I'm so excited to share this with all of you! I've been so lucky to receive a copy of Dream Country and share this post with you all for the blog tour! Read on for my review and some Read Alikes for the characters... Synopsis: Dream Country begins in suburban Minneapolis at the moment when seventeen-year-old Kollie Flomo begins to crack under the strain of his life as a Liberian refugee. He's exhausted by being at once too black and not black enough for his African American peers and worn down by the expectations of his own Liberian family and community. When his frustration finally spills into violence and his parents send him back to Monrovia to reform school, the story shifts. Like Kollie, readers travel back to Liberia, but also back in time, to the early twentieth century and the point of view of Togar Somah, an eighteen-year-old indigenous Liberian on the run from government militias that would force him to work the plantations of the Congo people, descendants of the African American slaves who colonized Liberia almost a century earlier. When Togar's section draws to a shocking close, the novel jumps again, back to America in 1827, to the children of Yasmine Wright, who leave a Virginia plantation with their mother for Liberia, where they're promised freedom and a chance at self-determination by the American Colonization Society. The Wrights begin their section by fleeing the whip and by its close, they are then the ones who wield it. With each new section, the novel uncovers fresh hope and resonating heartbreak, all based on historical fact. In Dream Country, Shannon Gibney spins a riveting tale of the nightmarish spiral of death and exile connecting America and Africa, and of how one determined young dreamer tries to break free and gain control of her destiny. Review: Each story was beautiful, and illuminated often glossed-over aspects of the African-American experience in America as well as the effects colonization had on Liberia. I loved how this book did not sacrifice facts for character development, but instead pulled straight from history while creating empathetic characters. I learned quite a bit about a side of American history I never knew about, as well as the history of Liberia, which I knew nothing about, and I think the part this timeline played in the historical fiction sections of the story brought a greater sense of understanding to the contemporary sides. This was amplified by how the story was told one character at a time, but not in order of generations. I felt like I connected more with some of the older characters when I knew how their descendants would move through the world. My favorite character would have to be Togar, and I do wish his section had been longer. I love exploring characters who are driven to extremes for what they have at stake, and how they use memories and feelings for their families to keep them going in often dangerous situations. I would say, though, that at times the plot lagged in places and sped at others, which led to some sections being longer than I would have liked and others shorter. I also wished more elaboration was given to the ends of each story so we could see further into the lives of each character. Overall, a fantastic book about the history of Liberia and the struggles across generations of one family. I would definitely recommend for fans of books like You Bring the Distant Near. What would they read? I'm also sharing a Read Alike for the characters in Dream Country. I had a lot of fun finding connections between this book and others floating around the YA world, so this might be a new feature that I do.
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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