Gwyneth Harold Davidson's Blog, page 6
March 21, 2020
Curbing Intimate Partner Violence in Jamaica- The Way Forward
Curbing Intimate Partner Violence in Jamaica- The Way ForwardShe said no on March 19, 2020 when the police gave her an opportunity to make a report about being beaten up by her lover. The beating happened during daytime in the street in their community, seen by onlookers and a video recording was shared. Still, the lady refused to start a legal process that would protect her.
Observers in and out of the social services and justice sectors may be forgiven if they consider a probable life story. She lives with low self esteem having grown up being abused and belittled, she will be beaten by him again and again, her future situation will be an addition to incidents of criminal assault, substance abuse, child neglect and child abuse and maybe homicide and suicide. I hope not, but it can be argued that this is what their experience has taught them; but what does statistical research tell us about intimate partner violence in Jamaica?
What we Know – Situation Analysis UNDP had done a 2012 report indicating that 15.4 per cent of women who were victims of gender based violence reported the matter to the police. The Women's Health Survey 2016 authored by Carol Watson Williams, published jointly by the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) and UN Women dutifully mentioned that report, but went on to say, "Jamaica has no reliable estimate of the prevalence of violence against women, including intimate partner violence. The statistics do not allow an examination of intimate partner violence as a discrete category of interest."
Watson Williams pursued scientific data, using a model that was developed for CARICOM to sample 2,145 households from rural and urban communities and included all parishes. Her results, from that sample, is a strong indicator that lifetime prevalence of intimate partner physical and/or sexual violence against Jamaican women is 27.8 per cent. If you use the traditional way to round up numbers, that would be one third of the population, but UN Women reports this as one quarter of the population. In 2017, UN Women said that one third of women, worldwide have this experience. It would then appear that Jamaica falls within the global norm.
Watson Williams' Woman's Health Survey 2016 identified the three strongest risk predictors of intimate partner violence as: childhood experience of violence; controlling behaviour of a husband/partner; alcohol use by the perpetrator.
Institutional data from hospital sources quoted in the survey show that between 2013 and 2014, 2,975 patients were treated for injuries resulting from assaults. Of this amount, 2,677 (89%) were women and girls, 1,765 (59%) being females between 10 and 19 years old.The survey also mentions a Draft National Strategic Action Plan with Strategic Priority Areas, that if followed, is expected to create an environment in which gender-based violence is eliminated, or at the very least, significantly reduced. The highlights of the plan are set out below:Preventive actions to re-programme the cultural practices away from acceptance and tolerance of gender-based violence, to one in which there are significant social, cultural and legal disincentives to violence against women and girls.Improving services available to victims and improving investigations, prosecution and enforcement, are also expected to help reduce the prevalence of gender-based violence.Jamaica already has in place many of the recommendations of the WHO to reduce gender based violence such as legislation and the promotion of gender equality in employment land ownership and inheritance.
In summary, the survey shows us that nearly 90% of assault victims seen by hospitals are female; about 1/3 of females experience intimate partner violence and 15% of victims make a report to the police.
Where Do We Go From Here? The Prime Minister's 2020 Budget Presentation was delivered on March 19, 2020, the same day that the battered woman in Westmoreland rejected the opportunity to bring charges against the man who beats her and hurls insults at her in public, and in whom she places her affections.The leader’s presentation stated the work that is being done to reduce violence in the society such as converting police stations into modern, citizen-friendly workspaces and bringing in more crime fighting technology. He also noted that to control violence the social culture has to change.
His remarks were focused on areas that are currently under the Zones of Special Operation (ZOSOs) when he said, "While we can reduce murders by controlling the space, controlling violence is more difficult as it has become a part of how we interact and behaviours have to change. We have seen that the change in the environment - improved physical infrastructure, waste disposal practices, willingness to resolve conflicts through restorative justice - has had a lasting positive impact."Watson Williams' survey noted that domestic violence has no social boundaries, so I can tentatively foresee that these very important and much needed measures in violence prone communities will still not significantly reduce intimate partner violence.
Last year, the Wife of the Prime Minister moved to make Jamaica deliver the pilot of a regional Caribbean Women and Child Initiative (CariWaC) initiative, that is specifically targeted at reducing intimate partner violence. The vision is to have a space in the community where a poor woman can receive empowerment services from trained health specialists. The initiative became the subject of severe criticism because of the timing of the launch of the initiative for Fathers' Day, and its laudable mission is still to be realised.
Let us return to more useful material from the Women's Health Survey and what it can teach. The recommendations are precise:Strategic and ongoing research and application of the findings is needed to make the National Strategic Action Plan on Gender-based Violence successful;
Increase the capacity of the police and health services to help women who are ready to receive help;· The survey suggests that health and justice professionals can and do identify victims and make referrals, but sadly, half of these women reject help until they are broken down from abuse, in desperation, they become receptive. Indeed, counselling centres and shelters in each parish are vital to building up confidence in women who are at risk or who are already victims. Women and girls, the survey says, speak about their experiences to people who can actually offer help, and who do help when the women are mentally and emotionally ready to accept that help. CariWaC hopes to be a part of this solution;· The move to empower the justice system to press charges on a suspected abuser when the victim has not made a report should be viewed as an intrusion on an individual's rights. One woman's personal terror is not a risk to a population. Our society has made a long journey towards increasing self-actualisation. Forcing an adult female to participate in a legal process for her own well-being is reducing her status to that of a minor, a person who is not able to make her own decisions or as property. Time will decide whether we accept this as a society, or not.Structured and sustained behaviour change campaigns that continue the shift in thinking around gender norms and roles to create a society in which violence against women, including intimate partner violence, is openly rejected and firmly addressed.Thanks to local, Jamaican research, such as the Women's Health Survey, and international surveys, there is sufficient information to inform broad decisions that can reduce intimate partner violence in a population. The balance of my essay is how I would structure a communication campaign where violence is openly rejected and firmly addressed.
Planning For Results The task of the campaign should be to rapidly motivate the influential segments of the society to socially reject the beating up of spouses and partners as any kind of acceptable behaviour. There are many valid models of behaviour change that could be examined and adapted for specific communities. These models, in different ways, consider the reality of prevailing lifestyles, and the importance and role of self-discovery and reflection. The models allow for some degree of relapse and do encourage consistency and refreshing action. Perhaps there is no right way and no wrong way, just the way that is best for the health of the person and the community. The health sciences have professionals who competently deliver on these theories and have models for prediction and they make good theoretical sense and have yielded encouraging results.
Alongside this, I also have noted the tremendous resources of time, people and money that these theories employ and which need this level of support in order to be sustained in the long run; they do not automatically refresh. Without the external sustenance, there are heartbreaking stories of recidivism or relapse or reduction in rate of progress. Also, survivors of serious medical conditions, somehow, set aside rules that they should be living by. The immediate threat is gone, the behavior becomes relaxed. The HIV/AIDS behavior change reports are such examples.
Global AIDS Update 2018 for the Caribbean noted in its At A Glance column that, “Renewed commitment to combination prevention that is tailored to populations and locations with the greatest need is required to accelerate reductions in new HIV infections.” And in its investment summary, “The financial resources available for HIV responses in the Caribbean increased until 2011; since then, it has declined, largely due to scaled back international support. Between 2006 and 2017, the availability of domestic resources increased 123.7%, while international resources have decreased by 16%. In 2017, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) provided 57% of the total HIV resources in the region; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) provided 8%.”
This over reliance on external support is a matter of concern to that community. There are anecdotal stories of when the social intervention support is removed, the community deliberately reverts in order to force the NGO or the state to keep the support going.Then there is the clear information blitz approach, which is sometimes used to shame the society into behaviour change. This action is without behaviour change theory and probably shows absolutely no return for the effort. I am deliberately withholding giving examples of this high visibility and low return approach.
Community Support is the SolutionMarch 2020 marks the full awareness of countries outside of China to the threat of the COVID-19 virus and at the point of my writing, there is no good prediction as to what the full disaster will be for the lives and livelihoods lost and economies damaged. What I have seen, around me, is how fear for immediate personal safety is impacting behaviour change. With nary a whimper, entire societies see a common threat and have put up little resistance to changing ways of life. Ramping up behaviour change comes with a sharp prod to an emotional trigger.
The video of the Westmoreland couple was peopled with supporters of the violent man. He felt comfortable to beat the woman in the street because he had backative, strength in the number of men around him who were lauding his behavior and berating the woman. To change this, the man must truly believe that he will be socially ostracised for beating his girlfriend, even if she had done him wrong. The supporters who he wants in his life must but be the persons who will starve him of the comfort that he desires. This can be true even in the context of closed communities, like a gang.We have witnessed this time and again in Jamaica. An item is stolen and it is returned because a community leader sent a message that it was a mistake or wrong behaviour. I have participated in a community response, that kept a woman safe until she was emotionally strong enough to change her situation. In this case, the man's football crew stopped welcoming him into their midst. For a matter like domestic violence, we should not be queasy about who to reach out to as we do that in our daily lives for many other reasons.
To get a community to have a standard of accepted behaviour, we need stories. Factless fables should not be told as if they were truth, but told as wisdom in fancy dress so that it captures the imagination. Most stories can be for entertainment, but in many, there are stories that bear far more riches, and we should unearth them, place them where they will have impact and use them to define what is accepted and what is not.
Unfortunately, for decades, an unsuspecting Jamaican audience were exposed to perhaps, too many harmful, and glamourous soap operas and TV mini-series from the USA that were bereft of sustaining nourishment. I would say the mini-series genre from India, derided as melodramatic, contains much more value for an impressionable audience that has few signposts of values that support a society that operates for the benefits of all humans.
I give much praise to the theatre community in Jamaica which have had a longstanding history of projecting relatable stories to mixed audiences, leaving them with smile and hope. One example of mine is the vividly named Tek Yu Han Off A Mi, which I would support and add to my anti-domestic violence storybook.
Also on March 20, during the UK Prime Minister's press briefing on the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all elements of storytelling were in place, including the national flag and call to action signage in plain English. A journalist asked if social gatherings, which went against the banning of meetings was now immoral. The Chancellor of the Exchequer who was fielding that question at the moment skipped aside and simply stated again what the behaviour expectations were. The Prime Minister then went on to urge young people not to think that they were invincible and that they can get sick and so should not go out and gather with others in a closed room.
I agree with their hesitancy. That this kind of national approach to moralising will be rejected, but at a local level, it has a huge impact. If your friend tells you that going out is immoral, it has more impact that if the Prime Minister and his ministers say it.
As a worker in the communication field, I hungrily learn from what the behaviour sciences can teach us about how to approach and measure behaviour change, but it must also be blended with how fast the results that you want have to come in and at what cost. For me, the uncounted incidents of human hurt caused by intimate partner violence warrants an approach that will save another person from self-loathing, and a physically painful, fearful, existence. This kind of violence has a disproportionately worse impact on women because, as mothers, they are the primary bearers of culture.
To get there quickly I would put in place a warm elixir of storytelling that will motivate influencers of the perpetrator to act in a way that would reduce this kind of violence. I will address the obvious role of the influencer first and then the storytelling.
