Humming Bird Tree

by Ian McDonald

Alan was too young to understand why his parents preferred him to play with the other white boys on the estate. But gradually, he learned that if he was going to meet Kaiser and Jaillin, he had to pretend he was going to meet someone else, he had to pretend he didn't enjoy spending time with his friends, he had to pretend he didn't mind when he wasn't allowed to invite them to his party. Sometimes, horribly, the pretending became real, and Alan found himself in betrayal of the friendship that meant so much to him.

Genres: Race, Historical

181 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1969

About the author

Ian McDonald was born on 18 April 1933, in St Augustine, Trinidad.
He came to the then British Guiana in 1955 with the Booker Group of Companies. He has lived and worked in Guyana ever since. He spent a long career in the sugar industry.
He wrote poems, short stories, a novel "The Humming-Bird Tree" (1969), and an one-act play, "The Tramping Man" (1969).

Reviews

[Jivita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this book for my CXC English B exams, and I have to admit, it was probably one of the best lit books i've studied... It was easy to read and it gave good insight on West Indian Colonial days.

[Suzanne Bhagan]

This was a favorite on the CXC (Caribbean Examinations Council) syllabus and was taught in high schools throughout the region. It was even adapted by the BBC and filmed in Trinidad in the 1990s. In essence, it's a story of boy meets girl but complicated by the issues of race and class in Trinidad colonial society.

[Kera Shan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book surprised in with certain things. Apart from that, it was very nice to read

[Stacy Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's a really nice book with a great moral

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

One the best books I have ever studied in school and also one I had the pleasure of rereading as an adult. It has given me a much greater understanding of how colonalism has impacted the world today.

[Rashama Holder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book,love the story.

[GoodOl'Magic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I studied this as well for Lit. and enjoyed it a lot!

[Jamaican Reader]

Well shit! Upon closing the book that's all I thought.
Upon writing this review this is what I think. Other than the fact that high school literature taught me nothing! I think this is a book that I will never get rid of and may read a few times over in my lifetime. This story centres around a white boy, Allan, and his relationships with his yard boy, Kaiser, and his sister, Jailin. The change in their relationship reflects not only the accepted racism at the time, it also depicts how one's feelings for others can change over time; both with or without outside influences. In Alan's case, the outside influences were his parents and their adult opinions on the people of colour (in this case Indians) in the story.
I kept seeing myself over the years and how my perception of people have changed because of my social status. I'm not poor and that means a lot to many of the people around me. The story, while mainly a reflection of the time in which it was written (1969), but it can still be seen all over the world today. Yet another comentary on society and how perception affects relationships.