by Orita | January 15th, 2008
A Testimony of Triumph by James W. Sutton
This is an autobiographical account of the life of James Sutton and his family in Nevis and St. Kitts from 1920-1940. James Sutton writes about the conditions under which Nevisians and Kittitians lived during colonial rule and the subsistence living provided by a plantation society. Despite this servile existence, “[a]ll over the estate were fruit trees such as Guava, sour-sop custard-apples, strawberry and fat-pork growing wild. This was Greenhill of my boyhood; a place where Nature was profuse with its blessings; a place of poor, but happy people; people who worked hard on the land.”
This book is a joy to read and will evoke memories for many a Nevisian and Kittitian. James Sutton vividly describes his childhood; growing up between the two islands and the liberation of its peoples.
Testimony of an Irish Slave Girl by Kate McCafferty
Kidnapped as a young girl from Galway, Ireland, shipped to Barbados and forced to work the land alongside enslaved Africans, Cot Daley’s life has been shaped by injustice. Kate McCafferty tells the tale of more than 50,000 Irish who were sold as indentured servants to Caribbean plantation owners during the seventeenth century. Cot tells of the harrowing years of working on the sugar plantations and of her marriage to an enslaved African and rebel leader. Her story reveals a profound portrait of her life and of the relationships between the enslaved and their enslavers.
Compelling and strange, this book was a real eye-opener for me! It is an engrossing story with an important reminder that Britain’s colonies in the New World were built by the labour of enslaved whites as well as black.
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
This first novel in McCall Smith’s widely acclaimed Ladies Detective Agency series, tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe who is drawn to her profession to “help people with the problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop, she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con-man and track down a wayward daughter.
I am fascinated that McCall Smith has chosen to write about a woman from a woman’s point of view and has succeeded! His books are a sheer delight; sassy and fun to read. Highly recommended if you are feeling down in the dumps and fancy a bit of escapism!
The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho
On a legendary road of San Tiago, Spain, across which pilgrims have travelled for centuries, we find Paulo Coelho on a contemporary quest for ancient wisdom. This journey becomes a truly initiatory experience and Paulo is forever transformed as he learns to understand the nature of truth through the simplicity of life.This is a book that I will dip back into many times. Contemplative, poetic and beautifully written, but it is his message, which counts. This book may sound a bit “heavy” but it is such an easy read that I highly recommend it, whether or not you are soul searching!
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