Brother Man

by Roger Mais

Originally published in 1954 and acclaimed around the world as one of the classics of Caribbean fiction, "Brother Man" is the tragic story of an honest Rastafarian healer caught up in a web of intrigue and betrayal in Jamaica's tough West Kingston slums. The healer's name is John Power, but everybody calls him Brother Man - a cobbler whose ability to cure the sick and injured through a mystic force uplifts him to the status of a prophet. Throngs begin to trail him when he passes in the street. With each miracle performed his reputation spreads. Looking on with envy is the evil Papacita, a violent enforcer whose authority is threatened by Brother Man's message of peace and love. Papacita's jealousy is stirred in more ways than one. The brutal schemer also covets the attention of Minette, a young attractive girl that Brother Man has rescued from the streets. Set in the same rambunctious lanes that reggae icons like Bob Marley and Jimmy Cliff would later stroll and sing about, "Brother Man", is the unforgettable portrait of a ghetto saint - an ordinary man selected by the universe to bring enlightenment to poor belittled people. It's a story of compelling mythic power that has stood the test of time.

Genres: Fiction, Literature

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1954

Reviews

[Latoya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I paaaatiently waited for the plot to begin. The ending was amazing though because I never expected the outcomes and the descriptions of these outcomes are haunting. Otherwise, I think the ending is a good one because I have been enlightened and I have hope just like Brother Man and Minette. It was a slow read but worth it in the end.

[Clifton Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must read if you a fan of Jamaican literature. One of Jamaica's best novels.

[Jamaican Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I read this in high school and it was nothing like I remember. I remember some of the stories present, but the intensity of the feelings was not like this the first time.

Brother Man is a gem in this story. He's touched and affected the lives of many people in his lane and we get to see a few of those stories. But from there, we are faced with a general commentary on the frailty of the human mind and emotions. We see one woman who has been, literally, healed by Brother Man, turn her back on him when her son is sick and he doesn't heal him fast enough. Not only does she give up her trust in Brother Man, she straight up looses her mind; hurting her sister, son and self in the process. We see how an ACCUSATION causes all the people that once loved Brother Man to immediately hate him with the same intensity as their previous love.

Still, somehow, at the end of the book, we can see that Brother Man never had a hateful thought in his heart for these people. He never once thought of abandoning them in their time of need. He had to have a purpose in their lives. And whether that was to be a hero or villain he was willing to be present. His belief in people, even when they don't believe in him, is what grieves and impresses me all at once. He never stops believing in the people around him, the people who stopped believing in him. His loyalty to his beliefs in the Ras Tafari faith is seen purely within his actions and he never falters.

Also, the way the book is written really lends to the nature of how the individual stories occur in 'real time'. There is a sense of not being omnipresent but continuously moving from place to place or being a part of the gossiping crowd in the lane. This is just a great book and a great read. I would recommend this to anyone.

[Gwyneth Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of a collection of lives in a Kingston, Jamaica working class community set in the 1950s. We feel the impact of the coastal environment, and how much of life is lived in the streets. Almost nothing can be kept a secret, but yet, the truth can still be hidden if you do not want to see.
The author presents us with hopelessness and also hope.

As with many Jamaican works of fiction, the role of mother is very important to the story. The role of the state in the this story is that of the police.

I am quite surprised that this was a literature book in secondary schools. As such, Brother Man calls out the lie that has been told abroad that Jamaican schools did not have Caribbean literature on the reading lists and Literature syllabus.

[Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson]

Brother Man by Roger Mais

So many great lines in this one...

The wave made lap-lap against the piles, a shoal of sprats went swish-swish in the water as they were chased by some bigger fish. Moonlight made lines of wavy writing in quicksilver, the parallel, broken, undulating ripples running straight across the bay.

or

"He laughed more than anyone; he always managed to get the best of his jokes, both ways."

and

"But the wave of resentment and anger and intolerance against a minority spread, and was carefully fanned to a nice conflagration by political opportunists and a partisan press."

[Suzette Bent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This prophetic work which chronicled the life of a Rastafarian spiritualist pointed to the impact of Rastafarianism on the Jamaican culture. This Jamaican pre-Independence classic in a prophetic way pointed to the coming of Bob Marley and his impact on the world using Reggae music. Roger Mais wrote this book in the late 40s and in each dialogue the natural and unmistakable culture of Jamaica in terms of resistance to colonialism and discovery of identity are depicted.Its plot took us back to time when what we see today was foreseen by Roger Mais in fiction.

[Evon Benjamin]

I read this book when i was in high school and some of the themes coming out of Jamaica back then are still so relevant today. I would encourage anyone who wants to get an interesting perspective on life in the former colonies of the British West Indies should have a read of this.

[Rose Gold · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much more Christian and less Rastafarian than I expected, which is disappointing, but it remains interesting from a historical perspective, and I enjoyed the book's decision to focus on a whole community rather than to over-center one set of players.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really glad I pulled this down off my bookshelf. It's been sitting there looking at me for years. I love the vignette-style of storytelling, the use of Jamaican patois, the Christ-figure protagonist - incredibly well written.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

The purpose of this book was achieved: reframing the common misconceptions of Rastafari in Jamaica. The religious allusions were abundant but only translatable if you know the Bible.

[Alonso Betancor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamaican new testament

[Niko · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Alexia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book captured the essence of the Caribbean very well, but other than that nothing stuck with me. The dynamic between Brother Man, the woman living with him and the man who tries to take her away could have been an essential conflict that ran through the novel. Rather, it wasn't dramatic enough to make it a page-turner, which is what it could have been.

[Khrys · Rating 3 out of 5]

The parrallel of Brother Man to the life and death of Jesus Christ placed in the setting of the yard in Jamaica is a new idea. it places a modern spin on the old chritian story and makes it more real and relatable.

[Jen Holmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got into it toward the end, evocative descriptions at points, probably needed some more layering to the characters. Pushed the "goodness" of Brother Man a bit too much, made him seem like he wasn't a warm blooded man, and diluted his character development in my opinion. Not bad.

[Antoniolarsongmail.com · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written slice of early mid twentieth century Kingston. A novel presented very much like a play and with classic interplay between righteous and wicked, and the eternal wrestling match between the sexes. Hints at the early years of Rasta culture

[Jaimie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the most beautifully written novel (the dialogue is especially bad), but the character development is wonderful and the plot is fascinating. A really interesting take on the Rastafari movement with overt Christian themes.

[Harley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamaican author. Read a hardback edition published in London in 1966. The novel give s great insight in to life in Jamaica.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

FANTASTIC NOVEL!!!

[Simma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. This novel does a great job of capturing an aspect of Jamaican culture while touching on the prejudicial attitude towards Rastafari culture back in days. Enjoyed reading this ;)

[Zoe Burgess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written, with a very powerful message... Captures the essence of the Caribbean. My all time favourite novel.

[Stacy-ann Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book

[Lolilu]

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