Someone Knows My Name

The story is told through the eyes of an elderly Aminata, who lives in London at the start of 19th century. This first-person point of view allows the reader to experience Aminata’s story through extended flashbacks. How does this narrative style contribute to your understanding of the plot? In what instances does returning to the “present day” foreshadow the events of the coming chapters? How might the story be different if “present day” Aminata was not introduced until the end?

Chekura is the only person from Africa who remains in Aminata’s life. Even after he dies, she feels tied to him as his wife and family. How does her tie to Chekura transcend love and the bond of marriage? In what instances does her attachment to Chekura represent an attachment to her homeland

As she searches for a way back to her homeland, Aminata is repeatedly disappointed in the white man’s ignorance of Africa and the uselessness of the maps. However, Aminata experiences the difficulty of penetrating Africa firsthand when the Temna refuses to let her into their lands. Is there any truth to the white man’s fantasy of Africa, and how much of it can be attributed to the continent’s impenetrability? How does the repeated allusion to Jonathan Swift’s poetry develop this theme further?

Though the abolitionists call Aminata their equal, she observes that “their lips do not yet say my name and their ears do not yet hear my story” (101). Examine Aminata’s interactions with the abolitionists. How sincere do the abolitionists seem to be, and how well do they understand the narrative of slavery? Is Aminata’s judgment of them fair?

The Book of Negroes was the novel’s title when it was first published in Canada. The actual historical document was a beacon of hope for Negroes looking to start a new life in Nova Scotia. In the text, Aminata listens to the stories of the Negroes granted safe passage and records their names, places of birth, and migrations. How does the existence of the “Book of Negroes” and Aminata’s contribution develop the theme of the power of language? How different is the actual document from the one described in the story? Why do you think the author made such changes?

Anna Falconbridge introduces an argument in favor of slavery, claiming that slavery offers Africans a chance at a better life and saves them from savagery. She argues that slavery gave Aminata literacy, worldliness, and intelligence. How well does this argument justify the slave trade? Can slavery truly be justified by Aminata’s ability to read and write?

At Bance Island Aminata witnesses African slavers trading imported goods for local people. She reflects on the various prices at which she has been sold, and she wonders exactly where the cycle of slavery starts. Is there a starting point that blame can be attributed to, or is slavery truly an endless cycle?

During her journey to Bayo, Aminata reflects on her lifelong fixation on returning home. She realizes that she is more concerned with the place than what she will actually do there. Where else in the story is it obvious that Aminata’s focus is on the place of her birth rather than a place to build a life? Would Aminata’s desire for homeland be different if she could settle elsewhere with Chekura and her children?