In today’s Jamaica Observer newspaper, Franklin W. Knight makes his recommendations of a few books that are relevant for a Caribbean bookshelf.
By any ranking, the past year produced some exceptional publications. Although I read just a small fraction of the publications, it is pleasantly surprising how many of these outstanding books dealt with Caribbean themes. The criteria for my list were that each work had to be exceptionally readable, provide some special insight on the subject, and appeal to anyone interested in the Caribbean. The many other excellent books read during the year were automatically excluded owing to space restrictions …. more here
March 27th, 2012 at 3:26 am
Dear Mr. Knight,
You make a very good point about books in Jamaica and the Caribbean that should be read by our readers. Caribbean people should read more books written by their own authors, past and present. Here are some books by Herbert T. Thomas, and some info to think about: “Untrodden Jamaica”1890, “Something about Obeah”1891, “The story of a West Indian Policeman”1927 & “A Struggle to Walk with Dignity-The TRUE story of a Jamaican-born Canadian”2008. The sad thing is that these books and many others can only be found in the UK & the US, as they are not available in Jamaica or the Caribbean, for the benefit of our students and historians. Thanks to the University of York in Toronto On. Canada which has the largest Caribbean Study Group in Canada. Our literature is not protected, and is disappearing in Caribbean Libraries. Thanks for listening, Gerald.