They key component is to implement a behaviour change model that localises the convention “beating a spouse or partner is socially reprehensible”.
Included in the convention is that young women understand that they are of great worth so that they do not fall victim to being brutalized.
The contemporary Jamaican society has been formed over the course of three hundred years and traditions drawn from African, European and Asian sources and we should feel very comfortable using all of them. These include the Ananse traditions that kept our enslaved ancestors thinking smartly on their feet; Judeo Christian traditions with the host of fantastic stories from The Bible; the wider western traditions to include Helen of Troy, Shakespeare, Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Wakanda and also Asian traditions to include cuisine, entertainment and spiritual practices.
Jamaica also has a solid oeuvre of publications with stories that can be used to enrich the consciousness. I have set out a few on my Goodreadsprofile that can be used for inspiration for campaign storytelling.
We should not fear stories that seem awful on the face of it, for, if properly told, reveal life giving truths.
Measurement Framework
/gdMarch 21, 2020
February 26, 2020
This essay will look at opinions that captured the public...
This essay will look at opinions that captured the public interest because they divide public opinion. I wish to show that as a society, there is a great struggle to move away from established points of view, not because those views are wrong, but because those views make the segment of the youth population who have a platform and a microphone feel like an underclass, like children of a lesser god. This group either see themselves as divinely created, but needing a higher force to become beautiful; or see themselves as beautiful already, but know that the eyes of the remnant are too dense, too dim to see them as they are. Whichever side the opinion falls, these incidents expose deep discontent.
The views include:
July 2017
Context: Female entertainer posted a sexy photo on social media with text that she would not wear bandana material and referenced Louise Bennett Coverley
Youth View: I am beautiful, not boring
Contra View: Entertainer was disrespectful to the legacy of Jamaica's greatest female performer
December 2018
Context: The return of popular Dancehall entertainer from US federal incarceration
Youth View: None
Contra View: The return of the King
February 2019
Context: Publishing of pageant photos of female law students projecting Dancehall culture
Youth View: The Gleaner is hurting the careers of the students by bringing photos that were intended for a small audience to national attention
Contra View (a): The photos are within normal social life of students and in no way is Dancehall culture to be regarded as demeaning
Contra View (b): The photos, while showing that all citizens are to be served by the law, do not burnish the image of the legal profession
March 2019
Context: Shortly before the national school athletics championships a teacher tries to get a star athlete suspended from all school activities because of indiscipline
Youth View (a): Leave the star
Youth View (b): This behaviour is disruptive to learning in this school
Contra View (a): Suspend the child
Contra View (b): The teacher's request is unreasonable
May 2019
Context: Costumed female carnival reveller in sexy pose on the Redemption Song statue that represents emancipation
Contra View and Youth View (a): Carnival reveller is disrespectful to enslaved ancestors who fought against slavery and who forged a nation after slavery
Youth View (b): Girls want to have fun
November 2019
Context: Valedictory speech by at the Edna Manley College for the Visual and the Performing Arts.
Youth View: A Jamaican word should never be considered to be out of bounds for polite society and formal occasions.
Contra View: Words that are customarily used as expletives among Jamaicans with each other should not be used in a speech at a school graduation ceremony.
From Idylls of the King: The Passing of Arthur by Alfred, Lord Tennyson supposedly written in the mid 1830s but published more than a decade later.
"I found Him in the shining of the stars,
I mark'd Him in the flowering of His fields,But in His ways with men I find Him not.I waged His wars, and now I pass and die.O me! for why is all around us hereAs if some lesser god had made the world,But had not force to shape it as he would,Till the High God behold it from beyond,And enter it, and make it beautiful?Or else as if the world were wholly fair,But that these eyes of men are dense and dim,And have not power to see it as it is:
The views include:
July 2017
Context: Female entertainer posted a sexy photo on social media with text that she would not wear bandana material and referenced Louise Bennett Coverley
Youth View: I am beautiful, not boring
Contra View: Entertainer was disrespectful to the legacy of Jamaica's greatest female performer
December 2018
Context: The return of popular Dancehall entertainer from US federal incarceration
Youth View: None
Contra View: The return of the King
February 2019
Context: Publishing of pageant photos of female law students projecting Dancehall culture
Youth View: The Gleaner is hurting the careers of the students by bringing photos that were intended for a small audience to national attention
Contra View (a): The photos are within normal social life of students and in no way is Dancehall culture to be regarded as demeaning
Contra View (b): The photos, while showing that all citizens are to be served by the law, do not burnish the image of the legal profession
March 2019
Context: Shortly before the national school athletics championships a teacher tries to get a star athlete suspended from all school activities because of indiscipline
Youth View (a): Leave the star
Youth View (b): This behaviour is disruptive to learning in this school
Contra View (a): Suspend the child
Contra View (b): The teacher's request is unreasonable
May 2019
Context: Costumed female carnival reveller in sexy pose on the Redemption Song statue that represents emancipation
Contra View and Youth View (a): Carnival reveller is disrespectful to enslaved ancestors who fought against slavery and who forged a nation after slavery
Youth View (b): Girls want to have fun
November 2019
Context: Valedictory speech by at the Edna Manley College for the Visual and the Performing Arts.
Youth View: A Jamaican word should never be considered to be out of bounds for polite society and formal occasions.
Contra View: Words that are customarily used as expletives among Jamaicans with each other should not be used in a speech at a school graduation ceremony.
From Idylls of the King: The Passing of Arthur by Alfred, Lord Tennyson supposedly written in the mid 1830s but published more than a decade later.
"I found Him in the shining of the stars,
I mark'd Him in the flowering of His fields,But in His ways with men I find Him not.I waged His wars, and now I pass and die.O me! for why is all around us hereAs if some lesser god had made the world,But had not force to shape it as he would,Till the High God behold it from beyond,And enter it, and make it beautiful?Or else as if the world were wholly fair,But that these eyes of men are dense and dim,And have not power to see it as it is:
December 13, 2019
Caribbean’s Children and Young Adult Literature - Forty Five YA Books
Caribbean’s Children and Young Adult Literature: Going Beyond the Page October 24, 2018
I had the esteemed pleasure of being a member of the steering committee of the Jamaica Library Service (JLS) for the symposium “Caribbean’s Children and Young Adult Literature: Going Beyond the Page”. The event was one of several to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the JLS and was held at the UWI Mona Visitor’s Lodge and Conference Centre on October 24, 2018.
Targeted at librarians who serve youth whether through the Education ministry’s school library service or other public and private libraries and book and author services, the event sought to be a platform to promote awareness of Caribbean literature in this key audience.
The purpose of raised awareness of Caribbean literature can perhaps be best summed up with this quote from author and teacher, Juleus Ghunta who participated in the symposium through a video. He said his post, “When I learned to read I got so excited I was particularly interested in finding books with characters who looked like me, who had my experiences and my stories and my fears and my anxieties and my hopes and my dreams as well. I was very disappointed, as I did not find those books.” He has written the picture book “Tata and the Big Bad Bull” for children and uses it in his work with persons who have experienced adverse childhoods.
In her remarks, academic in Language and Literature Education, Literatures in English Dr Aisha Spencer, said of the importance of literature in youth education in this year when the primary school leaving examinations had changed to include more critical thinking exercises that integrate reading information before taking action.
"We have been swatting and regurgitating for so long we have forgotten how to engage. Critical thinking is a perfect match with our children's literature books right now," Dr Spencer said.
Readers at the symposium included 2017 CODE Literary Award finalist Kevin Jared Hosein who read from The Beast of Kukuyo that is a murder mystery set in Trinidad and the winner that year Viviana Prado Nunez who read from The Art of White Roses in the era of the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s.
Teacher and YA author, Colleen Smith Dennis also read from her book Inner City Girl, which is on reading lists of schools in Jamaica. Mrs Smith Dennis says that literature in classrooms is, "The voice for the voiceless." She says that sometimes the voices are hard to listen to. "It is crude it is talking about things that we do not want to pay attention to and we treat them in a particular manner. Through literature, I hear many stories."
Through the JLS, I have had the opportunity to boost my normal reading with novels published after the year 2000, written by Jamaican authors, and a few from the Caribbean. I have set out at the end of this article 45 of the books that I have read, most published in the last 20 years.
The overarching themes that I have found are overcoming prejudice and bias; and the impact of mothering on the protagonists and I drafted posts on these themes; for curiosity as my list is not a big enough sample to be scientific, I categorised the books based on the types of mothering described.
I have not thought about Caribbean books - meaning novels and non-fiction, non-textbooks of an earlier era and will not make any comment on what they may offer, but the books of C Everard Palmer, Samuel Selvon, Jamaica Kincaid, C Everard Palmer, Marcus Garvey, VS Naipaul have indelibly shaped the English Speaking Caribbean.
The symposium was a great way to raise awareness and bring the community of librarians who serve youth together. The librarians can do the research, but the real impact will be when appealing books get to youth in print, digital or audiobook.
In Jamaica, publishers such as Carlong and Blouse and Skirt; creative writing platforms offered by Boca Literary Festival, Calabash International Literary Festival, Two Seasons Talking Trees Literary Festival, the Gloria Lyn Memorial Fund for Literature, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission and CODE Litarary Award, Commonwealth Literary Awards are outlets to be nurtured and supported.
Libraries should be considered by youth as attractive, safe, stimulating places to find material that will inspire and energise them and also to allow them to experience creativity of the word with others through discussions, exhibitions and performances.
Set out below are 45 Caribbean books published after 2000 with a brief by me. They are in no particular order, I do not rate the books but give short or longer comments on what they contain.
The other hyperlinked posts take you to my thoughts on the overarching themes that were mentioned before.
1. If I'm Not Back By Wednesday by Geoffrey B Haddad
Life threatening adventure of five boys over nine days. This book gives detailed insights into the lifestyle of a successful immigrant paterfamilias in Kingston during the 1960s.
2. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
A novel written in English as spoken on the streets of Kingston. It is a graphic novel where the attempt on the life of a celebrity forms the fulcrum around which insights into organised crime and one unconnected young woman are revealed.
Contains expletives that will be offensive to many persons, and also and graphic descriptions of manslaughter, gay sex and drug use.
I enjoyed reading about lead gangsters, their dialogue and outlook.
3. Le cœur à rire et à pleurer Condé, Maryse
I read the English language version of this book.
A privileged girl grows up in a rigid social structure, and as she learns why, she realizes that she wants to break away from it.
4. The Tie Came Back by Veronica Carnegie Blake
I enjoyed the short stories that were set in Jamaica. Many were set in an era spanning the 1950s to the 2000s and quite funny.
5. Shameful Shadows by Ditta Sylvester
Another family story that shows the author's view of the influence of parenting on individuals.
Set in idyllic rural Jamaica, two children each react to the results of their mother's love life and make decisions that direct their own futures. Good triumphs over evil.
6. Breaking the Cycle by Pamela K Marshall
A young married couple with children struggle with years with unresolved issues caused by childhood abandonment that critically affect their prospects of a successful marriage. The book is filled with every layer of family life: half siblings, step parents, cousins and multi-generations.
