Have you ever realized that some things should never be left to chance? As an active book club member for the past year, we recently had a similar realization. Despite actively seeking out new books, we had yet to read one by a Black female author. Being deliberate, we selected Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom and were blown away by the beautifully crafted story that highlights the struggles of immigration, loss, and the complex mother-daughter relationship.
Transcendent Kingdom shares the story of Gifty, a young scientist from a Ghanaian family who emigrates to the United States under difficult conditions. Through her lens, we witness the cost of immigration and the challenges of assimilation. But the book also explores the struggles of Gifty’s mother, who lost her husband to a new family in Ghana, her son to a heroin overdose, and eventually herself to mental illness. Gyasi reminds us that it’s easier to write off addicts as weak-willed individuals rather than to empathetically examine the nature of their suffering.
Let’s delve into the following topics highlighted in Yaa Gyasi’s Transcendent Kingdom:
- Immigration and identity
- Science and Faith
- Family and relationships
- Mental health, race, and racism
Immigration and identity:
The story of Gifty, a Ghanaian-American neuroscientist who was born in Alabama. Gifty struggles with her identity as an immigrant and the challenges of assimilation, particularly as a black woman in a predominantly white community. She grapples with questions of cultural identity and belonging and the tension between her Ghanaian heritage and her American upbringing.
“The absence of home is the most pervasive and yet least acknowledged loss…”
Science and faith:
Gifty became a scientist dedicated to understanding the neural basis of addiction and depression. This dedication is partly attributed to understanding what led to her brother’s addiction and why he couldn't stop. She was raised in a devoutly religious household but begins to question her beliefs as she becomes more entrenched in her scientific research. She feels guilty for questioning her faith and is torn between her passion for science and her desire to remain faithful. Ultimately, she learns to reconcile her faith and science, recognizing that both can co-exist.
Family and relationships:
The book explores the complexities of family relationships, particularly in the context of addiction and mental illness. Firstly, after Gifty’s father, the chin-chin man, struggled to survive the hardship in America, he returned to Ghana, leaving his family behind. Gifty’s brother Nana struggles with addiction and ultimately dies of a drug overdose, which deeply affects Gifty and her mother. The novel sheds light on the impact of addiction and mental illness on family dynamics, as well as the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters. Gifty struggles with how her family history has shaped her relationships and her understanding of herself.
“Forgiveness, too, is a kind of power. It is a power you claim over the past.”
Mental health, race, and racism:
Yaa Gyasi delves into the profound impact of race and racism on mental health. As a black woman in America, Gifty reflects on the ways in which racism has affected her life and the lives of those around her. The novel also explores the impact of systemic racism on access to healthcare and mental health resources, and the ways in which this contributes to health disparities in communities of color. Gifty battles the ways in which both her family history and the larger social context in which she lives have an impact on her own mental health struggles throughout the book.
Conclusion
At its core, Transcendent Kingdom is a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of understanding the impact of our experiences on our lives. Through Gifty’s lens, we see how our experiences shape our brains and our behaviors, and how faith, family, science, racism, and mental health intersect in our search for understanding and healing. Gyasi’s masterful storytelling and nuanced exploration of complex themes make “Transcendent Kingdom” a must-read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the human experience.
Ratings: 4.0/5
