sense of something Paul Theroux would write. There is that element in it though. More significant is that it is the author's personal reactions to being in Ghana. She is, I think, both surprised and offended that the locals appear not that concerned about the legacy of slavery. For her, it is the quintessential fact in her heritage. For them, it is a time past whose interest goes only to the ability to commercialize it for tourists. The deep learning from the book is the extent of the residual impact of slavery on the African-American psyche. I don't think anyone outside the group can really understand it. I personally encountered such a phenomenon only once before. I had a friend from the South, for whom the Civil War was the key experience in the culture. As a Northerner, I had never given it much thought at all. For me, it was just another event in the history books. This title is well-worth the read, though you won't get a traditional travel book.

I don't know where to start. I accept that I am African. Its my DNA. Its my genetics. Its why I have a high risk of sickle cell, high blood pressure, ect. Its why I have kinky hair. Its why I am made for the sun. I've felt so lost and confused. Presently, I despise the hyphenated American attached to my African. Why? Because I feel mistreated. I see my people getting robbed of life and no convictions. We have the same issues here or anywhere in the world. You can argue with another person over what side of the city they live on. Or debate with a Native American over whos history was the worst. Its no different then our brothers and sisters on the Continent. Its hard for us to comprehend that they will not get it. Nor will we get their pain. Maybe an understanding or tolerance but its life. You were blessed to return to the Continent. Although you visited other neighboring countries, I felt like Africa was being seen as a country and not an actual Continent where millions of variois ethnic groups, cultures, and way of life of people. Its not fair to generalize. Its so sad that so called "Black America" is still having identity issues. You made the DNA testing sound as if it was useless. I know for a fact people have discovered their biological parents, siblings, and yes even their families on the Continent. Whos to say you even descended from Ghanians or the next? If you do fine, but now all of us do. Some of us coule be Nigerian, Senegalese, Congo.. and more. To me, Ghana has gotten much better. Its a win win situation for all. I'd say... its like hey let me promote unity and tourism and I'll help you dual citizenship (Right to Abode) as well as affordable land and more to start your own businesses. Lets not act like countries were built on everyone being gentle and simpled minded. Maybe its the hustler in me. As long as you don't harm me, we are good. In fact, the African Caribeans were recently granted Ghanian Citizeship. So it must not be that bad. I'm seeing younger and younger going to Ghana. There is also more countries to experience. You may not like Ghana.. but you may love Congo or something. Thank you so much for writing this book. I learned a lot and I am grateful. You know if we can call someone Asian or realize that Whites proudly boast about being European (celebrating Irish heritage), and even having the world speaking European languages (English and Spanish) due to their colonization and supremacy to divide and conquer... we must not be Anti-African. Its sad.. and its due to self-hate in our communities. You are so quick to call yourself a social constructed label to separate yourselves from being African. I'm talking to who ever reads this. There is nothing wrong with having your cultures.. but be real with yourselves. Stop denying being African. Thats your genetics. You can't change that based off a "race" aka color and a nationality aka geography. Blessings to all. If you want to look for your Continental families. Definitely try Ancestry, 23andMe, FTDNA, and upload to GED match. There is a google chrome scanner for Ancestry to even create an excel for you to find them. They would love to get to know you. Look at the reunion videos online. Join the DNA african descendants FB group and watch your heart opens up even more for your beautiful African selves.

The author is absurdly critical of how Ghanaians access and interpret their own history. Her perscriptivism for nearly three hundred pages in which she complains that Ghanaians:- Don't know anything about their history- Memorialise their history in the slavery museum incorrectly- Don't talk about slaves enough- Talk about the wrong slaves when chiefs agree to grant her an audience to talk about slavery- Don't cry/grieve when passing slave forts (Even though I'd bet good money that she doesn't spend all her time in America weeping at monuments to slavers. Sometimes people have places to go and things to do. Perhaps when she's stood in a country on a Fullbright scholarship paying for everything she doesn't realise that people on poverty level of wages actually need to work to survive?Her sneering attitude to Ghanaians, speaking gleefully about happening across people in slums using a sand dune as a toilet in one breath and then bewailing the lack of knowledge people have about their history, as if poverty and lack of education aren't directly linked in countries where school costs money, was absolutely breathtakingly ignorant of her and reminded me of the worst kind of white girl on a gap year blogs, not a book by a historian.