The book has a lot of heterosexual marital intercourse and parents who try to do the best for their children despite their own personal challenges.
I would put this book in YA as the storytelling is not gratuitous and it provides space for thinking about what adults in business and in relationships can go through and how family members have an impact on each other.
The family homes are in Brooklyn and Irish Town. The family was directly impacted by the 9/11 /2001 terror attacks in New York City.
7. The Life of Captain Cipriani: An Account of British Government in the West Indies, with the pamphlet The Case for West-Indian Self Government by CLR James
Strong writing style and information that gives the first hand view of a national of Trinidad on the negative effects of Crown Colony government in the West Indies. Crown Colony government was introduced in the UK West Indian colonies between 1866 to universal adult suffrage (40s-50s). Originally published in 1932 and republished in 2014.
8. Flame of the Forest: Memoirs of Church Teachers' College by St Hope Earl McKenzie
Flame of The Forest by EarlMcKenzie shows the rewarding lifestyle that Church Teachers College in Mandeville, Jamaica offered to the dedicated academic during 60s and 70s.
9. The Colour of My Words by Lynn Josephs
Twelve year old girl with a passion for writing discovers the power of the written word. Set in the Dominican Republic, Caribbean.
10. Waiting in Vain by Colin Channer
Sensual and enjoyable and I am glad that it was written.
11. The Same Earth by Kei Miller
Great contemporary storytelling baased in Jamaica.
12. Iron Balloons: Hit Fiction from Jamaica's Calabash Writer's Workshop edited by Colin Channer
Collection of great contemporary voices.
13. Dancing Lessons by Olive Senior
Gertrude, an elderly woman, now lives in residential care and is the responsibility of her very accomplished daughter who has little patience with her mother's ways. Yet, in this restrictive setting, Gertrude finds that there is still time in life for forgiveness of old hurts, creativity and self expression and even, romantic love.
14. This book delves into the issues of interpersonal relations in Jamaica across gender, class, race and colour from the pre-independence era to the current time.
15. Six Machine: I Don't Like Cricket... I Love It by Chris Gayle
This autobiography that was co-written by a sports journalist is an explanation to the world why the author is, the way he is.
16. I found it to have several great quotes on the authors views on leadership, teamwork and friendship.
17. It describes, in graphic detail, the joys and trials of living in Rollington Town, Kingston 2.
18. It describes the triumphs of playing the game of cricket through the ranks, learning at the hands of teachers, teammates and foes.
19. The Dixons by Claudette Beckford Brady
The Dixons an enjoyable #YA novel of several eventful months of a Jamaican family where the parents live lives of compassion and bravery. Distinct voices of each member of the family and key characters hark with vitality.
20. The Mermaid Escapade by Suzanne Francis Brown
Great adventure book,gently told, that is very in touch with Jamaica's underground caverns with a nice take on the traditional mythical figure of River Mumma.
21. Lives of a Soul: A Metaphysical Autobiography of Your Soul...and Mine
This is the first sentence of the autobiography: I&I did not yet have a brain to process it, but I&I definitely knew that it was me that was being conceived.
22. The Boy Next Door by Mandisa M Parnell
Feisty Noelle falls for Ryan, the boys next door and together they navigate "getting to know you" to see if they can actually have a relationship.
23. Delory in the Marog Kingdom by Billy Elm
A boy's magical adventures where he finds friendships, faces adversities and faces the realities of his own family and himself.
24. Gone to Drift by Diana McCaulay
A boy searches land and sea for the one who he loves. If you love the Caribbean Sea, this book will remind you why you do.
25. The Last Warner Woman by Kei Miller
26. Miller uses tales within a tale as an allegory to show that fiction can tell strong truths about a society.
27. Such as I Have by Garfield Ellis
A very touching love story with community cricket competitions at the centre.
28. All Over Again by Ad-Ziko Simba Gegele
Real feelings while growing up in a loving family.
29. Mr King's Daughter by Hazel Campbell
A enjoyable story of young ambition and young love.
30. A Way To Escape by Michelle Thompson
A family story across two decades and ending with migration.
31. Generation Curse by Colleen Smith Dennis
A sad family story about desperation, but the way it was told, it was an enjoyable ride and it had a just ending.
32. The Mountain of Inheritance by Carol Dunn
This is a classic saga which intertwines the story of families and shows how an earlier generation influences the ones that come after. It touches on familiar themes in the Caribbean, expectations of education, Christian religion on family life, family secrets and romance.
33. Escape to Falmouth by Lena Joy Rose
A fantasy which brings in USA antebellum society with Native American pain into Jamaica at a time when slavery had already been abolished. At its core, this is a love story between two ambitious, young, people.
34. For Her Son by Colleen Smith Dennis
An unrelenting story about a woman and her biased love for her son against all that is sensible and righteous.
35. Fear of Stones and Other Stories by Kei Miller
Collection of short stories that touch on several themes related to hardship and self awareness and society.
36. The Star Side of Bird Hill by Naomi Jackson
Set in Barbados and New York City, a story of migration and the coming-of-age of a teenage girl when she is between the influences of two strong cultures.
37. Such as I Have by Garfield Ellis
Heart touching love story of two proud, young people, trying to come to terms with themselves and the society that they live in.
38. For Nothing At All by Garfield Ellis
Description of the waste of young lives living in a society that does not support integrity.
39. Till I'm Laid To Rest by Garfield Ellis
A proud and selfish young woman makes her way in the world.
40. Wake Rasta and Other Stories by Garfield Ellis. Vignettes of live in a tough working class environment.
41. Turn Back Blow by Roger Williams
I enjoyed reading this book as it was a hilarious tale about how animals cooperated to overcome cruelty from humans. The dialogue between the animals kept the energy high.
42. Song of My Life: A Biography of Margaret Walker by Carolyn J Brown
Guilty! This book is not by a Caribbean author but an African American author. I have given an exception for two reasons. Carolyn A Brown promoted literature by persons of colour and her father was a Jamaican. I enjoyed reading this biography about a girl who found her vocation early in life and how she kept moving towards it. I would recommend it to adolescents and young adults as it gives an insight into a historical period that is good to know from a general knowledge point of view, and important to know for persons who will live in the USA. This is not a story that focuses on the hardships of life, but on the joy of living and how this particular woman found fulfillment in life. The photos were interesting and the cover photo became more interesting, the more that I read the book. I plan to buy a hard copy and donate to the library of a secondary school.
43. Dew Angels by Melanie Schwapp
Through the coming-of-age experiences of one girl, we see how those who should be loving us the most, do sometimes cause the greatest hurt; intentionally or unintentionally. Set in Jamaica, the novel shows us how even the weak have something strong to give, and that women can do support each other.
44. Frying Plantain by Zalaika Reid Benta
Canadian girl navigates growing up in multicultural Toronto, weathering the storms around the relationship between her Jamaican mother and Jamaican grandparents.
I can agree that fried plantain is delicious food.
I have written about the topics that Jamaicans seem to be motivated to write about and mothering is one of them. In this book, everything is about the mother/daughter relationship. It does remind me of the setting of White Teeth which is about a British girl navigating life in London, England, and her mother's and her grandmother's characters play a role. In Garvey's Ghost, the conflict is for a Floridian born woman to Jamaican parents and grandparents. I think the similarities between the three books are thin after that.
The first two books were written by women and space is given in the books for the characters to assert their outlooks on life. Garvey's Ghost is written by Mr Geoffrey Philp, and although a woman has a rough start off in life because of bad decisions of her parents, the daughter seems to suffer because she does not follow teachings from the grand elders. (I may have to re-visit this outlook later).
In Fried Plantain ,the conflict between mother and daughter, as would be expected, is about expected behaviour. Each mother tries to bend her daughter to live a lifestyle that will get her ahead professionally and socially. The daughters usually have other ideas about how they should live their lives.
45. Augustown by Kei Miller
An unusual story because the location is also an important part of the storytelling, and this location is August Town, a working class community on the fringe of the city with a contemporary reputation of violence but a past reputation of self reliance. Here we meet characters whose histories are touched by a bygone era, but have transmitted their effects to the present day.
The story returns to the accustomed discussions of colour and class in society and the role of education. It also cradles a love story.
Mothers are important characters and Miller pays attention to spirituality as an essential ingredient of life.
I had the esteemed pleasure of being a member of the steering committee of the Jamaica Library Service (JLS) for the symposium “Caribbean’s Children and Young Adult Literature: Going Beyond the Page”. The event was one of several to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the JLS and was held at the UWI Mona Visitor’s Lodge and Conference Centre on October 24, 2018.
Targeted at librarians who serve youth whether through the Education ministry’s school library service or other public and private libraries and book and author services, the event sought to be a platform to promote awareness of Caribbean literature in this key audience.
The purpose of raised awareness of Caribbean literature can perhaps be best summed up with this quote from author and teacher, Juleus Ghunta who participated in the symposium through a video. He said his post, “When I learned to read I got so excited I was particularly interested in finding books with characters who looked like me, who had my experiences and my stories and my fears and my anxieties and my hopes and my dreams as well. I was very disappointed, as I did not find those books.” He has written the picture book “Tata and the Big Bad Bull” for children and uses it in his work with persons who have experienced adverse childhoods.
In her remarks, academic in Language and Literature Education, Literatures in English Dr Aisha Spencer, said of the importance of literature in youth education in this year when the primary school leaving examinations had changed to include more critical thinking exercises that integrate reading information before taking action.
"We have been swatting and regurgitating for so long we have forgotten how to engage. Critical thinking is a perfect match with our children's literature books right now," Dr Spencer said.
Readers at the symposium included 2017 CODE Literary Award finalist Kevin Jared Hosein who read from The Beast of Kukuyo that is a murder mystery set in Trinidad and the winner that year Viviana Prado Nunez who read from The Art of White Roses in the era of the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s.
Teacher and YA author, Colleen Smith Dennis also read from her book Inner City Girl, which is on reading lists of schools in Jamaica. Mrs Smith Dennis says that literature in classrooms is, "The voice for the voiceless." She says that sometimes the voices are hard to listen to. "It is crude it is talking about things that we do not want to pay attention to and we treat them in a particular manner. Through literature, I hear many stories."
Through the JLS, I have had the opportunity to boost my normal reading with novels published after the year 2000, written by Jamaican authors, and a few from the Caribbean. I have set out at the end of this article 45 of the books that I have read, most published in the last 20 years.
The overarching themes that I have found are overcoming prejudice and bias; and the impact of mothering on the protagonists and I drafted posts on these themes; for curiosity as my list is not a big enough sample to be scientific, I categorised the books based on the types of mothering described.
I have not thought about Caribbean books - meaning novels and non-fiction, non-textbooks of an earlier era and will not make any comment on what they may offer, but the books of C Everard Palmer, Samuel Selvon, Jamaica Kincaid, C Everard Palmer, Marcus Garvey, VS Naipaul have indelibly shaped the English Speaking Caribbean.
The symposium was a great way to raise awareness and bring the community of librarians who serve youth together. The librarians can do the research, but the real impact will be when appealing books get to youth in print, digital or audiobook.
