The Door of No Return

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Middle Grade | Published in 2022

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1, Poems 1-22

Chapter 2, Poems 1-15

Chapter 3, Poems 1-35

Chapter 4, Poems 1-20

Chapter 5, Poems 1-35

Chapter 6, Poems 1-70

Chapter 7, Poems 1-37

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Background

Authorial Context: Kwame Alexander’s Writing Hallmarks

Kwame Alexander is “a poet, educator, producer and #1 New York Times bestselling author of 39 books, including Why Fathers Cry at Night, An American Story, The Door of No Return, Becoming Muhammad Ali, and Rebound (“Short Bio.” Kwame Alexander). Alexander is a regular speaker at events, schools, and book groups, where he shares his infectious passion for literacy, the craft of writing, and literature. As a positive, energetic, and encouraging writer, he believes everyone has a story to share, honoring his mission to “change the world, one word at a time” (“Short Bio”).

Alexander’s works have won numerous awards. He’s known for his Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning works, including The Crossover and Booked, two other novels in verse. In the Door of No Return, Alexander handles the topic with metaphorical language and suspenseful pacing. These hallmarks are evident in his storytelling, in which he intentionally writes in verse. He identifies himself as a poet, since his books are made of interconnected poems that tell stories.

The Door of No Return was written based on his inspiration for his love of water and to “write a story about the true beginning before [...] we [Black people] became, as it were, enslaved. Like, to me, that is definitely important but it's not the only thing, and it's certainly not the first thing” (“Kwame Alexander's New Book About Slavery Is ‘Door of No Return.’” NPR, 26 Sept. 2022). Through Kofi, Alexander brings readers into a world of history from the perspective of a young boy who they can empathize with and acknowledge “the humanity of this kid as sort of a first step in this reckoning of each other's humanity” (“Kwame Alexander's New Book About Slavery Is ‘Door of No Return’”).

Historical Context: Asante Kingdom, Ghana, Africa in 1860

Set in the Asante Kingdom of Ghana, Africa in 1860, the book immerses readers in the cultural and historical background of the region. It explores themes of tradition, family, and the impact of colonialism. The story also delves into the cultural and linguistic complexities of the time, including the tension between preserving local languages like Twi and adopting the Queen's English. In his Author’s Note, Alexander writes the following:

This is historical fiction. It is a novel inspired by history, based on the real lives of the Asante (A·shan·ti) people, who are native to a region of West Africa now known as Ghana. It was a hard story to write, but it was one that needed to be told. I wrote it for the me nobody knows. For the you who is still becoming. For the possibility that is in us. The great poet, philosopher, and abolitionist Ralph Waldo Emerson said, Be an opener of doors. I’ve tried to be that here (18).

Alexander uses the history of Ghana to inform his story. During the time period in which the novel was written, West Africa used resources, such as rivers, clay, dirt, trees, to provide them with shelter, food, clothing, etc. All their basic necessities were met through the land, as Nana Mosi explains about the importance of the Offin River as a resource for their people. To display historical accuracy, Alexander includes the gold and term “Gold Coast” in the story too:

[...] direct sea trade with Europe was followed by the arrival of Portuguese mariners in 1471. [...] Europe’s main interest in the country was as a source of gold, a commodity that was readily available on the coast in exchange for such European exports as cloth, hardware, beads, metals, spirits, arms, and ammunition. This gave rise to the name Gold Coast, by which the country was known until 1957 (“History of Ghana.” Britannica).

Alexander also shows the traditional oral storytelling with accuracy since Nana Mosi and others showcase this theme; many from Ghana today “possess well-preserved oral traditions” that may “even reach as far back as the 14th century” (“History of Ghana”). The European influence affected Africa’s resources, cultures, politics, and landscape, all consequences that are shown in this novel—from the stealing of gold, to introducing firearms, to enslaving people.