Someone Knows My Name

From the moment she introduces herself--a loved and trusted child in eighteenth-century Africa--through her capture by slavers, her servitude in South Carolina, her time as a runaway in New York City, and her experience as a freed woman in Nova Scotia, Aminata Diallo is a deeply compelling character. Aminata is brilliant at literacy and languages, and these become her shield and weapon. Adenrele Ojo's warm, gentle voice is a perfect instrument for rendering Meena and her world, which Hill and Ojo together make stunningly real. In a perfect universe, Ojo would not have attempted the British accents and would not, distractingly, pronounce "st" as "sht" ("shtreet," "shtrength," and so on), but it would take far more than that to render this powerful novel and sensitive performance less than remarkable. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from September 3, 2007
Stunning, wrenching and inspiring, the fourth novel by Canadian novelist Hill (Any Known Blood
) spans the life of Aminata Diallo, born in Bayo, West Africa, in 1745. The novel opens in 1802, as Aminata is wooed in London to the cause of British abolitionists, and begins reflecting on her life. Kidnapped at the age of 11 by British slavers, Aminata survives the Middle Passage and is reunited in South Carolina with Chekura, a boy from a village near hers. Her story gets entwined with his, and with those of her owners: nasty indigo producer Robinson Appleby and, later, Jewish duty inspector Solomon Lindo. During her long life of struggle, she does what she can to free herself and others from slavery, including learning to read and teaching others to, and befriending anyone who can help her, black or white. Hill handles the pacing and tension masterfully, particularly during the beginnings of the American revolution, when the British promise to free Blacks who fight for the British: Aminata's related, eventful travels to Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone follow. In depicting a woman who survives history's most trying conditions through force of intelligence and personality, Hill's book is a harrowing, breathtaking tour de force.

Starred review from May 15, 2008
Enslaved at 12, Aminata Diallo launches a long struggle for her freedom, dignity, and identity. Hill's powerful, eloquent fictional slave narrative encompasses the horrors of Aminata's years as a slave in South Carolina after transportation from West Africa and her later life in Nova Scotia, Sierra Leone, and London. She learns to try to make sense of her experience by becoming a storyteller and recording the battle against slavery. Her story is always compelling, even though some may find her too noble. Adenrele Ojo's studied cadences emphasize Aminata's ability to define herself through language. Highly recommended for all collections. [Published as a hardcover in November 2007, this book was a Discover Great New Writers pick; also available as downloadable audio from Audible.comMichael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr.

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