In Jamaica, publishers such as Carlong and Blouse and Skirt; creative writing platforms offered by Boca Literary Festival, Calabash International Literary Festival, Two Seasons Talking Trees Literary Festival, the Gloria Lyn Memorial Fund for Literature, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission and CODE Litarary Award, Commonwealth Literary Awards are outlets to be nurtured and supported.
Libraries should be considered by youth as attractive, safe, stimulating places to find material that will inspire and energise them and also to allow them to experience creativity of the word with others through discussions, exhibitions and performances.
Set out below are 45 Caribbean books published after 2000 with a brief by me. They are in no particular order, I do not rate the books but give short or longer comments on what they contain.
The other hyperlinked posts take you to my thoughts on the overarching themes that were mentioned before.
1. If I'm Not Back By Wednesday by Geoffrey B Haddad
Life threatening adventure of five boys over nine days. This book gives detailed insights into the lifestyle of a successful immigrant paterfamilias in Kingston during the 1960s.
2. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
A novel written in English as spoken on the streets of Kingston. It is a graphic novel where the attempt on the life of a celebrity forms the fulcrum around which insights into organised crime and one unconnected young woman are revealed.
Contains expletives that will be offensive to many persons, and also and graphic descriptions of manslaughter, gay sex and drug use.
I enjoyed reading about lead gangsters, their dialogue and outlook.
3. Le cœur à rire et à pleurer Condé, Maryse
I read the English language version of this book.
A privileged girl grows up in a rigid social structure, and as she learns why, she realizes that she wants to break away from it.
4. The Tie Came Back by Veronica Carnegie Blake
I enjoyed the short stories that were set in Jamaica. Many were set in an era spanning the 1950s to the 2000s and quite funny.
5. Shameful Shadows by Ditta Sylvester
Another family story that shows the author's view of the influence of parenting on individuals.
Set in idyllic rural Jamaica, two children each react to the results of their mother's love life and make decisions that direct their own futures. Good triumphs over evil.
6. Breaking the Cycle by Pamela K Marshall
A young married couple with children struggle with years with unresolved issues caused by childhood abandonment that critically affect their prospects of a successful marriage. The book is filled with every layer of family life: half siblings, step parents, cousins and multi-generations.
The book has a lot of heterosexual marital intercourse and parents who try to do the best for their children despite their own personal challenges.
I would put this book in YA as the storytelling is not gratuitous and it provides space for thinking about what adults in business and in relationships can go through and how family members have an impact on each other.
The family homes are in Brooklyn and Irish Town. The family was directly impacted by the 9/11 /2001 terror attacks in New York City.
7. The Life of Captain Cipriani: An Account of British Government in the West Indies, with the pamphlet The Case for West-Indian Self Government by CLR James
Strong writing style and information that gives the first hand view of a national of Trinidad on the negative effects of Crown Colony government in the West Indies. Crown Colony government was introduced in the UK West Indian colonies between 1866 to universal adult suffrage (40s-50s). Originally published in 1932 and republished in 2014.
8. Flame of the Forest: Memoirs of Church Teachers' College by St Hope Earl McKenzie
Flame of The Forest by EarlMcKenzie shows the rewarding lifestyle that Church Teachers College in Mandeville, Jamaica offered to the dedicated academic during 60s and 70s.
9. The Colour of My Words by Lynn Josephs
Twelve year old girl with a passion for writing discovers the power of the written word. Set in the Dominican Republic, Caribbean.
10. Waiting in Vain by Colin Channer
Sensual and enjoyable and I am glad that it was written.
11. The Same Earth by Kei Miller
Great contemporary storytelling baased in Jamaica.
12. Iron Balloons: Hit Fiction from Jamaica's Calabash Writer's Workshop edited by Colin Channer
Collection of great contemporary voices.
13. Dancing Lessons by Olive Senior
Gertrude, an elderly woman, now lives in residential care and is the responsibility of her very accomplished daughter who has little patience with her mother's ways. Yet, in this restrictive setting, Gertrude finds that there is still time in life for forgiveness of old hurts, creativity and self expression and even, romantic love.
14. This book delves into the issues of interpersonal relations in Jamaica across gender, class, race and colour from the pre-independence era to the current time.
15. Six Machine: I Don't Like Cricket... I Love It by Chris Gayle
This autobiography that was co-written by a sports journalist is an explanation to the world why the author is, the way he is.
16. I found it to have several great quotes on the authors views on leadership, teamwork and friendship.
17. It describes, in graphic detail, the joys and trials of living in Rollington Town, Kingston 2.
18. It describes the triumphs of playing the game of cricket through the ranks, learning at the hands of teachers, teammates and foes.
19. The Dixons by Claudette Beckford Brady
The Dixons an enjoyable #YA novel of several eventful months of a Jamaican family where the parents live lives of compassion and bravery. Distinct voices of each member of the family and key characters hark with vitality.
20. The Mermaid Escapade by Suzanne Francis Brown
Great adventure book,gently told, that is very in touch with Jamaica's underground caverns with a nice take on the traditional mythical figure of River Mumma.
21. Lives of a Soul: A Metaphysical Autobiography of Your Soul...and Mine
This is the first sentence of the autobiography: I&I did not yet have a brain to process it, but I&I definitely knew that it was me that was being conceived.
22. The Boy Next Door by Mandisa M Parnell
Feisty Noelle falls for Ryan, the boys next door and together they navigate "getting to know you" to see if they can actually have a relationship.
23. Delory in the Marog Kingdom by Billy Elm
A boy's magical adventures where he finds friendships, faces adversities and faces the realities of his own family and himself.
24. Gone to Drift by Diana McCaulay
A boy searches land and sea for the one who he loves. If you love the Caribbean Sea, this book will remind you why you do.
25. The Last Warner Woman by Kei Miller
26. Miller uses tales within a tale as an allegory to show that fiction can tell strong truths about a society.
27. Such as I Have by Garfield Ellis
A very touching love story with community cricket competitions at the centre.
28. All Over Again by Ad-Ziko Simba Gegele
Real feelings while growing up in a loving family.
29. Mr King's Daughter by Hazel Campbell
A enjoyable story of young ambition and young love.
30. A Way To Escape by Michelle Thompson
A family story across two decades and ending with migration.
31. Generation Curse by Colleen Smith Dennis
A sad family story about desperation, but the way it was told, it was an enjoyable ride and it had a just ending.
32. The Mountain of Inheritance by Carol Dunn
This is a classic saga which intertwines the story of families and shows how an earlier generation influences the ones that come after. It touches on familiar themes in the Caribbean, expectations of education, Christian religion on family life, family secrets and romance.
33. Escape to Falmouth by Lena Joy Rose
A fantasy which brings in USA antebellum society with Native American pain into Jamaica at a time when slavery had already been abolished. At its core, this is a love story between two ambitious, young, people.
34. For Her Son by Colleen Smith Dennis
An unrelenting story about a woman and her biased love for her son against all that is sensible and righteous.
35. Fear of Stones and Other Stories by Kei Miller
Collection of short stories that touch on several themes related to hardship and self awareness and society.
36. The Star Side of Bird Hill by Naomi Jackson
Set in Barbados and New York City, a story of migration and the coming-of-age of a teenage girl when she is between the influences of two strong cultures.
37. Such as I Have by Garfield Ellis
Heart touching love story of two proud, young people, trying to come to terms with themselves and the society that they live in.
38. For Nothing At All by Garfield Ellis
Description of the waste of young lives living in a society that does not support integrity.
39. Till I'm Laid To Rest by Garfield Ellis
A proud and selfish young woman makes her way in the world.
40. Wake Rasta and Other Stories by Garfield Ellis. Vignettes of live in a tough working class environment.
41. Turn Back Blow by Roger Williams
I enjoyed reading this book as it was a hilarious tale about how animals cooperated to overcome cruelty from humans. The dialogue between the animals kept the energy high.
42. Song of My Life: A Biography of Margaret Walker by Carolyn J Brown
Guilty! This book is not by a Caribbean author but an African American author. I have given an exception for two reasons. Carolyn A Brown promoted literature by persons of colour and her father was a Jamaican. I enjoyed reading this biography about a girl who found her vocation early in life and how she kept moving towards it. I would recommend it to adolescents and young adults as it gives an insight into a historical period that is good to know from a general knowledge point of view, and important to know for persons who will live in the USA. This is not a story that focuses on the hardships of life, but on the joy of living and how this particular woman found fulfillment in life. The photos were interesting and the cover photo became more interesting, the more that I read the book. I plan to buy a hard copy and donate to the library of a secondary school.
43. Dew Angels by Melanie Schwapp
Through the coming-of-age experiences of one girl, we see how those who should be loving us the most, do sometimes cause the greatest hurt; intentionally or unintentionally. Set in Jamaica, the novel shows us how even the weak have something strong to give, and that women can do support each other.
44. Frying Plantain by Zalaika Reid Benta
Canadian girl navigates growing up in multicultural Toronto, weathering the storms around the relationship between her Jamaican mother and Jamaican grandparents.
I can agree that fried plantain is delicious food.
I have written about the topics that Jamaicans seem to be motivated to write about and mothering is one of them. In this book, everything is about the mother/daughter relationship. It does remind me of the setting of White Teeth which is about a British girl navigating life in London, England, and her mother's and her grandmother's characters play a role. In Garvey's Ghost, the conflict is for a Floridian born woman to Jamaican parents and grandparents. I think the similarities between the three books are thin after that.
The first two books were written by women and space is given in the books for the characters to assert their outlooks on life. Garvey's Ghost is written by Mr Geoffrey Philp, and although a woman has a rough start off in life because of bad decisions of her parents, the daughter seems to suffer because she does not follow teachings from the grand elders. (I may have to re-visit this outlook later).
In Fried Plantain ,the conflict between mother and daughter, as would be expected, is about expected behaviour. Each mother tries to bend her daughter to live a lifestyle that will get her ahead professionally and socially. The daughters usually have other ideas about how they should live their lives.
45. Augustown by Kei Miller
An unusual story because the location is also an important part of the storytelling, and this location is August Town, a working class community on the fringe of the city with a contemporary reputation of violence but a past reputation of self reliance. Here we meet characters whose histories are touched by a bygone era, but have transmitted their effects to the present day.
The story returns to the accustomed discussions of colour and class in society and the role of education. It also cradles a love story.
Mothers are important characters and Miller pays attention to spirituality as an essential ingredient of life.
Caribbean Children and Young Adult Literature - Going Beyond The Page
Caribbean Children and Young Adult Literature: Going Beyond the Page Symposium held on October 24, 2018I had the esteemed pleasure of being a member of the steering committee of the Jamaica Library Service (JLS) symposium “Caribbean Children and Young Adult Literature: Going Beyond the Page”. The event was one of several to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the JLS and was held at the UWI Mona Visitor’s Lodge and Conference Centre on October 24, 2018. The event was established by Director General of the JLS, Miss Maureen Thompson and had membership from school and parish library networks, publishers, booksellers and authors.Targeted at librarians who serve youth - whether through the Education ministry’s school library service or other public and private libraries and book and author services - the event sought to be a platform to promote awareness of Caribbean literature within this audience and the administrative issues around the publishing and promotion of these genres.
