Caribbean Books

Brother, I'm Dying

Edwidge Danticat

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 26 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From the best-selling author of The Dew Breaker, a major work of nonfiction: a powerfully moving family story that centers around the men closest to her heart—her father, Mira, and his older brother, Joseph.

From the age of four, Edwidge Danticat came to think of her uncle Joseph, a charismatic pastor, as her “second father,” when she was placed in his care after her parents left Haiti for a better life in America. Listening to his sermons, sharing coconut-flavored ices on their walks through town, roaming through the house that held together many members of a colorful extended family, Edwidge grew profoundly attached to Joseph. He was the man who “knew all the verses for love.”

And so she experiences a jumble of emotions when, at twelve, she joins her parents in New York City. She is at last reunited with her two youngest brothers, and with her mother and father, whom she has struggled to remember. But she must also leave behind Joseph and the only home she’s ever known.

Edwidge tells of making a new life in a new country while fearing for the safety of those still in Haiti as the political situation deteriorates. But Brother I’m Dying soon becomes a terrifying tale of good people caught up in events beyond their control. Late in 2004, his life threatened by an angry mob, forced to flee his church, the frail, eighty-one-year-old Joseph makes his way to Miami, where he thinks he will be safe. Instead, he is detained by U.S. Customs, held by the Department of Homeland Security, brutally imprisoned, and dead within days. It was a story that made headlines around the world. His brother, Mira, will soon join him in death, but not before he holds hope in his arms: Edwidge’s firstborn, who will bear his name—and the family’s stories, both joyous and tragic—into the next generation.

Told with tremendous feeling, this is a true-life epic on an intimate scale: a deeply affecting story of home and family—of two men’s lives and deaths, and of a daughter’s great love for them both.

The Pirate's Daughter: A Novel

Margaret Cezair-Thompson

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 29 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

WINNER OF THE ESSENCE LITERARY AWARD IN FICTION


In 1946, Hollywood’s most famous swashbuckler, Errol Flynn, arrived in Jamaica in a storm-ravaged boat. After a long and celebrated career on the silver screen, Flynn spent the last years of his life on a small island off the Jamaican coast, where he fell in love with the people, the paradisiacal setting, and the privacy, and brought a touch of Tinseltown glamour to the West Indian community.

Based on those years, The Pirate’s Daughter imagines an affair between the aging matinee star and Ida, a beautiful local girl. Flynn’s affections are unpredictable but that doesn’t stop Ida from dreaming of a life with him, especially after the birth of their daughter, May.

Margaret Cezair-Thompson weaves stories of mothers and daughters, fathers and lovers, country and kin, into this compelling, dual-generational coming-of-age tale of two women struggling to find their way in a nation wrestling with its own independence.

Praise for The Pirate's Daughter:

“A book-club-ready saga with two gorgeous women at its center [and] a knockout ending that reveals treasure buried beneath the sand-encrusted secrets.”
–People (Critic’s Choice)

“[A] delicious premise . . . sets Margaret Cezair-Thompson’s The Pirate’s Daughter in motion, and from there, the novel never stops for breath once.”
–O: The Oprah Magazine

“Enthralling . . . ideal for readers looking to be swept away.”
–The Christian Science Monitor

“[A] ripe romantic novel . . . with page-turning panache . . . a mélange of family saga, love story, and political-historical fiction served up in a tropical setting.”
–The Boston Globe

“The Pirate’s Daughter captures perfectly the essence of Jamaica. . . . Your efforts will be rewarded with rich escape.”
–The Dallas Morning News

“A surprising yarn that is rich, salty and ultimately satisfying . . . The Pirate’s Daughter sparkles with characters real and imagined.”
–The Washington Post

“An unabashedly frangipani-scented–and wholly satisfying–armchair holiday of a read.”
–Vogue

Collected Poems 1948-1984

Derek Walcott

List Price: $25.00 By: Farrar, Straus and Giroux Amazon Marketplace: 9 new & used starting at $7.50

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

He didn't win a Nobel Prize for nothing 5 out of 5 stars.
15 of 23 people found this review helpful.

