Based in Africa, The Door of No Return is a moving and powerful coming-of-age tale of Kofi. Although targeted toward a middle-grade audience, it can be read by people of all ages.

Kofi is brimming with curiosity, enthusiasm, and energy as is the norm with any eleven-year-old boy. He loves a girl, Ama, and is determined to prove himself in front of her by defeating his older, much stronger cousin.

But before that can happen, a tragedy occurs upending Kofi’s life. Will he find his way back home?

Being rooted in your traditions, culture, and language is the biggest takeaway for me from this book. Kofi’s schoolteacher insists on speaking English, and even beats them if the children don’t speak English in school. But back home, Kofi’s grandfather gently chides him to always speak his mother tongue in his home.

I loved Kofi’s character. I was charmed by his bubbling enthusiasm and smiled at his naivete as he navigated through his school life full of mock fights with his brother and friends, and a childhood crush on a classmate.

On the other hand, I could also feel his fear and helplessness as he was brutally sold into slavery.

It is a trilogy, however, the book doesn’t end in a cliffhanger.

The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander is a poignantly written novel-in-verse which I will highly recommend to all fans of literary and middle-grade fiction.

The book deals with the topic of slavery, hence, please heed the trigger warning.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing me a complimentary copy. It doesn't affect my opinion of the book.

This was beautiful and tragic. This was humorous and powerful. I’ve read this synopsis over and over, and I still feel like I wasn’t prepared for what I listened to, but I loved every second of it. Not one word was wasted. Kofi’s story is beautifully told through Alexander’s genius writing and Holdbrook-Smith’s brilliant narration. This book reminded me of Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart,” which I absolutely loved.

This is my introduction to Alexander’s work, which was absolutely brilliant. Taking place in Upper and Lower Kwanta, this is a beautiful coming-of-age story about Kofi, an 11-year-old village boy who loves to swim, loves his family (minus his bully cousin) and a sweet, young girl named Ama. While it is a work of fiction, what happens to Kofi is all too real. Kofi’s life is turned upside down in a blink of an eye, and he’s left reeling from the consequences of one fateful event.

I cannot stress enough how beautiful Alexander’s writing is; the storytelling is phenomenal. Written in verse, you learn of the Asante clan and the importance of remembering stories. This sent me through an array of emotions in 3 hours and 35 minutes. You will laugh, you’ll be angry, you’ll want to (or actually) cry, and you’ll have a sense of hope. Overall, you’ll root for Kofi. One of the things I enjoyed that happened throughout the story was how Kofi used Shakespeare as a way to understand what was happening.

I can go on and on about this book but in short… READ. THIS. BOOK!

A young adult, Kofi Offn, is a typical boy on the cusp of adulthood - he has a crush on a girl, admires his older brother, and is adored and coddled by his mother. He’s smart, inquisitive and studious (he secretly enjoys reading Shakespeare) and is a great swimmer. At the onset, Kofi’s world in Upper Kwanta is ordered, safe, and besides a few romps with bullies (a rite of passage for most children), he is happy, secure and looks forward to upcoming festivals and ceremonies that take him closer to adulthood.

The author uses these early passages to world-build – we learn of Kofi’s tribal affiliation, their customs, traditions, religious/faith/belief systems, essentially, their way of life and value systems. Contrasts to European culture is gleaned via conversations with his teacher (who was educated abroad), other adults within his community, and his father’s comments from exchanges with traders, ironically referred to as “the wonderfuls;” a term derived from the wondrous gifts and wares they exchange initially for gold (which is rather plentiful in Kofi’s area). The firesticks (guns), strong libations (whiskey), and tobacco are fascinating, but it doesn’t take long to realize the misery and destruction they bring to the indigenous tribes as the wonderfuls begin to covet everything including natural and human resources ignoring the indigenous traditions, culture, spiritual/religious beliefs, social order, and all that is sacred for greed and profit. They are capable of taking without asking; in fact, their “asks” are more so demands and tribal leaders tread lightly to comply – this is the prelude to colonization.

