Novel âTranscendent Kingdomâ chosen as UWâMadisonâs 2021-22 Go Big Read book
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While recent Go Big Read books have been nonfiction, this yearâs selection for the campus common reading program, âTranscendent Kingdom,â uses a fictional story to explore the very real issues of race, immigration, science, faith and family.
Yaa Gyasiâs novel tells the story of Gifty, a graduate student in neuroscience and the only member of her Ghanaian family born in the United States, as she examines her familyâs experience of immigrating and her own place in the world.
âFiction has a unique ability to connect with us in a very personal way,â says Chancellor Rebecca Blank. âGiftyâs story is all about her struggle to establish her own identity. In this particular story, we can all identify with how we work to integrate our past experiences, family history and future dreams into a coherent sense of who we are. This past year has shown us all the importance of listening to peopleâs stories and finding ways to reach out to them.â