This cool dude uses language in a way no one else does. He redefines syntax, conventions, the way words are placed together, and forms a new interpretation of phrase-synthesis I can't even begin to describe. Actually, I will. There's lots of surrealism here, but not just for its own sake. There's deep philosophy here too. The sombering tones give the incredulous imagery and abstractionistic logic (this guy's a hard read, as it says in the preface) and language that makes him something like a Sylvia Plath in tuxedo, but with a much wider-spanning genius that gives his poetry a greater variety of elements and vocabulary, and with better breaks and sense of poetic rhythm.

Editorial Review:

This remarkable collection, which won the 1986 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry, includes most of the poems from each of Derek Walcott's seven prior books of verse and all of his long autobiographical poem, "Another Life." The 1992 Nobel Laureate in Literature, Walcott has been producing--for several decades--a poetry with all the beauty, wisdom, directness, and narrative force of our classic myths and fairy tales, and in this hefty volume readers will find a full record of his important endeavor. "Walcott's virutes as a poet are extraordinary," James Dickey wrote in The New York Times Book Review. "He could turn his attention on anything at all and make it live with a reality beyond its own; through his fearless language it becomes not only its acquired life, but the real one, the one that lasts . . . Walcott is spontaneous, headlong, and inventive beyond the limits of most other poets now writing."

The Kingdom of This World: A Novel

Alejo Carpentier

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The Kingdom of this World 5 out of 5 stars.
29 of 29 people found this review helpful.

Not long after Haiti's liberation from French colonial rule, King Henri-Christophe reigned through an era of chaos, violence, superstition and socio-political upheaval.

Carpentier details the story of this era, and the eventual overthrowing of Henri-Christophe's black regime, through the narrative of slave Ti-Noel.

For me, the interesting thing about this book was the way in which Carpentier shows how the black regime failed on the same sort of grounds that caused the French regime to become corrupt, outwardly oppulent and inwardly self-destructive. I find it very reminiscent of the sort of dialogue popularized by Freire's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" where he explains how, in an effort to overthrow an oppressive system of education (but this has to work, to some extent, for politics, culture, etc) the rebels end up instituting essentially the same sort of system---only with themselves at the top instead of bottom.

The novel also deals convincingly with issues of cultural patrimony, the occult, and obviously with historical and political scenario. As with many of his books, Carpentier combines a strong dedication to the factual or realistic history with allegory, metaphor and allusion.

The writing style is fairly dense and I did find it difficult to read the novel straight through. However, I found the read very rewarding and also enlightening.

Editorial Review:

A few years after its liberation from the brutality of French colonial rule in 1803, Haiti endured a period of even greater brutality under the reign of King Henri-Christophe, who was born a slave in Grenada but rose to become the first black king in the Western Hemisphere. In prose of often dreamlike coloration and intensity, Alejo Carpentier records the destruction of the black regime—built on the same corruption and contempt for human life that brought down the French while embodying the same hollow grandeur of false elegance, attained only through slave labor—in an orgy of voodoo, race hatred, madness, and erotomania.

Unburnable

Marie-elena John

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 28 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Fascinating! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Wow. What a great novel! It's hard to believe it's fiction. The way the author ties in the characters, as well as the geographical and cultural references almost make this novel seem like a recap of Dominican oral histories. And to top it off, I learned sooo much from this book. I found myself constantly researching many of the references in the book: Maroons, Caribs, and Igbo cultures, the History of Ash Wednesday, Masquerades, Jacko's Flat, the boiling lake, etc....all things that I had no or limited knowledge about before reading this book. I highly recommend this book..truly honored to add it my book collection.

Editorial Review:

Haunted by scandal and secrets, Lillian Baptiste fled Dominica when she was fourteen after discovering she was the daughter of Iris, the half-crazy woman whose life was told of in chanté mas songs sung during Carnival—songs about a village on a mountaintop littered with secrets, masquerades that supposedly fly and wreak havoc, and a man who suddenly and mysteriously dropped dead.