The purpose of raised awareness of Caribbean literature can perhaps be best summed up with this quote from author and teacher, Juleus Ghunta who participated in the symposium through a video. He said, “When I learned to read I got so excited I was particularly interested in finding books with characters who looked like me, who had my experiences and my stories and my fears and my anxieties and my hopes and my dreams as well. I was very disappointed, as I did not find those books.” Ghunta wrote the picture book “Tata and the Big Bad Bull” for children, and uses it in his work with persons who have experienced adverse childhood.
The Caribbean is also undergoing a transformation in school leaving assessments at the primary level with Jamaica moving away from a system that was memory based to one with a larger share of the assessments being critical thinking.
In her remarks, academic in Language and Literature Education, at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Dr Aisha Spencer, said that Caribbean books were now even more important in education. She said, "We have been swatting and regurgitating for so long we have forgotten how to engage. Critical thinking is a perfect match with our children's literature books right now," Dr Spencer said.
The symposium was a platform to encourage more librarians to do research so that they could present Caribbean literature books to young people. There were speeches, discussions and booths by librarians, publishers and booksellers including Carby's Publishing, Blue Banyan Publishing, Book Fusion and the Book Industry Association of Jamaica. Representatives from the Jamaica Library Service, National Library of Jamaica, the School Library Network, and ministers of state in the education and culture ministries spoke and endorsed the mission.
Importantly, award winning children and young adult authors from the Caribbean were present to read from their work. The seven authors who read were Jamaicans and two were from elsewhere in the Caribbean. Five of the seven had their novels recognised through the CODE Burt Literary Awards for Caribbean Young Adult Literature, which was also a sponsor of the event.
2017 CODE finalist, Kevin Jared Hosein who read from The Beast of Kukuyo, a murder mystery set in rural Trinidad where the protagonist is a tween girl. Viviana Prado Nunez read from The Art of White Roses, which won the CODE that year. Her tween female protagonist is living through family and society upheavals in Cuba in the era of the 1950s revolution.
Well-known writer and 2014 CODE winner, A-dZiko Gegele, read from All Over Again, which is a loving family story starring a tween boy and set in peaceful rural Jamaica of a time in the recent past.
From the same CODE class of 2014 was the young adult book Island Princess in Brooklyn by celebrated children's and young adult author, Diane Browne. Princess is a 13 year-old immigrant from Jamaica to Brooklyn, and this book is her story from that perspective.
Secondary school teacher of English and YA author, Colleen Smith Dennis read from her book Inner City Girl, which was shortlisted in 2011 for the Dublin Literary Award and which also placed third in the 2014 CODE competition. Mrs Smith Dennis says that literature in classrooms is, "The voice for the voiceless." She says that sometimes the voices are hard to listen to. "It is crude it is talking about things that we do not want to pay attention to and we treat them in a particular manner. Through literature, I hear many stories."
The children's chapter book author of No Boy Like Amanda, Hope Barnett, read her family story of a girl growing up in the country in a family of boys, and how she fends and defines her space in the family. This book has been recognised locally with the Book Industry of Jamaica Publisher's Award for the 2013 Best Children's Chapter Book and the Jamaica Reading Association official book for National Reading Week of the same year.
YA author, Mandissa Palmer, read from The Boy Next Door which is a teenage romance with a fair amount of teenage rebellion thrown in. She also read her children's picture book Hard Ears Junior Learns a Lesson, which describes what happens to a boy who does not take instruction.
As a grouping, the librarians attending the symposium would have heard stories of hopefulness and of overcoming obstacles set up by society. All of them were set in a family context, whether the families were nurturing or fracturing the young people. They also offered a mix of leading and or supporting roles of both sexes, but mostly featuring girls. If I were to offer what the stories did not offer, is that they steered away from controversy. There was no magic, stories that challenged gender norms, sexual awareness or graphic sexuality criminal lifestyle and self harm.
Internationally, young adult books are, on non-education platforms, almost synonymous with challenging any norm in society and being accepting of behaviours that are common in that age group. This is mirrored by the symposium which as planned within the operating guidelines and strictures of the Jamaica Library Service which exists to serve the goals of the country's Education ministry. Books that will embrace subjects outside of the formal society will need other promotional platforms. That said, outside of controversial topics, there are a host of other issues that are addressed within the stories told in children and young adult literature in the Caribbean and they are making children's voices heard.
Now that the librarians have had an opportunity to hear the literary stories and are trained in exposing and encouraging readers to select books, it will be interesting to see how this is done. The general rule is that there are always readers who want to be immersed in the written word and who love the experience of handling the physical product of a book. It will now be how to expand these stories into public spaces and encourage their presence on the stage and on the big and small screens. The role of the librarian must include making these stories popular not only through lending the books, but by finding ways to bring them more into the lives of the readers. One of these is the annual National Reading Competition which is now seeing about 2,000 participants annually across the country, but there are other ways.
The symposium was a great way to raise awareness of the influencers and gatekeepers of literary enjoyment and awareness and bring the community of librarians who serve youth together. The librarians can do the research, but the real impact will be when appealing books get to youth in print, digital or audiobook or even as digital slideshows.
In Jamaica, publishers writing platforms offered by the Bocas Literary Festival, Calabash International Literary Festival, Two Seasons Talking Trees Literary Festival, the Gloria Lyn Memorial Fund for Literature, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission Creative Writing Competition; the Jamaica Writers Society (JaWS) Lignum Vitae Awards and biennial CODE Literary Awards, and annual Commonwealth Literary Awards are outlets targetted at writers from the Caribbean and are to be nurtured and supported.
Libraries should be considered by youth as attractive, safe, stimulating places to find material that will inspire and energise them and also to allow them to experience creativity of the word with others through discussions, exhibitions and performances.
Through the JLS, I have had the opportunity to boost my normal reading with novels published after the year 2000, written by Jamaican authors, and a few from the Caribbean. I have set out at the end of this article 41 of the books that I have read, most were published in the last 20 years. They are in no particular order, I do not offer a criticism or review of the books but give short or longer comments on what they contain. They are a mix of fiction, memoir and biography.
The overarching themes that I have found are overcoming prejudice and bias; and the impact of mothering on the life choices of the protagonists. My list is not a big enough sample to be scientific.
For this list I have not considered Caribbean books - meaning novels and non-fiction, non-textbooks of an earlier era and will not make any comment on what they may offer, but the books of C Everard Palmer, Samuel Selvon, Jamaica Kincaid, C Everard Palmer, Marcus Garvey, VS Naipaul have indelibly shaped the English Speaking Caribbean with their authorship by shaping the opinions and attitudes of the leaders who read their work while young.
I would also add that many of our youth migrate and the books offer a way to balance what they left behind with the life that they know now, and help to foster affinity to the region of their birth and early life. The importance of this should be apparent as so many of these persons have risen to places of high official status in influential states such as the USA, Canada and the UK.
1. If I'm Not Back By Wednesday by Geoffrey B Haddad
Life threatening adventure of five boys over nine days. This book gives detailed insights into the lifestyle of a successful immigrant paterfamilias in Kingston during the 1960s.
2. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
A novel written in English as spoken on the streets of Kingston. It is a graphic novel where the attempt on the life of a celebrity forms the fulcrum around which insights into organised crime and one unconnected young woman are revealed.
Contains expletives that will be offensive to many persons, and also and graphic descriptions of manslaughter, gay sex and drug use.
I enjoyed reading about lead gangsters, their dialogue and outlook.
3. Le cœur à rire et à pleurer Condé, Maryse
I read the English language version of this book. A privileged girl grows up in a rigid social structure, and as she learns why, she realizes that she wants to break away from it.
4. The Tie Came Back by Veronica Carnegie Blake
I enjoyed the short stories that were set in Jamaica. Many were set in an era spanning the 1950s to the 2000s and quite funny.
5. Shameful Shadows by Ditta Sylvester
Another family story that shows the author's view of the influence of parenting on individuals.
Set in idyllic rural Jamaica, two children each react to the results of their mother's love life and make decisions that direct their own futures. Good triumphs over evil.
6. Breaking the Cycle by Pamela K Marshall
A young married couple with children struggle with years with unresolved issues caused by childhood abandonment that critically affect their prospects of a successful marriage. The book is filled with every layer of family life: half siblings, step parents, cousins and multi-generations.
The book has a lot of heterosexual marital intercourse and parents who try to do the best for their children despite their own personal challenges.
I would put this book in YA as the storytelling is not gratuitous and it provides space for thinking about what adults in business and in relationships can go through and how family members have an impact on each other.
The family homes are in Brooklyn and Irish Town. The family was directly impacted by the 9/11 /2001 terror attacks in New York City.
7. The Life of Captain Cipriani: An Account of British Government in the West Indies, with the pamphlet The Case for West-Indian Self Government by CLR James
Strong writing style and information that gives the first hand view of a national of Trinidad on the negative effects of Crown Colony government in the West Indies. Crown Colony government was introduced in the UK West Indian colonies between 1866 to universal adult suffrage (40s-50s). Originally published in 1932 and republished in 2014.
8. Flame of the Forest: Memoirs of Church Teachers' College by St Hope Earl McKenzie
Flame of The Forest by EarlMcKenzie shows the rewarding lifestyle that Church Teachers College in Mandeville, Jamaica offered to the dedicated academic during 60s and 70s.
9. The Colour of My Words by Lynn Josephs
Twelve year old girl with a passion for writing discovers the power of the written word. Set in the Dominican Republic, Caribbean.
10. Waiting in Vain by Colin Channer
Sensual and enjoyable and I am glad that it was written.
11. The Same Earth by Kei Miller
Great contemporary storytelling baased in Jamaica.
12. Iron Balloons: Hit Fiction from Jamaica's Calabash Writer's Workshop edited by Colin Channer
Collection of great contemporary voices.
13. Dancing Lessons by Olive Senior
Gertrude, an elderly woman, now lives in residential care and is the responsibility of her very accomplished daughter who has little patience with her mother's ways. Yet, in this restrictive setting, Gertrude finds that there is still time in life for forgiveness of old hurts, creativity and self expression and even, romantic love. This book delves into the issues of interpersonal relations in Jamaica across gender, class, race and colour from the pre-independence era to the current time.
14. Six Machine: I Don't Like Cricket... I Love It by Chris Gayle
This autobiography that was co-written by a sports journalist is an explanation to the world why the author is, the way he is. I found it to have several great quotes on the authors views on leadership, teamwork and friendship. It describes, in graphic detail, the joys and trials of living in Rollington Town, Kingston 2. It describes the triumphs of playing the game of cricket through the ranks, learning at the hands of teachers, teammates and foes.
15. The Dixons by Claudette Beckford Brady
The Dixons an enjoyable #YA novel of several eventful months of a Jamaican family where the parents live lives of compassion and bravery. Distinct voices of each member of the family and key characters hark with vitality.
