Black Gold of the Sun: Searching for Home in Africa and Beyond

Ekow Eshun's book offers so many insights to children of immigrants that seem almost universal wisdom. More than once I stopped to read and re-read the words on the page, stunned that Eshun was able to articulate something I, as a Mexican-American, felt all of my life. His experiences in Ghana are intriguing and eye-opening, and he has a way of explaining the things we all feel but just have never been able to say. Here is an example of one of my favorite quotes, to illustrate my point. It is from a scene where Ekow is a teenager, and his family is having a party. The adults are having a ball, while the younger cousins just kind of look on. Eshun observes: "Our parents had their rituals and dance steps. They knew where they were from. By contrast all that connected us was distance from Ghana. Born in Britain, it seemed to us that we were the adults. We bore the pressure of growing up in a strange country while our parents played on the grass like children." Brilliant! It's so simply stated, yet so powerful. We recommend this to anyone, but children of immigrants/migrants NEED to read this book! (Review by Amina Garcia)

Ekow Eshun's Black Gold of the Sun is a spellbinding account of his search for himself. Enchanting and enlightening, tender and vibrant are the images he creates as he shares what is discovered during his journeys. What is so remarkable about this book is how one can almost imagine traveling along with Ekow. British born, of Ghanaian parents, more often than not, this young man was asked where he was really from. Questions, questions always questions. Yet, none are as pressing as the ones he asks himself. From the time that his plane lands in Ghana, this saga kept me glued to its pages. I felt as if I was traveling with the author from London to Ghana, from Ghana to London. Ekow searches for his past as he searches for himself and finds out more about his heritage than he bargained for. The climax of this search is well worth the read. As he discovers his family, past and present, he finds his own self worth. A compelling, skilled author, Ekow Eshun's story should be grasped by any and all who seek to listen and learn. He is allowing all who would like to travel with him just for a while and enjoy the wonder of Black Gold of the Sun. Armchair Interviews says: Allow yourself to be the author's traveling companion.

What does home mean for immigrants? What does home mean for black people in a white world? What pushes Black Gold of the Sun beyond the level of travel literature and memoir is his cultural criticisms of the meaning of British blackness, especially British Africanness contrasted with British West Indianness and African-Americanness. The sounds of his childhood were American, and African American. Eshun was the son of Ghanaian diplomats, but most African Americans are the descendents of West African slaves. Still, it is the African Americans who managed to create a critical consciousness of blackness in England.

Black Gold Of The Sun: Searching For Home In Africa And Beyond is a lyrical memoir telling of a prominent critic and Afro-American writer born to African parents in London. Always between two worlds, Eshun set off for Ghana in 2001 to find his roots: Black Gold Of The Sun chronicles his journey and search for both self and cultural influences, and makes for a vigorous, moving read.

Ekow Eshun embarks upon an enlightening search for his identity and true heritage in Black Gold Of The Sun, Searching For Home in Africa and Beyond. Revealing a rich history between Africa and Europe and the practice of slave trading. Exposing some truths about his ancestors that will instead produce more questions for him to ponder. Eshun was born in London to parents from Ghana. His father was once a Ghanaian Diplomat who migrated with his family to make a life in London. Eshun along with his parents and siblings returned to live in Ghana for three years and eventually made London their permanent home in 1974. Eshun begins his journey to Ghana with the anticipation of being able to connect with his roots and find the answers to questions that have gone unanswered for far to long. As he begins his quest he revisits relatives and memories from his childhood. Memories of a past that was filled with racial connotations that he intentionally wanted to forget; yet had to relive in order to find solace. In the end he comes to the realization that returning to his homeland will not provide the closure he hoped for but is the catalyst to helping him achieve the freedom and knowledge to fully understand that his past does not determine his destination in life. This first time author does a commendable job depicting his memoir with great fluency. Ekow Eshun vividly chronicles his personal journey taking readers along on this courageous passage to belonging.