(4.5) This incredible novel of just 300 pages is full of history, beauty, horrific pain and violence, and the story of two branches of a family tree that could not be more important to read about, especially as an American. I'm in awe of #YaaGyasi's writing and will read everything she writes (her latest, [b:Transcendent Kingdom|48570454|Transcendent Kingdom|Yaa Gyasi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571925550l/48570454._SY75_.jpg|73528567] was great too, and so different). The only reason it didn't get the full 5 stars is because I do wish we had more time with each character because it was sometimes a little hard to remember the details of their story when reading about the next generations, but I think that just means I need to re-read this at some point!