'Book of Echoes' author implores readers to share her slavewoman's story

Dear reader,

I’m grateful you’re taking the time to read this book, to hear a nameless voice that has been silent and forgotten for so many centuries, but whose life and journey has helped change our world.

My book is narrated by the spirit of a slave woman who died over two hundred years ago, as she searches through time and space for the descendants of the children she was forced to give up.

When I started writing the book 20 years ago, it was to give voice to the Brixton community I grew up in, as there were few novels around at the time which told that tale.

As time went on, my Brixton community began to disappear — due to gentrification and the passing away of the older generation. And so it became even more important to capture their stories.

Somehow, the narrator of my book emerged from the shadows of history, insisting her story be heard too, that her message of love to the children she was forced to give up by her captors be passed on.

In telling her story across time, I tapped into my knowledge and experience of black history and Nigerian culture.

I really hope you enjoy this book, and share its message with as many people as you can, ensuring that my slavewoman’s voice, even for a little while, is finally heard. That the experience of reading this book reinforces your belief in love and hope, in a better tomorrow, even though the current from us.

With love,

Rosanna Amaka