D'Aguiar, Fred *1960

Feeding the Ghosts, 1997 - Thematic Parallels: Slavery

D'Aguiar, Fred: Feeding the Ghosts, 1997
The novel explores the brutality and inhumanity of the transatlantic slave trade. It critiques the legal and moral systems that allowed such crimes to occur without consequence.
The following books are thematically similar. They lend themselves well to being read in groups, compared with one another, or used to teach a similar topic over an extended period with a class:
- Draper, Sharon M.: Copper Sun, 2006, ~300pp
  The book vividly portrays the brutality of slavery and the resilience of those who endured it.
  Both novels are powerful explorations of the trauma and resilience of enslaved people, but "Copper Sun" emphasizes personal growth and friendship, while "Feeding the Ghosts" uses poetic symbolism and a postcolonial lens to reflect on memory and historical atrocity. The nuanced alignment lies in their shared commitment to remembering and resisting the horrors of slavery.
- Cooper, J. California: Family, 1991, ~150pp
  A narrative that follows multiple generations of an enslaved family, told from the perspective of a spirit who watches over her descendants.
  Both novels talk about the historical and emotional legacies of slavery, but they approach their themes through distinct lenses. While Cooper’s work is more intimate and grounded in domestic legacies, D’Aguiar’s is more experimental and focused on collective historical trauma. Both, however, seek to ensure that the ghosts of history are neither forgotten nor silenced.
- Morrison, Toni: Beloved, 1987, ~270pp
  The novel explores the intense and often tragic bonds between Sethe and her children, shaped by the brutality of slavery and the desperate choices it forces upon mothers. Her act of killing her child is presented not as cruelty but as a desperate attempt to protect her child from slavery.
  While Morrison uses a domestic, intimate lens rooted in psychological realism and magical elements, D’Aguiar adopts a historical-poetic approach. Yet both align in arguing that confronting the past—no matter how painful—is essential to healing, justice, and understanding.
- Wright, Richard: Native Son, 1940, ~400pp
  A novel that details Wright’s own experiences growing up in the segregated American South and his confrontation with racism and poverty.
  Both novels expose brutal realities of racial violence and systemic dehumanization, but "Native Son" addresses the present of systemic racism, focusing on social environment and psychological effects in the city, while "Feeding the Ghosts" focuses on the historical origins of that trauma.
List of general discussion questions on Slavery (pdf)
List of essay prompts on Slavery (pdf)