What do You think about Any Known Blood (1998)?
This is another great Lawrence Hill book. (This one was written before his Book of Negros (in the US it is titled Someone Knows my Name).It is a fictional family history. We see a man struggling to understand how he fits into an accomplished family through history. He seeks to learn more about his ancestors, particularly Langston Cane (the first). All the generations’ stories are interesting. It was a book I raced through reading.At first it is a little difficult to keep all the generations straight, but soon you figure it out without too much difficulty and sometimes you just let the story wash over you. The exciting stuff, a bit of a family mystery and the historical action, starts a bit past halfway through the book. But the first half is still interesting. It ends up being quite faced paced for a family history type book. I found it very interesting and would recommend it to anyone interested in the period just before the American civil war, as well as those interested in a plethora of other topics the book addresses.
—Lana
This was an odd book to me. At times it was intriguing and even captivating, but it was very confusing to follow, as the story told of five generations of men, all named Langston Cane, and it didn't start with the oldest and go in chronological order, but rather jumped here and there and back and forth. It left me very often wondering which Langston Cane was currently being talked about. The book also included some very sexually explicit encounters and every mention of a baptist or episcopal minister (which was quite often) included him participating in something amoral, which I found rather vindictive, indicating to me some wrong suffered by the author in his life. The book also dealt with the issue of slavery and discrimination in North America, particularly against lighter skinned blacks from both whites and blacks, which was an interesting viewpoint.
—Jamie
This review was originally posted on my blog, The Baking Bookworm (www.thebakingbookworm.blogspot.ca)My Thoughts: I have to preface this review by letting you all know that I'm a big fan of Lawrence Hill after reading (and loving) his "Book of Negroes" (known in the USA as "Someone Knows My Name"). It was a fantastic book so I knew that Mr Hill had some mighty big shoes to fill in order to impress me. My verdict? Lawrence Hill continues to amaze me with another outstanding book. While I still feel that "The Book of Negroes" was a better read this comes in as a very close second. As I was reading the book I kept trying to put my finger on what exactly makes Hill's books stand out. The only thing that I can come up with is that there seems to be such as ease in his storytelling. His story flows so smoothly, even with the jumping back and forth between generations. I am able to immerse myself into his stories and get totally and utterly captivated. That's what makes a great book for me.His characters aren't perfect but they are believable. Each of the Langston Canes has his own struggles and strengths but Aunt Mill is, hands down, my favourite character. While she is a quirky old gal, she has a deep love for her family. Reading how her personal values and attitude are at odds with the growing feelings she has for her nephew is what made her stand out for me. One of Lawrence Hill's strengths as a writer is that he has the ability to teach his readers about serious topics with such ease and compassion. The reader witnesses the struggles that the Langston Canes had from slavery, to freedom, to struggling with their new freedom (being free but not necessarily treated as equals) and finally to education and success. We also get a look into how an interracial marriage was perceived by some as well as the issue within the black community in regards to the darkness of a person's skin tone. That's a lot of different issues within one book but Hill makes it work.Now, I will admit, and warn, that there is quite a lot of jumping back and forth between the various Langston Canes. This could make the story muddled and confusing but Hill makes it easy for the reader to keep track of which Langston Cane the story is following by providing a family tree at the beginning of the book which I used often. One would think that giving five main characters all with the same name it would make for a very confusing read but Hill gives each of these men such a individual personality and voice that soon after meeting the new Langston Cane it quickly became apparent that we were dealing with a new character all his ownLastly, I love the fact that this book is partially based in southern Ontario (Oakville and Toronto). It made me proud as a Canadian to learn how Oakville was one of the final stops on the Underground Railroad and how so many Canadians and Americans helped runaway slaves to reach freedom here in the Great White North.This is a wonderfully descriptive story that sheds light on factual events in American and Canadian history as well as merging those with a truly memorable fictional tale that details the interesting lives of five generations of Langston Canes. This hard to put down book showcases the enduring spirit of people and the love of family. Recommended.My Rating: 4.5/5 stars
—The Baking Bookworm
