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HomeWashington Black by Esi Edugyan

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

  • Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

Washington Black, or “Wash,” an 11-year-old field slave in Barbados, is selected to be the personal assistant to Titch, an explorer, inventor, naturalist, and abolitionist. Titch teaches Wash to read, and encourages his powers of observation and talent for illustration. A death on the plantation forces Titch and Wash to flee, thus beginning Wash’s journey from slave to free man. This is an epic story spanning the Caribbean, the Arctic, England, and Africa that deftly explores what it means to be humans and what it means to be free.

  •  Last updated: September 8, 2023

on the web

Looking for reviews, author bios, and discussion questions to stimulate conversation? We’ve compiled these for you!

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-Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

Available at West Vancouver Memorial Library in Book, Large Print Book, eBook, Kindle, and eAudiobook formats.

Esi Edugyan Biography

The Canadian Encyclopedia. "Esi Edugyan is a Ghanaian Canadian novelist whose work has become an influential part of the Canadian literary canon."

How Esi Edugyan wrote her novel Washington Black — and won her second Scotiabank Giller Prize

CBC Books. "Her third novel, Washington Black, tells the story of 11-year-old Washington "Wash" Black, a slave on a Barbados sugar plantation in the 19th century."

Penguin Random House Discussion Questions – Washington Black

"Washington Black Reader’s Guide"

Quill and Quire Review: Washington Black

"Esi Edugyan makes history with Washington Black"

Slavery and Economy in Barbados

BBC History. "Barbados was one of England's most popular colonies, with a rich economy based on sugar and slavery."

The Guardian Review: Washington Black

"Mixing horror with high adventure, this powerful novel looks at the burden of freedom in a time of slavery"

The New York Times Review: Washington Black

"In Esi Edugyan’s Novel ‘Washington Black,’ a Slave Escapes by Hot-Air Balloon"

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