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Readalikes · September 24, 2020

6 Books Like… Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

So you read this brilliant novel by Yaa Gyasi and, now you’re on the hunt for books like Transcendent Kingdom? Welcome!

books like Transcendent Kingdom

Recommending readalikes can be a tricky process, but as I said in the first post in this series, I enjoy the process of finding similar threads running through even books that appear different on the surface. Today’s pick is a new release by Ghanaian author, Yaa Gyasi, a story about the intersection of faith and science, and the grief of losing a son and brother to the opioid epidemic. If you haven’t read it yet, read my full review here, and then go buy it!

Here’s my readalike criterion: Each book I recommend must have at least three strong similarities with the beloved title. For each recommended book, I’ll also highlight major differences to keep in mind, just in case they might put you off.

Without further ado, if you loved this book, here are more books like Transcendent Kingdom.

Books Like Transcendent Kingdom

A Place for Us

A Place for Us - books like transcendent kingdom
buy on amazon

Published: June 12, 2018

Similarities

  • A son with drug misuse issues
  • Strong sibling relationships
  • Inner struggle with faith
  • Parent-child conflicts
  • Immigrant parents adjusting to life in America
  • Same haunting feeling

Differences

  • Middle-Eastern, not African family
  • Multiple POV narration
  • Muslim family, not Christian

Ghana Must Go

ghana must go - books like transcendent kingdom
buy on amazon

Published:

Similarities

  • Features a Ghanaian family
  • Set in Ghana and the US
  • Features several mental health disorders
  • Also features a character who misuses drugs
  • Strong matriarch character

Differences

  • Much larger family
  • More focused on family dysfunction and secrets

Salt Houses

salt houses - books like transcendent kingdom
buy on amazon

Published: May 2, 2017

Published:

Similarities

  • Similar grief theme
  • Palestinian family immigrates to the US
  • Story follows a family over decades
  • Strong themes of migration and feelings of displacement

Differences

  • There’s more love, romance, and family in this one

Everything Here Is Beautiful

everything here is beautiful - books like transcendent kingdom
buy on amazon

Published: January 16, 2018

Similarities

  • Focuses on a strong sibling relationship
  • One sister supports another through mental health relapses
  • Themes of migration and displacement
  • Same feelings of melancholy run through most of this book

Differences

  • Bipolar disorder/schizophrenia, not drug misuses
  • Asian family, and really the focus is on both sisters
  • Multiple POV narration

The Namesake

the namesake - books like transcendent kingdom
buy on amazon

Published: January 1, 1993

Similarities

  • Family migrating from India to the US
  • Their son tries to find his place in society as an Indian-American
  • Focus on relationships between parents and children
  • Excellent observations on immigrant life

Differences

  • Indian-American family
  • No science or faith intersection
  • No significant drug misuse

Everything I Never Told You

everything i never told you - books like transcendent kingdom
buy on amazon

Published: June 26, 2014

Similarities

  • Strong themes of family, focus on parent-sibling relationships/sibling-sibling relationships
  • Death of a sibling
  • Family secrets
  • Parental separation

Differences

  • Asian family
  • Murder mystery
  • Historical fiction

And that’s a wrap: 6 books like Transcendent Kingdom! For many of these selections, I chose books that gave me that same feeling of sadness, with a twinge of hope. All of these books feature families, large or small, and strong sibling relationships. They’re also backlist brilliant literary fiction releases that you’re sure to have access to. I hope you find one that floats your boat.

Which of these selections have you read and enjoyed? Would you recommend any of these to readers who enjoyed Transcendent Kingdom? I’d love to hear your own readalikes for Transcendent Kingdom!

Pin This Post – 6 Books Like Transcendent Kingdom

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Posted In: Readalikes · Tagged: african fiction, readalikes

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Comments

  1. Carol says

    September 24, 2020 at 11:48 am

    I love the connection with A Place For Us! 🙌

    Reply
    • Afoma Umesi says

      September 25, 2020 at 7:26 am

      Me too! I thought it was the perfect readalike!

      Reply

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☀️ Addie has reluctantly moved across the country with her dad for his summer job in the virtual reality industry. He's working on research to use VR for therapeutic purposes, such as helping people cultivate empathy. Addie is not into VR, but that starts to change when she meets Matteo another kid on campus, and tries out VR on her own. Eventually, the two find a helpful use for VR that helps other people.

🥽 I loved the illustration style in this one and while I found the VR setting a bit disorienting, I appreciated the unique lens of the story. The graphic novel format works brilliantly for helping readers appreciate the power of VR. I think with text, it would have just been too much “world-building.” This is more engaging and exciting for kids.

🐢 Lo and Behold is a clever middle grade graphic novel about virtual reality, grief, and parental addiction. Readers who enjoy VR will love this one, but as the Author's Note mentions, it will also be a fantastic introduction for those who, like me, aren't familiar with it. A fun summer read with hints of serious themes.

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❤️ I loved this book way more than I thought I would (from the synopsis). Ginny has such a great voice and she isn’t always the most likable character but she’s always real. I loved watching her grow throughout the story.

📍This sweet, unique young middle grade book made my heart grow and ache for Ginny and her family as they navigated a season of change. Features illustrations and a new geography fact in each chapter.

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Which hyped books did you love? And which ones missed the mark for you?

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If you’re looking for an engaging graphic memoir for older kids ages 11+ this is a great choice.

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This book! Brilliantly written, impressive characterization, and a plot so unexpected. It left me physically shaken (it's not feel-good), but it feels so necessary, so timely. A solid debut about the search for the great American Dream, familial sacrifices, and confronting our ugly inner selves -- all in less than 300 pages. 

You'll like this if you like:

Multiple perspectives (3 perspectives, 3rd person POV)
Character-driven stories
Time-jumping plots
Devastating endings

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☀️ Meet the Bookstagrammer ☀️ Hi, new fol ☀️ Meet the Bookstagrammer ☀️

Hi, new followers! It’s such a pleasure to have a few new faces around. I love finding new readers to follow on the gram. 

My name is Afoma and I run a book blog called Reading Middle Grade. I also run a Facebook Group and newsletter related to my blog. In my day job, I’m a freelance writer and editor, with a degree in medicine.

I’ve lived in three continents (born in Nigeria, med school in Ukraine and the Caribbean). I live in Nigeria now with my husband and many, many books 🤭 I love to cook and travel and run. This year, one of my goals is to become a better runner. I’m currently able to run 2K without stopping. 

Even though we don’t have traditional four seasons in Nigeria, the summer months are my favorite. From childhood, they were the one time when my overachieving, perfectionistic self could RELAX. And do nothing! And even now, I try to take time off in the summer to do nothing.

Some of favorite books this year have been LASAGNA MEANS I LOVE YOU, THE LOST YEAR (I lived in Ukraine for 3 years, so this resonated with me!), and MAAME. 

Thank you so much for following my reading journey! Tell me something about yourself — hobbies, favorite books, anything! ❤️
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