slaves are the same, to be treated equally; equally badly, that is. Ness discovers this for herself when she is punished for speaking out to protect another slave-girl, Pinky.

Back in Africa, the colonial British authorities are no better when it comes to the treatment of women. In the Cape Coast Castle, women are routinely subjected to starvation, as well as physical and sexual abuse. They also have their babies cruelly taken away from them.

Homegoing features a wide variety of female characters. Both in West Africa and North America, their social statuses range from low to high. During much of the period covered, both areas allow slavery, so women may be enslaved or slave owners. For example, Esi’s father was a great Asante warrior who bought a girl slave for her. During an attack, however, Esi was captured and then enslaved and raped. Her life changed from one of ease to one of dire hardship. Her half sister Effia, in contrast, was a child slave. As an adult, she married a British slave trader. Another Asante woman, Akusoa, was resolute in refusing to marry the younger James as long as he was a slaver; she changed his life. However, he was deemed unlucky, and this was extended to his daughter, who was blamed for bad harvests. In America, Esi’s duagher Ness was a plantation field worker. She was whipped and, when she and Sam tried to escape, he was beheaded, and she was sold away. Within several generations, her descendant becomes a famous jazz singer. In sum, female characters appear in many different situations and often survive devastating hardships.

In the book, women are physically assaulted for no reason; Big Man beats up Esi in order to maintain his macho image and not be mistaken for a weakling. After Esi is enslaved, she and the other women are inhumanely chained, stacked together, and locked up in the dungeons. In addition to that, they are raped by the soldiers and deprived off their dignity. Esi continues to endure physical torment once in the hands of her owner, who whips her every time her child speaks a word in her native language. In fact, her child is a result of rape.

Women suffer victimization and are treated as commodities. When Ohene fails to get a good harvest, the entire village blames Abena for ill luck. Ohene promises to marry her only when the harvest improves but eventually betrays and abandons the pregnant Abena for another woman’s hand in marriage.

Even though men experience slavery and segregation, women bear the brunt of the suffering because they struggle under the institutions of patriarchy and slavery.