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Literature with a Jamaican Focus


Sylvia Wynter grew up in Jamaica and is a noted scholar on Jamaican history, literature and culture.  Her novel The Hills of Hebron “was one of the first attempts to present the lives of black Jamaicans not as colonial subjects but as independent human beings.”  The novel focuses on the leadership and lives of members of the Church of New Believers' inner circle.  I’d be interested in a response from folk currently entwined in the politics of their churches to this work. I care for these characters and understand their motivations.  This is a classic ****. 

Check out Jamaican novelist Marlon James’ work.  After reading the novel  The Book of Night Women, I find this novel believable and asked myself is there anything in the construction of the female characters to suggest the writer is a male? This historic novel is a tale of enslaved women with the heart of warriors—two women specifically—Lilith and Homer.  Highly recommended ****

Currently, James is receiving high praise for his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings.  This novel tells stories about the danger and terror of Kingston, Jamaica in the 1970s, describing a 1976 assassination attempt on Bob Marley, into how Jamaica has changed in the 1990s. If you are intimidated by a thick book you'll  avoid this epic novel.  This novel is currently unrated.

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 1, 2015 at 5:41 AM

    These books all sound very interesting..I've decided to commit to reading more this year. For me...this is a challenge well worth accomplishing! Thank you for making these novels sound so interesting!

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