A vivid and ambitious memoir, in many ways a prequel to The Devil that Danced on the Water, of several generations of African women as they struggle to balance ancient traditions with the encroaching mores of the West. At age 19, Aminatta Forna's mother left her hometown of Aberdeen, Scotland, to move with her African husband to Sierra Leone. Surrounded by an extended polygamous family that included her grandfather's fifteen wives, some sixty aunts and countless cousins, Forna spent her first decade in the small town of ...
Read More
A vivid and ambitious memoir, in many ways a prequel to The Devil that Danced on the Water, of several generations of African women as they struggle to balance ancient traditions with the encroaching mores of the West. At age 19, Aminatta Forna's mother left her hometown of Aberdeen, Scotland, to move with her African husband to Sierra Leone. Surrounded by an extended polygamous family that included her grandfather's fifteen wives, some sixty aunts and countless cousins, Forna spent her first decade in the small town of Koidu before being sent to England for boarding school. In her new book, she draws on the rich oral history of her aunts to tell of a culture torn between ancient traditions and tantalising new Western goods and ideas: the enslavement and emancipation of her great grandmother, the daughter of a king, who received a large dowry when she married as a free woman; the scandal of Aminatta's own marriage to a British man, who paid no dowry for her and whose customs required her to fund the wedding; the story of Etta, who as a girl in the 1980s watched as other girls her age were given gifts and new clothes for their initiation into a women's secret society. Families like Etta's no longer participated, but Etta begged to go. Her mother conceded without argument, sending her daughter off to a painful and horrifying circumcision by the Bondu elders. Rich in detail of time and place, the narrative stretches back to pre-colonial Africa through colonialism, independence and civil war. Though some women grew up and married into traditional polygamous relationships, others lived in the West on the cusp of cultural change, where prescribed emotions such as love caused confusion. Interweaving a range of personal tales, Aminatta Forna has composed a moving and vivid account of women, family and Africa.
Read Less
Add this copy of Ancestor Stones to cart. $2.80, like new condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Grove Press.
Add this copy of Ancestor Stones to cart. $2.80, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Grove Press.
Add this copy of Ancestor Stones to cart. $2.80, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Grove Press.
Add this copy of Ancestor Stones to cart. $2.80, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Grove Press.
Add this copy of Ancestor Stones to cart. $2.80, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Grove Press.
Add this copy of Ancestor Stones to cart. $2.80, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Grove Press.
Add this copy of Ancestor Stones to cart. $2.99, good condition, Sold by One Planet Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Grove Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Ships in a BOX from Central Missouri! May not include working access code. Will not include dust jacket. Has used sticker(s) and some writing or highlighting. UPS shipping for most packages, (Priority Mail for AK/HI/APO/PO Boxes).
Add this copy of Ancestor Stones to cart. $4.90, new condition, Sold by Orion Tech rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Grove Press.
Add this copy of Ancestor Stones to cart. $5.04, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Atlantic Monthly Press.
Add this copy of Ancestor Stones to cart. $8.32, good condition, Sold by SurplusTextSeller rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Columbia, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Grove Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Ships in a BOX from Central Missouri! May not include working access code. Will not include dust jacket. Has used sticker(s) and some writing or highlighting. UPS shipping for most packages, (Priority Mail for AK/HI/APO/PO Boxes).
