First Third of Adeyemi

 Tyra Alexander

16 October 2023

EN*376

Dr. Ellis

First-third of Adeyemi



After reading the first third of Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, it’s safe to say I was immediately hooked. I found the setting and characters very enticing– the subject of spirituality but in the form of magic was very interesting. In relation to that, I would suppose that this story may highlight how in the future, the act of African Spirituality is at risk of being suppressed completely. This is something that I find relevant especially in western culture, especially in the Black American community. Christianity is the utmost dominant belief amongst Black Americans as well as Nigerians. The act of African Spirituality is seen as demonic or blasphemous. Therefore, this is something that I definitely see in Adeyemi’s book because the main issue is that the magic is erased and they are trying to bring it back– meanwhile those in power are trying to get rid of the magic and the people who harbor it. 

One quote that reminds me of this is on page 14 when it says “You girls have to remember that the world wasn’t always like this. There was a time when everyone was on the same side”. With that it kind of made me think about how during the past (which could be our present), that there was a world in which everyone was free to practice however they wanted until one day somebody decided that they didn’t like it and then started to annihilate those who were different than the “norm”. But overall, with that being the subject and with me drawing those connections, as I continue reading I will strongly consider African Spirituality in relation to the modern world.


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