16. The Mermaid Escapade by Suzanne Francis Brown
Great adventure book,gently told, that is very in touch with Jamaica's underground caverns with a nice take on the traditional mythical figure of River Mumma. Exists only in ebook format.
17. Lives of a Soul: A Metaphysical Autobiography of Your Soul...and Mine
This is the first sentence of the autobiography: I&I did not yet have a brain to process it, but I&I definitely knew that it was me that was being conceived.
18. The Boy Next Door by Mandisa M Parnell
Feisty Noelle falls for Ryan, the boys next door and together they navigate "getting to know you" to see if they can actually have a relationship.
19. Delory in the Marog Kingdom by Billy Elm
A boy's magical adventures where he finds friendships, faces adversities and faces the realities of his own family and himself.
20. Gone to Drift by Diana McCaulay
A boy searches land and sea for the one who he loves. If you love the Caribbean Sea, this book will remind you why you do.
21. The Last Warner Woman by Kei Miller
Miller uses tales within a tale as an allegory to show that fiction can tell strong truths about a society.
22. Such as I Have by Garfield Ellis
A very touching love story with community cricket competitions at the centre.
23. All Over Again by Ad-Ziko Simba Gegele
Real feelings while growing up in a loving family.
24. Mr King's Daughter by Hazel Campbell
A enjoyable story of young ambition and young love. Available only as an ebook.
25. A Way To Escape by Michelle Thompson
A family story across two decades and ending with migration.
26. Generation Curse by Colleen Smith Dennis
A sad family story about desperation, but the way it was told, it was an enjoyable ride and it had a just ending.
27. The Mountain of Inheritance by Carol Dunn
This is a classic saga which intertwines the story of families and shows how an earlier generation influences the ones that come after. It touches on familiar themes in the Caribbean, expectations of education, Christian religion on family life, family secrets and romance.
28. Escape to Falmouth by Lena Joy Rose
A fantasy which brings in USA antebellum society with Native American pain into Jamaica at a time when slavery had already been abolished. At its core, this is a love story between two ambitious, young, people.
29. For Her Son by Colleen Smith Dennis
An unrelenting story about a woman and her biased love for her son against all that is sensible and righteous.
30. Fear of Stones and Other Stories by Kei Miller
Collection of short stories that touch on several themes related to hardship and self awareness and society.
31. The Star Side of Bird Hill by Naomi Jackson
Set in Barbados and New York City, a story of migration and the coming-of-age of a teenage girl when she is between the influences of two strong cultures.
32. Such as I Have by Garfield Ellis
Heart touching love story of two proud, young people, trying to come to terms with themselves and the society that they live in.
33. For Nothing At All by Garfield Ellis
Description of the waste of young lives living in a society that does not support integrity.
34. Till I'm Laid To Rest by Garfield Ellis
A proud and selfish young woman makes her way in the world.
35. Wake Rasta and Other Stories by Garfield Ellis.
Vignettes of live in a tough working class environment.
36. Turn Back Blow by Roger Williams
I enjoyed reading this book as it was a hilarious tale about how animals cooperated to overcome cruelty from humans. The dialogue between the animals kept the energy high. Available primarily as an ebook.
37. Song of My Life: A Biography of Margaret Walker by Carolyn J Brown
Guilty! This book is not by a Caribbean author but an African American author. I have given an exception for two reasons. Carolyn A Brown promoted literature by persons of colour and her father was a Jamaican. I enjoyed reading this biography about a girl who found her vocation early in life and how she kept moving towards it. I would recommend it to adolescents and young adults as it gives an insight into a historical period that is good to know from a general knowledge point of view, and important to know for persons who will live in the USA. This is not a story that focuses on the hardships of life, but on the joy of living and how this particular woman found fulfillment in life. The photos were interesting and the cover photo became more interesting, the more that I read the book. I plan to buy a hard copy and donate to the library of a secondary school.
38. Dew Angels by Melanie Schwapp
Through the coming-of-age experiences of one girl, we see how those who should be loving us the most, do sometimes cause the greatest hurt; intentionally or unintentionally. Set in Jamaica, the novel shows us how even the weak have something strong to give, and that women can do support each other.
39. Frying Plantain by Zalaika Reid Benta
Canadian girl navigates growing up in multicultural Toronto, weathering the storms around the relationship between her Jamaican mother and Jamaican grandparents.
I can agree that fried plantain is delicious food.
I have written about the topics that Jamaicans seem to be motivated to write about and mothering is one of them. In this book, everything is about the mother/daughter relationship. It does remind me of the setting of White Teeth which is about a British girl navigating life in London, England, and her mother's and her grandmother's characters play a role. In Garvey's Ghost, the conflict is for a Floridian born woman to Jamaican parents and grandparents. I think the similarities between the three books are thin after that.
The first two books were written by women and space is given in the books for the characters to assert their outlooks on life. Garvey's Ghost is written by Mr Geoffrey Philp, and although a woman has a rough start off in life because of bad decisions of her parents, the daughter seems to suffer because she does not follow teachings from the grand elders. (I may have to re-visit this outlook later).
In Fried Plantain ,the conflict between mother and daughter, as would be expected, is about expected behaviour. Each mother tries to bend her daughter to live a lifestyle that will get her ahead professionally and socially. The daughters usually have other ideas about how they should live their lives.
40. Augustown by Kei Miller An unusual story because the location is also an important part of the storytelling, and this location is August Town, a working class community on the fringe of the city with a contemporary reputation of violence but a past reputation of self reliance. Here we meet characters whose histories are touched by a bygone era, but have transmitted their effects to the present day.The story returns to the accustomed discussions of colour and class in society and the role of education. It also cradles a love story.
Mothers are important characters and Miller pays attention to spirituality as an essential ingredient of life.
41. Girlcottt by Florenze Webb Maxwell
A teen girl gets caught up between simply having a good time on her birthday or standing up for a cause greater than herself. Set in Bermuda in 1959.
END
Caribbean’s Children and Young Adult Literature - Going Beyond The Page
Caribbean’s Children and Young Adult Literature: Going Beyond the Page October 24, 2018
I had the esteemed pleasure of being a member of the steering committee of the Jamaica Library Service (JLS) for the symposium “Caribbean’s Children and Young Adult Literature: Going Beyond the Page”. The event was one of several to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the JLS and was held at the UWI Mona Visitor’s Lodge and Conference Centre on October 24, 2018.
Targeted at librarians who serve youth whether through the Education ministry’s school library service or other public and private libraries and book and author services, the event sought to be a platform to promote awareness of Caribbean literature in this key audience.
The purpose of raised awareness of Caribbean literature can perhaps be best summed up with this quote from author and teacher, Juleus Ghunta who participated in the symposium through a video. He said his post, “When I learned to read I got so excited I was particularly interested in finding books with characters who looked like me, who had my experiences and my stories and my fears and my anxieties and my hopes and my dreams as well. I was very disappointed, as I did not find those books.” He has written the picture book “Tata and the Big Bad Bull” for children and uses it in his work with persons who have experienced adverse childhoods.
In her remarks, academic in Language and Literature Education, Literatures in English Dr Aisha Spencer, said of the importance of literature in youth education in this year when the primary school leaving examinations had changed to include more critical thinking exercises that integrate reading information before taking action.
"We have been swatting and regurgitating for so long we have forgotten how to engage. Critical thinking is a perfect match with our children's literature books right now," Dr Spencer said.
Readers at the symposium included 2017 CODE Literary Award finalist Kevin Jared Hosein who read from The Beast of Kukuyo that is a murder mystery set in Trinidad and the winner that year Viviana Prado Nunez who read from The Art of White Roses in the era of the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s.
Teacher and YA author, Colleen Smith Dennis also read from her book Inner City Girl, which is on reading lists of schools in Jamaica. Mrs Smith Dennis says that literature in classrooms is, "The voice for the voiceless." She says that sometimes the voices are hard to listen to. "It is crude it is talking about things that we do not want to pay attention to and we treat them in a particular manner. Through literature, I hear many stories."
Through the JLS, I have had the opportunity to boost my normal reading with novels published after the year 2000, written by Jamaican authors, and a few from the Caribbean. I have set out at the end of this article 45 of the books that I have read, most published in the last 20 years.
The overarching themes that I have found are overcoming prejudice and bias; and the impact of mothering on the protagonists and I drafted posts on these themes; for curiosity as my list is not a big enough sample to be scientific, I categorised the books based on the types of mothering described.
I have not thought about Caribbean books - meaning novels and non-fiction, non-textbooks of an earlier era and will not make any comment on what they may offer, but the books of C Everard Palmer, Samuel Selvon, Jamaica Kincaid, C Everard Palmer, Marcus Garvey, VS Naipaul have indelibly shaped the English Speaking Caribbean.
The symposium was a great way to raise awareness and bring the community of librarians who serve youth together. The librarians can do the research, but the real impact will be when appealing books get to youth in print, digital or audiobook.
In Jamaica, publishers such as Carlong and Blouse and Skirt; creative writing platforms offered by Boca Literary Festival, Calabash International Literary Festival, Two Seasons Talking Trees Literary Festival, the Gloria Lyn Memorial Fund for Literature, the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission and CODE Litarary Award, Commonwealth Literary Awards are outlets to be nurtured and supported.
Libraries should be considered by youth as attractive, safe, stimulating places to find material that will inspire and energise them and also to allow them to experience creativity of the word with others through discussions, exhibitions and performances.
Set out below are 45 Caribbean books published after 2000 with a brief by me. They are in no particular order, I do not rate the books but give short or longer comments on what they contain.
The other hyperlinked posts take you to my thoughts on the overarching themes that were mentioned before.
1. If I'm Not Back By Wednesday by Geoffrey B Haddad
Life threatening adventure of five boys over nine days. This book gives detailed insights into the lifestyle of a successful immigrant paterfamilias in Kingston during the 1960s.
2. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
A novel written in English as spoken on the streets of Kingston. It is a graphic novel where the attempt on the life of a celebrity forms the fulcrum around which insights into organised crime and one unconnected young woman are revealed.
Contains expletives that will be offensive to many persons, and also and graphic descriptions of manslaughter, gay sex and drug use.
I enjoyed reading about lead gangsters, their dialogue and outlook.
3. Le cœur à rire et à pleurer Condé, Maryse
I read the English language version of this book.
A privileged girl grows up in a rigid social structure, and as she learns why, she realizes that she wants to break away from it.
4. The Tie Came Back by Veronica Carnegie Blake
I enjoyed the short stories that were set in Jamaica. Many were set in an era spanning the 1950s to the 2000s and quite funny.
5. Shameful Shadows by Ditta Sylvester
Another family story that shows the author's view of the influence of parenting on individuals.
Set in idyllic rural Jamaica, two children each react to the results of their mother's love life and make decisions that direct their own futures. Good triumphs over evil.
6. Breaking the Cycle by Pamela K Marshall
A young married couple with children struggle with years with unresolved issues caused by childhood abandonment that critically affect their prospects of a successful marriage. The book is filled with every layer of family life: half siblings, step parents, cousins and multi-generations.
The book has a lot of heterosexual marital intercourse and parents who try to do the best for their children despite their own personal challenges.
