DOOR OF NO RETURN
Grades 5 and Up
Alexander, Kwame
Little, Brown, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-44186-5
416 pp.
Summary
Until the unthinkable happened, Kofi spent his carefree days swimming in the river Offin, playing oware with his grandfather, and trying to avoid his bully of a cousin. Kofi had been warned by his family to be careful around the water at night and that there are “Things about the water that you don’t know,” but one night Kofi ignores their warnings and goes for a late-night swim - and this mistake sends him on a journey of no return. This novel in verse is the first in a trilogy, starting in the West African Asante Kingdom of Ghana. Kofi’s journey will draw you in and break your heart - but this is a story that must not be missed.
Curriculum Connections
Themes: Family, food, storytelling, identity, love, fate vs. free will, coming of age, betrayal vs. loyalty, courage, tradition.
Social Studies/Geography
Kofi is approaching age 12 and there are many references to the ceremonies surrounding boys as they come of age in their community. Can you think of ceremonies that exist for boys and girls of similar age in the US? What are they and who celebrates them? What do they represent?
While the villages of Upper and Lower Kwanta are fictional, there is a River Ofin in Ghana and the Door of No Return is a real place located in the Elmina Castle on the Cape Coast. Pull up a map of Ghana, find the town of Elmina and find Elmina Castle. As you move North and slightly West, you will be in the region of Upper and Lower Kwanta. Approximately how far would it be from the start of the river Ofin to the coast?
Food, an important part of culture, makes an appearance throughout the book and is always a favorite topic for Kofi. He is either begging his mother to stop making yams or begging her for more of his favorite, Red Red sauce and plantains. Find out if yams and plantains are still staple crops in this region. And what is Red Red sauce? Does it really exist and if so, how is it made?
What have you learned about Europe or European colonization? What do you think about what you have been taught? Do you think you’ve been told the whole story?
Investigate and compare colonization in West Africa and the Americas. Set up a graphic organizer and research answers to the following questions:
Who were the groups colonized?
Who were the groups doing the colonization?
What areas of life were impacted - for example, education, language, family structure, religion, clothing?
What natural resources were exploited?
How did the government change?
How did the land “ownership” change?
Math
In the book, Nana Mosi is often found playing the game oware. You may have played the same “pit and pebble” game under a different name. According to historians, this may be one of the oldest games in the world. See what you can find out about where it is played, what it is called, and how the game changes from place to place. If you have the game, take it for a spin!
Make your own pit-and-pebble game. See instructions here.
Music
Kofi mentions the dundun or talking drums several times. Talking drums have a rich history starting in Africa and they are still played today. Find out what is so unique about them and why they were outlawed for use by slaves in the U.S.
This lesson plan from the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) includes background information, instructions for making your own talking drum, and video clips of talking drum players.
Language Arts/Creative Writing
After reading The Door of No Return, see The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, a picture book by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renee Watson (Kokila, 2021). Compare and contrast the books’ target audiences, text formats, and subject matter. Was this information new to you?
Discussion Questions
See the Little, Brown Educator Guide for The Door of No Return.
What do you know about precious gems and minerals found in Africa? What were the colonial powers most interested in taking from Ghana in the 1600s other than slaves? Are there items that we import today from Ghana? Foods? Gems? Minerals? Other?
In the book, a treaty exists between Upper Kwanta and Lower Kwanta to keep the villages at peace. Are the villages friendly? Explain how that peace breaks down when a son of Lower Kwanta dies in an accident at the hands of an Upper Kwanta youth.
What do you think of the naming traditions Kofi describes in “Names”? Do you know of any similar naming traditions? What do you notice? What do you wonder? (pp. 104-105)
Who is trading what in “The Transaction” (pp. 307-308)? What do you think is happening to Kofi?
What is the door of no return?
Author Online
Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, producer, podcaster, and prolific author, with numerous awards under his belt. His mission is to change the world, one word at a time. Find him on X (Twitter) at @kwamealexander, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
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