After twenty years away, Lillian returns to her native island to face the demons of her past—and with the help of Teddy, a man who has loved her for many years, she may yet find a way to heal.

Set in both contemporary Washington, D.C., and post-World War II Dominica, Unburnable weaves together West Indian history, African culture, and American sensibilities. Richly textured and lushly rendered, Unburnable showcases a welcome and assured new voice.

Adios Hemingway

Leonardo Padura Fuentes

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

For Hemingway aficionados only 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 4 people found this review helpful.

This mystery novel by a popular Cuban writer involves a dead body discovered on Hemingway's property (Finca Vigia) in Cuba. The hero, a retired police inspector, had once been a Hemingway fan but has become disillusioned about the famous writer for various reasons. The novel proceeds somewhat ploddingly as the inspector has to be persuaded to take the case; he then wanders around visting his old "colorful' friends and finally makes it to the Villa itself (now a museum. The novel takes place in the present. The body, recently exhumed, has been in the ground many years. Hemingway himself is presented in flashbacks). Even though he has been dead these many years, Hemingway becomes a suspect in the killing. The novel wanders to an end and features an amusing take on Ava Gardner's "knickers."
It's hard to tell if the novel is well written because the translation is execrable. One sample: "He went to the bathroom adjoining his bedroom and opened his flies." I gave it three stars because I am a Hemingway fan and the passages describing the great writer's last days in Cuba, his health problems , his relations with the natives were of interest.

Editorial Review:

Padura Fuentes — one of Cuba's best-known and most widely acclaimed writers — has written a first-rate detective story set against the backdrop of Hemingway's Cuba. Part fascinating examination of Hemingway the man in his trying final years and part nifty postmodern procedural, Adios Hemingway will engross Hemingway fans while keeping them in suspense until the final pages.

The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories

List Price: $19.95 By: Oxford University Press, USA Amazon Marketplace: 17 new & used starting at $8.19

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Some of the freshest, most vital, and diverse new literature written in the twentieth century has emerged from the Caribbean. And central to Caribbean literature is the short story, with its ties with the oral tradition. Now, The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories, edited by Stewart Brown and John Wickham, brings together fifty-two stories in a major anthology representing over a century's worth of pan-Caribbean short fiction. This breathtaking collection is unique--and indispensable--in its inclusion of authors from the English, French, Spanish, and Dutch-speaking Caribbean.
The distinctly Anglophone viewpoint of such prominent authors as Jean Rhys, Sam Sevlon, V.S. Naipual, and E.A. Markham is richly contrasted by contributions from French, Spanish, and Dutch writers like Alejo Carpentier, Rene Depestre, and Thea Doelwijt, while the new generation--represented by such writers as Edwidge Danticat and Patrick Chamoiseau--points the way forward for Caribbean writing into the twenty-first century. With his stimulating introduction, Brown provides an up-to-date overview of Caribbean writing. Exploring the literature's themes of history, race, social justice, identity, and migration, he traces its evolution from the gritty naturalism of the Anglophone tradition to the magical realism of the French and Spanish traditions to a body of contemporary pan-Caribbean literature that cannot be contained in any convenient linguistic, geographical, or thematic definition.
Charting the shifting ideologies and styles of this century--from the flamboyant wit of Samuel Selvon to the deceptive simplicity of Jamaica Kincaid--The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories delivers a wealth of satisfactions in a single volume with unprecedented range.

King of Spades

Kiniesha Gayle

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Heart of A Man Is The Soul of A Woman 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Kinieshia Gayle brings you the drug game like never before not only does she go to the limit letting you know how the game is played but she goes as far as to even show you how a woman can be a man's downfall.