I would put this book in YA as the storytelling is not gratuitous and it provides space for thinking about what adults in business and in relationships can go through and how family members have an impact on each other.
The family homes are in Brooklyn and Irish Town. The family was directly impacted by the 9/11 /2001 terror attacks in New York City.
7. The Life of Captain Cipriani: An Account of British Government in the West Indies, with the pamphlet The Case for West-Indian Self Government by CLR James
Strong writing style and information that gives the first hand view of a national of Trinidad on the negative effects of Crown Colony government in the West Indies. Crown Colony government was introduced in the UK West Indian colonies between 1866 to universal adult suffrage (40s-50s). Originally published in 1932 and republished in 2014.
8. Flame of the Forest: Memoirs of Church Teachers' College by St Hope Earl McKenzie
Flame of The Forest by EarlMcKenzie shows the rewarding lifestyle that Church Teachers College in Mandeville, Jamaica offered to the dedicated academic during 60s and 70s.
9. The Colour of My Words by Lynn Josephs
Twelve year old girl with a passion for writing discovers the power of the written word. Set in the Dominican Republic, Caribbean.
10. Waiting in Vain by Colin Channer
Sensual and enjoyable and I am glad that it was written.
11. The Same Earth by Kei Miller
Great contemporary storytelling baased in Jamaica.
12. Iron Balloons: Hit Fiction from Jamaica's Calabash Writer's Workshop edited by Colin Channer
Collection of great contemporary voices.
13. Dancing Lessons by Olive Senior
Gertrude, an elderly woman, now lives in residential care and is the responsibility of her very accomplished daughter who has little patience with her mother's ways. Yet, in this restrictive setting, Gertrude finds that there is still time in life for forgiveness of old hurts, creativity and self expression and even, romantic love.
14. This book delves into the issues of interpersonal relations in Jamaica across gender, class, race and colour from the pre-independence era to the current time.
15. Six Machine: I Don't Like Cricket... I Love It by Chris Gayle
This autobiography that was co-written by a sports journalist is an explanation to the world why the author is, the way he is.
16. I found it to have several great quotes on the authors views on leadership, teamwork and friendship.
17. It describes, in graphic detail, the joys and trials of living in Rollington Town, Kingston 2.
18. It describes the triumphs of playing the game of cricket through the ranks, learning at the hands of teachers, teammates and foes.
19. The Dixons by Claudette Beckford Brady
The Dixons an enjoyable #YA novel of several eventful months of a Jamaican family where the parents live lives of compassion and bravery. Distinct voices of each member of the family and key characters hark with vitality.
20. The Mermaid Escapade by Suzanne Francis Brown
Great adventure book,gently told, that is very in touch with Jamaica's underground caverns with a nice take on the traditional mythical figure of River Mumma.
21. Lives of a Soul: A Metaphysical Autobiography of Your Soul...and Mine
This is the first sentence of the autobiography: I&I did not yet have a brain to process it, but I&I definitely knew that it was me that was being conceived.
22. The Boy Next Door by Mandisa M Parnell
Feisty Noelle falls for Ryan, the boys next door and together they navigate "getting to know you" to see if they can actually have a relationship.
23. Delory in the Marog Kingdom by Billy Elm
A boy's magical adventures where he finds friendships, faces adversities and faces the realities of his own family and himself.
24. Gone to Drift by Diana McCaulay
A boy searches land and sea for the one who he loves. If you love the Caribbean Sea, this book will remind you why you do.
25. The Last Warner Woman by Kei Miller
26. Miller uses tales within a tale as an allegory to show that fiction can tell strong truths about a society.
27. Such as I Have by Garfield Ellis
A very touching love story with community cricket competitions at the centre.
28. All Over Again by Ad-Ziko Simba Gegele
Real feelings while growing up in a loving family.
29. Mr King's Daughter by Hazel Campbell
A enjoyable story of young ambition and young love.
30. A Way To Escape by Michelle Thompson
A family story across two decades and ending with migration.
31. Generation Curse by Colleen Smith Dennis
A sad family story about desperation, but the way it was told, it was an enjoyable ride and it had a just ending.
32. The Mountain of Inheritance by Carol Dunn
This is a classic saga which intertwines the story of families and shows how an earlier generation influences the ones that come after. It touches on familiar themes in the Caribbean, expectations of education, Christian religion on family life, family secrets and romance.
33. Escape to Falmouth by Lena Joy Rose
A fantasy which brings in USA antebellum society with Native American pain into Jamaica at a time when slavery had already been abolished. At its core, this is a love story between two ambitious, young, people.
34. For Her Son by Colleen Smith Dennis
An unrelenting story about a woman and her biased love for her son against all that is sensible and righteous.
35. Fear of Stones and Other Stories by Kei Miller
Collection of short stories that touch on several themes related to hardship and self awareness and society.
36. The Star Side of Bird Hill by Naomi Jackson
Set in Barbados and New York City, a story of migration and the coming-of-age of a teenage girl when she is between the influences of two strong cultures.
37. Such as I Have by Garfield Ellis
Heart touching love story of two proud, young people, trying to come to terms with themselves and the society that they live in.
38. For Nothing At All by Garfield Ellis
Description of the waste of young lives living in a society that does not support integrity.
39. Till I'm Laid To Rest by Garfield Ellis
A proud and selfish young woman makes her way in the world.
40. Wake Rasta and Other Stories by Garfield Ellis.
a. Vignettes of live in a tough working class environment.
41. Turn Back Blow by Roger Williams
I enjoyed reading this book as it was a hilarious tale about how animals cooperated to overcome cruelty from humans. The dialogue between the animals kept the energy high.
42. Song of My Life: A Biography of Margaret Walker by Carolyn J Brown
Guilty! This book is not by a Caribbean author but an African American author. I have given an exception for two reasons. Carolyn A Brown promoted literature by persons of colour and her father was a Jamaican. I enjoyed reading this biography about a girl who found her vocation early in life and how she kept moving towards it. I would recommend it to adolescents and young adults as it gives an insight into a historical period that is good to know from a general knowledge point of view, and important to know for persons who will live in the USA. This is not a story that focuses on the hardships of life, but on the joy of living and how this particular woman found fulfillment in life. The photos were interesting and the cover photo became more interesting, the more that I read the book. I plan to buy a hard copy and donate to the library of a secondary school.
43. Dew Angels by Melanie Schwapp
Through the coming-of-age experiences of one girl, we see how those who should be loving us the most, do sometimes cause the greatest hurt; intentionally or unintentionally. Set in Jamaica, the novel shows us how even the weak have something strong to give, and that women can do support each other.
44. Frying Plantain by Zalaika Reid Benta
Canadian girl navigates growing up in multicultural Toronto, weathering the storms around the relationship between her Jamaican mother and Jamaican grandparents.
I can agree that fried plantain is delicious food.
I have written about the topics that Jamaicans seem to be motivated to write about and mothering is one of them. In this book, everything is about the mother/daughter relationship. It does remind me of the setting of White Teeth which is about a British girl navigating life in London, England, and her mother's and her grandmother's characters play a role. In Garvey's Ghost, the conflict is for a Floridian born woman to Jamaican parents and grandparents. I think the similarities between the three books are thin after that.
The first two books were written by women and space is given in the books for the characters to assert their outlooks on life. Garvey's Ghost is written by Mr Geoffrey Philp, and although a woman has a rough start off in life because of bad decisions of her parents, the daughter seems to suffer because she does not follow teachings from the grand elders. (I may have to re-visit this outlook later).
In Fried Plantain ,the conflict between mother and daughter, as would be expected, is about expected behaviour. Each mother tries to bend her daughter to live a lifestyle that will get her ahead professionally and socially. The daughters usually have other ideas about how they should live their lives.
45. Augustown by Kei Miller An unusual story because the location is also an important part of the storytelling, and this location is August Town, a working class community on the fringe of the city with a contemporary reputation of violence but a past reputation of self reliance. Here we meet characters whose histories are touched by a bygone era, but have transmitted their effects to the present day.The story returns to the accustomed discussions of colour and class in society and the role of education. It also cradles a love story.
Mothers are important characters and Miller pays attention to spirituality as an essential ingredient of life.
December 11, 2019
Review "Bad Girls In School" by December 17, 2019 : Get a thank you copy of "Young Heroes of the Caribbean"
Warm greetings,
If you read Bad Girls in School, I would like to know your thoughts on the book. Recent stories that roll in about high schools seem to have so much in themes and possible approaches that can allow us to overcome troubling, ongoing events.
So, drop me a line in the contacts by December 17, 2019 and I will send a copy of Young Heroes of the Caribbean to you to the first ten accepted reviews to an address by post anywhere there is postal service in the world.
I am Looking out for your note.
Regards,
Gwyneth
CONTACTS
December 1, 2019
The Advent Apocalypse
How could a season so filled with joy and hope start with an apocalyptic reading from scripture?
But there it is in the faith that I follow. The start of the Christmas season always has a lesson from the Mount of Olives where Jesus warns and promises violence and destruction for his followers. It is the period before his trial and execution.
The church has fashioned its liturgical calendar with this evocative literary flashback to deliver us to the story build up, then transport us by Christmas Day to the beginning of the life of Jesus.
Why though? It almost feels distasteful to mar the season of goodwill by selecting readings with carcasses and vultures, weeping and gnashing of teeth.
A holy father on the weekly radio programme of the Jamaican Anglican church explains that it is an opportunity to be more committed to God's work in our lives.
Advent, he says, reminds us to love unconditionally, accept and intervene with acts of social justice and that there is always God's work to be done.
He was speaking specifically to persons living with HIV AIDS and also to reduce violence against women and girls and domestic violence in general.
In our glossy living and the rejection of the negative, we are also covering up and not countering wrong. This is a reminder to be intentional in what we do.
The reading is from Matthew Chapter 24 if you care to explore more. It is called "Little Apocalypse" for good reason. (shivers).
But there it is in the faith that I follow. The start of the Christmas season always has a lesson from the Mount of Olives where Jesus warns and promises violence and destruction for his followers. It is the period before his trial and execution.
The church has fashioned its liturgical calendar with this evocative literary flashback to deliver us to the story build up, then transport us by Christmas Day to the beginning of the life of Jesus.
Why though? It almost feels distasteful to mar the season of goodwill by selecting readings with carcasses and vultures, weeping and gnashing of teeth.
A holy father on the weekly radio programme of the Jamaican Anglican church explains that it is an opportunity to be more committed to God's work in our lives.
Advent, he says, reminds us to love unconditionally, accept and intervene with acts of social justice and that there is always God's work to be done.
He was speaking specifically to persons living with HIV AIDS and also to reduce violence against women and girls and domestic violence in general.
In our glossy living and the rejection of the negative, we are also covering up and not countering wrong. This is a reminder to be intentional in what we do.
The reading is from Matthew Chapter 24 if you care to explore more. It is called "Little Apocalypse" for good reason. (shivers).
October 21, 2019
Twenty Five Years on the Edge
For 25 years, the future of Jamaica could have been tipped in several directions, ultimately, the actions of a few directly shaped he nation that we know today.
