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11 Jamaican Books You Need To Read

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Jamaican culture is as rich, vibrant and diverse as its natural landscapes. Jamaican literature overturns stereotypes about the nation and reveals the true heart, spirit and beauty of its people and its diaspora. Here are 11 books about Jamaican history, people and culture that you need to read.
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Interacting with the people of Jamaica is an ideal way to counter those stereotypes and gain an accurate understanding of their diversity, complexity and deep social consciousness. Reading the works of Jamaican authors is another excellent way to discover and explore the island’s people and culture through a lens of authenticity. Jamaican literature overturns stereotypes and reveals the true heart, spirit and beauty of the island’s people and its diaspora.
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There are many informative, fascinating and inspiring works by Jamaican and diaspora authors that capture the historical origins and contemporary culture of the island and its people. This list of recommended books isn’t intended to be all-inclusive. Instead, it represents a diverse sample of the voices of Jamaica and the histories, concerns and priorities that define the contemporary Jamaican experience.
This award-winning novel represents an intersection between family history and the larger history of a nation and culture. While it is a fictional work, it was inspired by the experience of Levy’s parents, who moved away from Jamaica in response to the 1948 British Nationality Act. The Act allowed a freedom of movement within the Commonwealth, inviting residents of African and Caribbean countries to relocate to other British-ruled areas. Seeking a greater range of opportunities, Levy’s parents sailed to England on the HMT Empire Windrush in 1948. Small Island represents a fictional account based onthat experience, exploring the psychological and emotional impact of immigration.
Small Island was acclaimed and recognized as a significant work upon publication. More than a decade later, it remains a relevant and poignant work because of contemporary political circumstances. Some of the individuals who came to England at that time, known as the “ Windrush Generation ”, have been deported despite many living there their entire lives. This scandal draws renewed attention to Levy’s classic work, contributing to a greater understanding of the pressures, pains and difficult choices that generations of immigrants faced when leaving their home countries.
Small Island, Andrea Levy. Andrea Levy.
After Levy experienced an awakening to her identity in terms of both gender and race, she recognized that there was little written about the black British experience and sought to fill that gap through her own works. Her novels commonly address topics related to the Jamaican diaspora within the framework of the UK, exploring the ways in which racial, cultural and national identities are negotiated.
There are some words that once spoken will split the world in two. There would be the life before you breathed them and then the altered life after they’d been said. They take a long time to find, words like that. They make you hesitate. Choose with care. – Andrea Levy
Finding Samuel Lowe: China, Jamaica, Harlem, Paula Williams Madison. Paula Williams Madison.
A nonfiction memoir about a woman’s search for her grandfather and a key to her self-identity, this story tracks a path of both self-discovery and a love that transcends both time and race. Spanning four generations and crossing continents, traveling between New York, Jamaica and China, Madison’s journey stands as a testimony to the power of family and the interconnected nature of our world.
Madison’s story, which was adapted to a 2014 documentary, also brings attention to the challenges faced by Chinese Jamaicans in the 20th century. Anti-Chinese violence in Jamaica led to a massive emigration of Chinese Jamaicans.
Madison, a well-known journalist, writer, businessperson, executive and CEO with a 22-year career in journalism and communications grew up in Harlem, New York, but always retained a sense of connection to her Jamaican roots. Named one of the “75 Most Powerful African Americans in Corporate America” by Black Enterprise magazine in 2005 and one of the “Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business” in 2014, she is a leader in her profession. She is concerned about the narrative that people of African descent embrace, believing that they should not be limited to the history of slavery and that a greater sense of value and peace can emerge from a complete understanding of the culture’s contribution to civilization.
Before 400 mostly Chinese people, I said, ‘I am Chinese and am trying to find my grandfather’s descendants in China.’ For the very first time in my life, no one laughed or snickered. To pronounce that I — clearly black — am Chinese didn’t produce even any head shaking. That was my huge surprise; these Chinese people believed me. And so I began to have hope.

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