The Book of Negroes, Canada Reads 2009 selection, is not a light read.  Nor is it escapist summer fiction. Rather, Lawrence Hill invites us into the life of Aminanta, an 11 year old African girl taken captive by “homelanders” and sold to slave traders in America.  At 100 pages in, I love Aminanta’s spirit, her fight to stay strong by remembering the wise words of her parents, both were murdered in the capture.  Some poignant phrases:

…our captors were also marked by what they lacked: light in their eyes. Never have I met a person doing terrible things who would meet my own eyes peacefully. To gaze into another person’s face is to do two things: to recognize their humanity, and to assert your own.

This excerpt brings to mind the powerful effect of shame. When a person feels shame, they drop their eyes.  In November, a young Congolese pastor at a Hope & Healing seminar told us of his experience with rage and shame. Although a good community member, he said held great anger and resentment toward many people, especially his mother. Over time he developed a plan. He would join the army and be trained in the use of guns. Once trained, he would kill someone and steal their gun.  His plan was to defect from the army, take the stolen gun and kill everyone who had ever hurt him. He planned to start with his mother.  One night he had a dream that changed his life. In the dream he received a third gun, an unfamiliar weapon that he didn’t know how to operate. He realized that this gun was not to be used to destroy people but to help them. He left the army, returned to the church and became a pastor. As he shared this story he was clear eyed and bright faced.  He carried none of the shame that had consumed him.  His greatest joy is working with other ex-soldiers and helping them re-integrate into the community.  Having found his own humanity, he could now extend it to others.

Looking forward to reading the rest of Aminata’s story.