Here are short picture slides with my version of a history of Jamaica 1637 to 1662
A History of Jamaica 1637 to 1662
The Restless Menace - Juan de Esquivel
https://www.facebook.com/772524162815...
They sent a young man without a vision or morals to be Governor of Jamaica.
They Were Brothers - Cristobal Ysassi and Juan de Bolas
https://www.facebook.com/772524162815...
To Have And To Hold - The loves of Thomas Lynch
https://www.facebook.com/772524162815...
Broken but Never Broken Down - Sally's unwritten words, not Thistlewood's
https://www.facebook.com/772524162815...
In Service of Each Other - How Jamaica's Coat of Arms was Created
https://www.facebook.com/772524162815...
Here are short picture slides with my version of a history of Jamaica 1637 to 1662
A History of Jamaica 1637 to 1662
The Restless Menace - Juan de Esquivel
https://www.facebook.com/772524162815...
They sent a young man without a vision or morals to be Governor of Jamaica.
They Were Brothers - Cristobal Ysassi and Juan de Bolas
https://www.facebook.com/772524162815...
To Have And To Hold - The loves of Thomas Lynch
https://www.facebook.com/772524162815...
Broken but Never Broken Down - Sally's unwritten words, not Thistlewood's
https://www.facebook.com/772524162815...
In Service of Each Other - How Jamaica's Coat of Arms was Created
https://www.facebook.com/772524162815...
October 13, 2019
Frying Plantains
Frying Plantain by Zalika Reid-BentaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Canadian girl navigates growing up in multicultural Toronto, weathering the storms around the relationship between her Jamaican mother and Jamaican grandparents.
I can agree that fried plantain is delicious food.
I have written about the topics that Jamaicans seem to be motivated to write about and mothering is one of them. In this book, everything is about the mother/daughter relationship. It does remind me of the setting of White Teeth which is about a British girl navigating life in London, England, and her mother's and her grandmother's characters play a role. In Garvey's Ghost, the conflict is for a Floridian born woman to Jamaican parents and grandparents. I think the similarities between the three books are thin after that.
The first two books were written by women and space is given in the books for the characters to assert their outlooks on life. Garvey's Ghost is written by Mr Geoffrey Philp, and although a woman has a rough start off in life because of bad decisions of her parents, the daughter seems to suffer because she does not follow teachings from the grand elders. (I may have to re-visit this outlook later).
In Fried Plantain ,the conflict between mother and daughter, as would be expected, is about expected behaviour. Each mother tries to bend her daughter to live a lifestyle that will get her ahead professionally and socially. The daughters usually have other ideas about how they should live their lives.
View all my reviews
January 16, 2019
The Value of Caribbean YA Books in Reducing Bias and Prejudice
To reduce destructive transgression, every individual in society needs to experience, from birth, being valued, respected, secure and to be raised to perform lifelong socially cohesive behaviours and self care.
Forgiveness is not easy, especially after a lifetime of being short changed by loss of opportunity or even the passing over of someone's eyes when you believe that you are worth more than a glance.
It can be possible if more of us, alive now as adults, recognise the shortcoming in ourselves and commit to change. This is not going to happen spontaneously, and Caribbean YA books can play a role. A reading of passages from fiction or memoirs can help to open up thoughts of the effect of living as a person both giving or receiving bias. The value that I am pointing out here is more than documenting examples of bias and prejudice in society, but allowing it to liberate us from victimhood and also performing as a bigot and a bully, which most of us perform, to some degree, throughout our lives.
Our cricketing heroes, do have passages in their books that describe the insults and prejudice that they received while playing overseas. It would be useful to discover what they had in their personal resources to allow them to overcome this. Twinned with their experiences, would of course be, the real life sad decline of sportsmen who broke a society rule and played for money in South Africa during apartheid. Examples of books by these sportsmen are Whispering Death by Michael Holding and Six Machine by Christopher Gayle.
Another moment describing prejudice that converted to triumph is The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands where, at a moment when a racial slur was used in her presence, but at a time she had an upper hand, she performed with outrage to memorable effect.
In "A Way To Escape" by Michelle Thompson, it is the expectation that women will be the hard workers and accepting of the harmful behaviour of their spouses to themselves and their children can be explored and how she got out of it. Dew Angels by Melanie Schwapp also has a mother who does not do well by herself or her children because she is under the control of a domineering husband. In each case, both mothers found a way of redemption.
The favourite bias of authors in the Caribbean is the colour bias and how it connects to the class bias. This is an important issue that needs to be told and retold with the aim of gradually dismantling it. Books that do not explicitly tell you the skin colour of the characters may also be helpful in this regard. My books Bad Girls In School, Young Heroes of the Caribbean do not describe skin colour of characters. I have freed the reader to see the actions of the characters without explicitly describing their skins. It allows the reader to add that bit of imagination and it may be interesting to hear what different readers thought and whether that affected their view of the characters or not. I did use skin colour in my book Something Special.
The stories in YA books are a treasure trove of promoting greater justice and harmony in the society if leveraged where it can become available to young minds. Not just in the written form, but also as other media products such as stage plays, radio dramas and films and documentaries.
Promoting them will hopefully spur even more creations that address the range of social challenges that can be imagined and that we live with.
The organisations in our society that support hegemony or cause change are, naturally, crucial to any influences that change bias and prejudice.
Some of these influences will be to urge voluntary behaviour, such as the Ministry of Health Jamaica Moves lifestyle programme, or non-voluntary such as the justice system.
The actors who will carry out these influences will be teachers, health workers, law enforcement officials, policy writers and persons who create and distribute content that is widely consumed by our societies.
In the UK today, arising out of comply or explain regulations related to reducing bias in companies that are related to race, sex and gender differences, publicly listed companies are expected to put policies in place to reduce behaviours that are unfair to certain segments of the population.
In the USA, it is the radical activists against policies of the government and longstanding abuses by celebrities and a range of powerful figures who have been pushing for social change that will reduce biases.
Moving adults humanely toward change is complex, and one of the outcomes is that persons are at least aware where before they were unaware, I can call this process sensitisation. We need more of this in order to move the society ahead.
The Jamaican society, being pluralistic in lifestyles and biology and ethnicity, has developed a morass of ways to denigrate and be biased against groups of people.
At this time, we should be investing in sensitising ourselves to discover and acknowledge our ingrained biases and learn how to disentangle ourselves from them.
I should be trying to realise how I am biased against my students, co-workers, church sisters and brothers, patients, and members of communities that I am supposed to serve. When I become aware of my prejudices due to disability, lifestyle, personal history, physical appearance and social behaviour and performance, then I am ready to invest in myself and become less bigoted.
Are we brave enough to probe and acknowledge our biases and do our part to stop it when it is shame on us and harmful to others?
END
A bookshelf with a few Jamaican books suitable for YA audiences
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Here is the Implicit Harvard Test
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
The test says that I am not biased against men or women who are attractive or not....something like that.
I am still searching for a test to confirm my biases.
I acknowledge that I am biased against artistes who sing off key.
Forgiveness is not easy, especially after a lifetime of being short changed by loss of opportunity or even the passing over of someone's eyes when you believe that you are worth more than a glance.
It can be possible if more of us, alive now as adults, recognise the shortcoming in ourselves and commit to change. This is not going to happen spontaneously, and Caribbean YA books can play a role. A reading of passages from fiction or memoirs can help to open up thoughts of the effect of living as a person both giving or receiving bias. The value that I am pointing out here is more than documenting examples of bias and prejudice in society, but allowing it to liberate us from victimhood and also performing as a bigot and a bully, which most of us perform, to some degree, throughout our lives.
Our cricketing heroes, do have passages in their books that describe the insults and prejudice that they received while playing overseas. It would be useful to discover what they had in their personal resources to allow them to overcome this. Twinned with their experiences, would of course be, the real life sad decline of sportsmen who broke a society rule and played for money in South Africa during apartheid. Examples of books by these sportsmen are Whispering Death by Michael Holding and Six Machine by Christopher Gayle.
Another moment describing prejudice that converted to triumph is The Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands where, at a moment when a racial slur was used in her presence, but at a time she had an upper hand, she performed with outrage to memorable effect.
In "A Way To Escape" by Michelle Thompson, it is the expectation that women will be the hard workers and accepting of the harmful behaviour of their spouses to themselves and their children can be explored and how she got out of it. Dew Angels by Melanie Schwapp also has a mother who does not do well by herself or her children because she is under the control of a domineering husband. In each case, both mothers found a way of redemption.
The favourite bias of authors in the Caribbean is the colour bias and how it connects to the class bias. This is an important issue that needs to be told and retold with the aim of gradually dismantling it. Books that do not explicitly tell you the skin colour of the characters may also be helpful in this regard. My books Bad Girls In School, Young Heroes of the Caribbean do not describe skin colour of characters. I have freed the reader to see the actions of the characters without explicitly describing their skins. It allows the reader to add that bit of imagination and it may be interesting to hear what different readers thought and whether that affected their view of the characters or not. I did use skin colour in my book Something Special.
The stories in YA books are a treasure trove of promoting greater justice and harmony in the society if leveraged where it can become available to young minds. Not just in the written form, but also as other media products such as stage plays, radio dramas and films and documentaries.
Promoting them will hopefully spur even more creations that address the range of social challenges that can be imagined and that we live with.
The organisations in our society that support hegemony or cause change are, naturally, crucial to any influences that change bias and prejudice.
Some of these influences will be to urge voluntary behaviour, such as the Ministry of Health Jamaica Moves lifestyle programme, or non-voluntary such as the justice system.
The actors who will carry out these influences will be teachers, health workers, law enforcement officials, policy writers and persons who create and distribute content that is widely consumed by our societies.
In the UK today, arising out of comply or explain regulations related to reducing bias in companies that are related to race, sex and gender differences, publicly listed companies are expected to put policies in place to reduce behaviours that are unfair to certain segments of the population.
In the USA, it is the radical activists against policies of the government and longstanding abuses by celebrities and a range of powerful figures who have been pushing for social change that will reduce biases.
Moving adults humanely toward change is complex, and one of the outcomes is that persons are at least aware where before they were unaware, I can call this process sensitisation. We need more of this in order to move the society ahead.
The Jamaican society, being pluralistic in lifestyles and biology and ethnicity, has developed a morass of ways to denigrate and be biased against groups of people.
At this time, we should be investing in sensitising ourselves to discover and acknowledge our ingrained biases and learn how to disentangle ourselves from them.
I should be trying to realise how I am biased against my students, co-workers, church sisters and brothers, patients, and members of communities that I am supposed to serve. When I become aware of my prejudices due to disability, lifestyle, personal history, physical appearance and social behaviour and performance, then I am ready to invest in myself and become less bigoted.
Are we brave enough to probe and acknowledge our biases and do our part to stop it when it is shame on us and harmful to others?
END
A bookshelf with a few Jamaican books suitable for YA audiences
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Here is the Implicit Harvard Test
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/
The test says that I am not biased against men or women who are attractive or not....something like that.
I am still searching for a test to confirm my biases.
I acknowledge that I am biased against artistes who sing off key.
