The Door of No Return
ByPublisher Description
From the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winning author Kwame Alexander, comes the first book in a searing, breathtaking trilogy that tells the story of a boy, a village, and the epic odyssey of an African family.
In his village in Upper Kwanta, 11-year-old Kofi loves his family, playing oware with his grandfather and swimming in the river Offin. He’s warned though, to never go to the river at night. His brother tells him ”There are things about the water you do not know. “Like what?" Kofi asks. “The beasts.” His brother answers.
One fateful night, the unthinkable happens and in a flash, Kofi’s world turns upside down. Kofi soon ends up in a fight for his life and what happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves.
This spellbinding novel by the author of The Crossover and Booked will take you on an unforgettable adventure that will open your eyes and break your heart.
The Door of No Return is an excellent choice for independent reading, sharing in the classroom, book groups, and homeschooling.
An instant #1 New York Times Bestseller!
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Door of No Return Reviews
Roxiefox4
Created 10 minutes ago
Céline
Created 2 days agoKT
Created 12 days ago
“What happens when vengefulness begets exposure to the vilest depths of human nature?
Oof. This was a gut-punch of a young adult book! A harrowing, shockingly violent account of the worst atrocities committed by humans against each other. The first half is mostly about 11 year-old Kofi’s daily life in his Asante village (which would now be Ghana) during 1860, including his childhood crush on a wise girl, his relationship with his older brother, his complicated relationship with his bullying cousin, and his school teacher’s obsession with using The Queen’s English as opposed to their native tongue. There is also a lot of backstory on the truce between Upper and Lower Kwanta, and a time of competitive festivities of sorts that are often dangerous and violent but agreed upon by both groups, until something goes terribly wrong.
Then one night an unsettling event happens, and at first you think it’s one thing, but eventually you realize what is going on, and it’s horrendous. Throughout unspeakable horrors being committed all around him, Kofi is able to maintain a sliver of hope. This is part one of a trilogy so the ending leaves some loose ends. But overall I think this was an interesting way to tell a story of African and African American history in verse. I highly recommend the audiobook performance!”About Kwame Alexander
Other books by Kwame Alexander
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