The novel has a poetic structure and undertones causing the writing to pull on emotional thread - both positive and negative. When tragedy strikes, heartstrings are pulled into a downward spiral as loss and hardship just compounds upon Koffi, his family and friends. The lesson Koffi learns during both sad and happy times with his elders difficult times are essential to his survival

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to review.

A story that hits so many emotions and offers a wealth of opportunities for discussion and further reading.

In “The Door of No Return,” author Kwame Alexander tells the heartbreaking story of Kofi, a boy on the threshold of adulthood, and his close-knit and loving family. Readers get to know this curious and charming boy and will connect with his adolescent thoughts, feelings, and desires for the future. Young readers will undoubtedly be drawn in and quickly relate to him.

There is joy in the story as Kofi swims in the river and talks and learns from the older male members of his family: grandfather, father, and big brother, Kwasi. But tension arises quickly as he prepares to swim a race against his rival. But that tension is only a teaser for the trouble to come, something so unimaginable it will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned.

The story is conveyed in verse which may be unfamiliar to some young readers. However, this format creates perfect bite-sized pieces that will, in the end, keep the reader on the edge of their seats yet give them a much-needed pause from the mounting tension before continuing. These natural stops may work well for reluctant readers and those looking for a meaningful story for reading aloud.

Kofi’s story hits so many emotions and offers a wealth of material for discussion, examination, reflection, and further reading. Its gorgeous cover is sure to catch the eye of browsers as well. I recommend THE DOOR OF NO RETURN to middle-grade readers and older and those searching for an exciting opportunity for sharing and reading aloud.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the kind of historical novel those of us who are adults now deserved when we were in school. This book embraces and emphasizes the narrative that the history of Blacks in the diaspora did not begin in the countries where they were enslaved. Our history began across the ocean in West Africa.

A Story of an Asante Boy
This story of young Kofi of the Asante. He is an excellent swimmer, finds Shakespeare interesting and ironic (even though he would never admit it) and has a crush on girl in his village. It is 1860.

Let me just tell you: I read this book in one day because I had to find out Kofi's fate. I feel the need to deep dive into this time period in West Africa on the Gold Coast now. Because baaaabbbyyy this one took me for a ride I wasn't ready for...at all.

Foreshadowing and Other Details
I loved that this was a novel in verse. Also, the poems are grouped into larger chapters. The chapters serve as foreshadowing for the fate of Kofi. I recommend checking out the end pages for additional glossaries on the Twi language and symbols that are used to mark each chapter. If you are a fan of Roots, this is a good novel for you to check out.

Book Pairings
After I finished this book, I was talking to my daughter about The Door of No Return and she responded, "Oh like The 1619 Project: Born in the Water!" And wouldn't you know she beat me to a book recommendation first! Born in the Water is a perfect pairing for any young reader or adult reader to read with Kwame Alexander's The Door of No Return

Final Thoughts
Alexander mentions at the beginning of the book that it was a hard one to write. But he does an excellent job of resurrecting the stories, humanity and history of the ancestors. There is a point when this book will become hard to read because of the emotions connected to this history. But by then you are ready to face the hard parts because Alexander has prepared you with Kofi's life of joy, boyish fun and family.

Kwame Alexander is one of the gold ticket authors that I could hand to any of my middle school students and reliably know they'd have a solid reading experience, whether or not they were typically interested in that subject matter. He's written so many excellent novels-in-verse for middle graders and young adults, and each and every time, I'm impressed. His words bound off the page, both in their lyricism and their physical representation on the page, and just beg to be read aloud. Kids and adults alike devour them. When I saw he was coming out with a historical fiction novel set in Ghana this fall, I immediately requested it from Netgalley and was thrilled to be granted an early access copy.

