Three Jamaican Authors and a deathly queen

Feb 13, 2020 b.c. (before corona)
At National Library of Jamaica 

For weeks we have been holed up in our homes hiding from the queen whose corona made of fatty substances clings to every surface she can find in a bid to make our lives unbearable and filled with grief. Many of us are glued to screens depressing ourselves with nonstop news, catching up on movies we've missed, discovering new television shows and playing games we never thought we'd play just to beat the boredom. 

But, some of us are reading. 

I have always been a reader and on every trip to Jamaica I make it a point of my duty to visit my favorite bookstore, Bookophilia (Kingston) to see what new and exciting Caribbean, mainly Jamaican, books have hit the shelf. I seek them out like digging for lobsters! Intriguing titles, creative covers and of course, authors whose work I have loved before, beckon me to to buy. And, that brings me to my required reading while on quarantine.

Chicken Back Gravy and Such Delights. Now how could I, a girl like me who entitled a book Here's a Hundred Dollars...Buy Yourself a Life! ever resist such a title. Professor Donna Hope wrote that title just for me cause curry chicken back is one of the sweetest food ever cook and when meat scarce and have to stretch, curry chicken gravy and rice makes for a delicious meal. 

But back to the book. The old adage 'don't judge a book by its cover' applies here, because the Donna Hope of today, the lady of letters and much international acclaim, wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her account of her journey from poverty to international speaker is told with sincerity, honesty and a practicality that makes you stop and think. Inspirational. Motivational. Hilarious - I literally LOL. Heartbreaking. Triumphant. This book is required reading for every struggling youth who can't see beyond their circumstances to the life that lies ahead of hard work, diligence and a determination to succeed. Big up Donna! You took me on a journey I'll never forget.

Lest We Find Gold. Melanie Schwapp is one of my all time favorite Jamaican authors. What a woman can tell a story! As a victor over domestic abuse from another period in my life (I refuse to be called a survivor), this book was hard to read - emotionally that is. As a piece of literary genius, however, I found gold in "dem dere" pages. If you ever watched old time cowboy movies you'd know of what I speak. (for the younguns - there's gold in dem dere hills). 

This moving tale mirrors the lives of so many uptown women living under the hand of an abuser whose position in society and having to keep up appearances in the face of death juxtaposes with the ones who are playing the "matey" role (side chick), is poignant and real. Melanie, keep writing! Don't ever stop. Your words are life on paper and your endings - wow - pure magic.

August Town. Dip dem Bedward Dip Dem! Dip dem in the healing stream...Every pickney (child) in Jamaica grow up singing that song. Every one in my era anyway. And all we knew about it was that Bedward was a preacher man who used to dip dem in the healing stream to cure bad feelings. The song asked Bedward to dip dem sweet but not too deep. 

That healing stream, the sometimes now dry Hope River, runs behind, through, around - August Town in Kingston, Jamaica. A community made up of hard working people, university students and a wealth of creative minds that has had more than its fair share of crime. This is the setting for a book that brought me through many emotions and transported me back in time to when the preacher man preached, the blind matriarchal seer had visions and badman roamed the town - saving souls, predicting the future and intimidating the residents all at the same time. Nuff said! Read it...to say more is to give it all away. Kei Miller - you did it again.

So while we wait for the queen to tek up har crown and gwaan bout har bizniz so we can once again roam the streets in peace, read a book! 'Cause there are more great Caribbean Authors writing brilliant books than you've probably read.

Selah

www.jfalloon-reid.com