Andre Chin was sitting on top of the world or so he thought his women Porsche Hilton was a prestigious lawyer trying to make his game flow legit. When Chin allowed his manhood to get the best of him and started swaying and playing the game. He finds himself in a whole lot of trouble with a triangle of females all around him: Baby Girl, Chyna, & Porsche. Porsche Hilton fell in love with a thug by the name of André Chin he treated her like a queen while she did her best to make his illegal business are made into a legit situation but when she finds out that both Baby Girl and Chyna Porsche allows her jealous raise to get the best of her almost causing her very own life. Chyna was down for whatever but when her man gets locked up she finds herself in Chin's arms and allowing her to do all those things Pitbull did for her before being on locked down but when Chin makes her make a decision she swears on vengeances for what's hers. Natalie "Baby Girl" Smith was on the mission of finding her parent's killers and she would go through hell to make them pay even if it meant taking her own life to the edge to get payback. She is determine to get vengeances with the surroundings of her best friends or her so called friends Dimples & Sandy. She gets herself involved in the street game but her mission was to come out on top.

After taking deadly beatings, Porsche, Dimples, & Baby Girl put into action the perfect plan to take over the empire that Chin has built leaving a Queen and a King but all fear would come from the sister with a vengeance but would her King question her. Kiniesha Gayle writes the near perfect tale. The story kept me wanting to know more I would have given the book a five accept for the minor editing problem through out the book but Ms. Gayle is said to have a sequel to King of Spades that I defiantly can't wait to read.

Editorial Review:

Andre Chin knows the rules of the game and believes he has everything under control. Baby Girl is on a dangerous mission to find the people who killed her parents. Fate puts her in the path of Chin. She seizes an opportuity to gain control of his growing empire and to get the revenge that has consumed her very soul.

A Taste Of Sin

Fiona Zedde

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Taste of Sin 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book has alot of interesting sex scenes. Don't read this book and go to sleep you will be dreaming about it.

Too Good To Put Down 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I hated when this book ended. It was a true page turner for me and kept me up many late nights just so I could finish.

I wish there was a sequel... 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is very intriuging and genuine. This story reminds me of my own personal relationship at this point of time. Dez is wild and has a history of one night stands. But one day she meets her match and has to fight for the very gorgeous Victoria. But can she hold on to someone who might actually be able to hold her down?
The story takes you through the journey of a true, "how we first met story." It gave me goose bumps while reading it. The story is fresh and the amazent of the story keeps you wanting to turn the page. I would reccomend this book to anyone any day.

Give it a minute... 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

It took me awhile to get into this book, but it was pretty good when I did. A few of my friends read it and enjoyed it as well.

Honest, Detailed, Well Written 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Fionna Zedde not only tantalizes her reader with an abundance of steamy scenes, but she also uses poetic detail in her descriptions of the scenery, the food, and the emotions involved. "Bliss" was captivating, but after convincing my self to read "A Taste of Sin", I quickly became very much a Zedde fan. Do read "Hungry for It" immediately after A Taste of Sin, you will be ecstatic that you did!!

Dancing in the Dark

Caryl Phillips

Amazon Price: $23.95 List Price: $23.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Alfred A. Knopf Amazon Marketplace: 46 new & used starting at $0.69

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A searing new novel that reimagines the remarkable, tragic, little-known life of Bert Williams (1874—1922), the first black entertainer in the United States to reach the highest levels of fame and fortune.

Even as an eleven-year-old child living in Southern California in the late 1800s–his family had recently emigrated from the Bahamas–Bert Williams understood that he had to “learn the role that America had set aside for him.” At the age of twenty-two, after years of struggling for success on the stage, he made the radical decision to do his own “impersonation of a negro”: he donned blackface makeup and played the “coon” as a character. Behind this mask, he became a Broadway headliner, starring in the Ziegfeld Follies for eight years and leading his own musical theater company–as influential a comedian as Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, and W. C. Fields.
Williams was a man of great intelligence, elegance, and dignity, but the barriers he broke down onstage continued to bear heavily on his personal life, and the contradictions between the man he was and the character he played were increasingly irreconcilable for him. W. C. Fields called him “the funniest man I ever saw, and the saddest man I ever knew,” and it is this dichotomy at Williams’s core that Caryl Phillips illuminates in a richly nuanced, brilliantly written narrative.

The story of a single life, Dancing in the Dark is also a novel about the tragedies of race and identity, and the perils of self-invention, that have long plagued American culture. Powerfully emotional and moving, it is Caryl Phillips’s most accomplished novel yet.