Set in 1860 in the Asante Kingdom (modern day Ghana in West Africa), The Door of No Return shares the story of Kofi Offin, a young teen whose main concerns are the ongoing feud with his older cousin, his admiration of fellow classmate Ama, and his teacher's constant insistence that they use The Queen's English in school. But when his older brother runs into some trouble at a wrestling contest, Kofi's life will change forever and the reader is shown a different side of the Transatlantic Slave Trade than we Americans normally see.

As has happened before when I read Alexander's work, I loved being transported back to the country in which I spent my study abroad experience through the food and linguistic details he shares. Despite the 150 year difference in time between the setting of this book and my months in Ghana, it felt incredibly accurate to my memory of things, which was such a delight. I also thought the story felt remarkably modern in that readers won't feel alienated by the time period, but still provided relevant historical details. While the beginning of this book feels like many coming-of-age stories that are prevalent in middle grade works, those knowledgeable of the source of the title will know that there is a dramatic turn of events that will push this into harrowing territory that may be too much for younger middle grade readers. The second half of this book, while completely accessible in language due to Alexander's skilled poetry, is tough to read, and I found myself only being able to digest it in daylight hours. I learned after finishing that this will be an epic trilogy, which did give me some hope for what otherwise might be considered a bleak ending. Overall, I thought Alexander has added another excellent work to his catalog, and I'm so excited for more people to read it come its release at the end of the month.

A novel full of power and voice, THE DOR OF NO RETURN is a tour de force for all ages to read, enjoy, analyze, and understand.

I picked this up without refreshing myself on the synopsis and I recommend you do that too! I read this in one day and now I'm sitting with this book and these words in a heavy, yet beautiful place in my heart.

It's 1860 in what is today Ghana. We meet Kofi who is part of the Asante Kingdom. He is 11 and loves his family, has a small crush on a girl and loves to swim. We learn about what life is for him as a young boy and what direction he will go as he grows older, but life doesn't always turn out the way we think it will. I will leave it at this point and urge you to try this book!

Kwame Alexander has a beautiful way with words. This book is written in a unique format that is poetic sharing the thoughts of Kofi, delivering Asante folklore and brilliantly immersing the reader into life of the people.

A book I will pass onto my 15 year old to read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the advance e-copy of this book. I am going to buy the physical book for my library!

This novel in verse is beautifully written. But it is definitely a brutal read, as the main character, a boy who just dreams of a girl in his school and beating his cousin in a swimming race, has his life turned upside down by multiple tragedies. The beginning started off a bit slow for me, but toward the end I couldn't put it down.
This is set in Ghana during the slave trade, so the content follows that. As an adult, I found parts of it very hard to read, but I'm not sure how the intended audience will read this (i.e. they might not have all the context for what is going on to be as emotionally impacted as adults are...but they will still find the tragedy.)

This book was amazing and hit my entire heart and soul. It was so shocking to spend so much time with a character and a family only to see the ramifications of the slave trade thrust upon them. Kwame Alexander was spot on when we said that he would be telling a story from the perspective of those affected and the feeling it gave was almost beyond putting into words.

I'll be purchasing multiple copies of this book to have available as book discussion sets for middle grade and adult readers alike.

I would give this book 100 stars if I could.

Kwame Alexander is a master of the verse novels for youth, and I have seen the impact of his work firsthand in the classroom. The Door of No Return is an exciting, mythic, and captivating turn in his literary path. I’ll be reading this one again soon!

This was actually my first Kwame Alexander, though I've admired his place in young adult literature and what he does for education and readers.

This book did not disappoint. I will be honest and admit that I am not fond of the YA genre of novel-in-verse, but this one was so striking and so absolutely teachable. There are phases in the plot, clusters of monumental events, and pieces that allude to future hardships. There are relationships that are rich and so many different kinds of strength.

When this comes out, I'll make sure to have a couple copies in my classroom library.

I was able to read an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

ARC Copy...I am very much agreeing with Mr. Alexander on the fact...yes that felt like a very difficult novel to compose and just punches one right in the gut about the complex history of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, Very much can see this are part of Afro-American reading list in schools.