"Transcendent Kingdom" by Yaa Gyasi

Yaa Gyasi is a genius. I loved her debut novel Homecoming which tackled the topic of slavery. This newest book from her takes a look at race in America, African immigrants in America and also the subjects of addiction and depression. Gyasi excels at taking on difficult, hard-breaking topics, but also somehow bringing them to a hopeful conclusion. In Transcendent Kingdom the main character Gifty is raised in Alabama by a single mother who is originally from Ghana. Gifty is raised evangelical Christian. As a child, she has a deeply personal relationship with God, her faith is strong and pure, and she genuinely feels called by God and in fact, starts each of her journal entries with "Dear God". 

But then, her life is turned upside down when her older brother, a talented athlete, overdoses on heroine and tragically dies. Her mother descends into the tunnel of depression, and Gifty feels betrayed and abandoned by God. The narrative unfolds along two timelines: the present day, where Gifty is a graduate student at Stanford doing research in reward-seeking behavior and looking for a cure for addiction. The second timeline is Gifty's childhood memories of growing up in Alabama and the tragedy surrounding her brother's death. 

This book that is under 300 pages packs a powerful punch. It absolutely crushed me. At times, I was not sure I could keep reading because Gifty's pain felt so personal and real to me. Her search for God also felt very genuine and relatable. I loved this book. It is not the easiest read, but really important one. When I read Gyasi's books, I remember WHY reading is important. 5 out of 5 stars, phenomenal.