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Title:
Haunting
Heritage: An African Saga in America
(Click to order on-line now)
Author: Alasan Mansaray
Publisher: Sahara Publishing
Date Published: April 1996
Format: Trade Cloth
Alasan Mansaray, in his debut novel, A Haunting Heritage, renders a candid and an unprecedented account of African immigrant life in North America. Breaking the conspiracy of silence, the book dispels misconception of heavens abroad by laying bare what it means for an African to survive in the West. Mansaray in his novel, in what amounts to a literary tour de force, pitches African immigrants' hopes and illusions, about America and African Americans, versus the reality. In this definitive study of African immigrant experiences abroad, the author treats his readers to an immigrant expulsion spectacle, and to a shot-and-killed and case-dismissed episode, as he unravels America's harsh treatment of African immigrants; starting from the discrepant applications of immigration laws, down to the triple odds that Africans must face from being black, foreign and having an accent in an alienating society with the black burden! With the craftsmanship of an African griot, Mansaray mixes novelistic and quasi-documentarian narrative in this original African novel with an American twist, and the book has been gloriously received by critics From Donna Seaman - BookList:
First-time novelist Mansaray draws upon his own experiences as an immigrant to America from Sierra Leone in this engaging if somewhat didactic tale of cultural conflict. His appealing hero, Yaya, is an energetic and progressive young African man determined to achieve Western-style success. Yaya is all set to live the good life far from the confines of his traditional village, but his grandmother, a bone healer, has other ideas. Her sacred art is passed down from generation to generation, and Yaya is next in line. The heir apparent is appalled. After his grandmother's death, he tells no one about his inheritance and returns to his upscale city life, but his grandmother's spirit pursues him and methodically destroys all that he has achieved. Yaya flees to America where he confronts a different type of diabolical force: racism and the contempt many African Americans have for Africans. Although Mansaray lets his message, relevant and worthy as it is, come dangerously close to overwhelming his narrative, he is a fine storyteller.
From Choice:
"Mansaray's first novel...celebrates the conflict between Africa's mystical past and its postcolonial future. [The book] offers original insight into American cultures, in particular the complex relationship between Africans and African Americans. It could well be read as a companion piece to Eddy Harris' Native Stranger, the engrossing story of an African American's journey through Africa. General and undergraduate collections."
From Kirkus Review:
"A brief, fun read that draws on the literary work of Chinua Achebe, but mixes it up with the distinctly American tone of a Terry McMillan or Bebe Moore Campbell; An exciting debut novel by an African writer who clearly has many stories to share with an American audience."
From BookList:
"First time novelist Mansaray draws upon his own experience as an immigrant to America from Sierra Leone in this engaging if somewhat didactic tale of cultural conflicts.[The book also deals with] racism and the contempt many African Americans have for Africans. Mansaray is a fine storyteller."
"A poignant work of exotic mystery and dramatic thrills."
From The African Herald:
"An eye-opening, landmark and thrilling novel."
From African News Watch:
"Mansaray's unprecedented novel is a cross-cultural eye-opener to Americans about Africa and African expectations, same way it is to those in Africa about America and its difference from Africa, where all strangers are treated with deep-seated respect and traditional hospitality."
