Jamaica Books

Fortunately, I am lucky enough to have Chris as my ENGLISH professor at Elmhurst College this semester!! The book is a must for traveling to Jamaica's famed resort. Chris is the best.

I went to Hedo for the first time this year and was glad to learn more about the resort before I arrived. highly recommended!

I might never get the opportunity to go to Hedo, but I'm certainly prepared if I ever do! This book is just packed with tips and tricks of preparing for your trip. It's also full of crucial information regarding the not-so-well-known etiquette of getting wild and crazy with a bunch of like-minded folks. And the stories are just hysterical. So, even if a trip to Hedo isn't in your future, you can have a great time just reading Chris' book.

my fiance finished this book in one sitting and it took me two sittings. This book is a must have for anyone considering a trip to hedonism 2 (or three). and for those who aren't considering the trip it is still very well written and entertaining. over all well worth the purchase price.

We didn't finish the book because we found it completely unerotic and asexual. The author tells you for instance to bring safety pins to hold your toga in place and to bring toenail polish because the sand on the beach will wear it off. Wow!!! The stories told are all childish fun, but there's not a single one titillating. Puritan lack of sexuality. Boring.

Mari Sangiovanni has given us an incredibly touching and hilarious story, Greetings from Jamaica, Wish You Were Queer. She has masterfully weaved childhood accounts, embarrassing moments, an eccentric Italian family, a grandmother's million dollar estate, a family vacation, and a fragile new relationship into a brilliantly entertaining narrative that will draw you in immediately.
I had reluctantly picked up Greetings from Jamaica, thinking it was about the struggle for gay rights in Jamaica. I was completely wrong and have never been happier about being so off. Mari's book captivated me within the first few pages, personalizing the characters and connecting the underlying issues with my own life. The sparkling humor and heart wrenching uncertainness lured me in and made Greetings from Jamaica hard to put down. It's a book that all people can relate to and enjoy. A must-read for anyone!

For my peace of mind, I need to say a few things about this book. I already tried but my review wasn't published, and I thought, "what the [insert here what you know goes here]", so I'm trying again because I'd like to say my bit about this fantastic story.

This is an incredible read. There are many reviews that describe the qualities of this book in terms of funny, funnier, FUNNIEST, and they are all true and perfectly right on, but besides that, I'd like to say that within the funfest this is a true homage to the quirks and experiences we people of a same-sex orientation (the trouble one has to go to not to say q*****) go through in the course of our lives.

Quirk #1: Hurdles we mentally jump when we meet someone we like
Quirk #2: Families that act as if. (As if the pink elephant isn't even in the room.)
Quirk #3: Said families that in truth don't care one bit about one's orientation but go through the motions. Until it really counts.
Quirk #4: And here I was thinking I had it tough my family. And here I was thinking my family was bananas.
Quirk #5: No no no. Read the book and find out.

I want to give serious brownie points to the way Marie's feelings for Lorn go up and down like a roller coaster. Her floundering determination is depicted in such a realistic way that I couldn't help but madly nod through it all and take it like a good sport. Marie is so dead set to follow her mind one minute and so breaking her own bows and following her heart the next, that I can't help but feel identified. Who wouldn't? Marie is such a HUMAN and real woman that I have to stand up and applaud this author. She created a wonderfully humorous reflection of most (if not all) of us stung by the bee of mad, I-don't-care-about-the-consequences love, that I couldn't help but feel a bit in love with her myself. Marie is the best heroine/anti-heroine I've read about in a long time.

Another prop: This book reminded me of early times Rita Mae Brown, so very funny but ever so realistic and down to earth it makes one scream "YES, yes, that's JUST it!"

Now, my mother is loving this book. And that's another serious prop. How many books with a lesbian protagonist can you lend (sorry, family is family, after all) your mother and have her LOVE them? Really. Treat yourself. If you're in any way disappointed by this book I offer to buy your copy. I can give it to my mother for Christmas.

Last but not least: At the risk of sounding totally off-key, the romance in the book is very, but very, romantic.

WOW!!! "Greetings from Jamaica, Wish You Were Queer..." is a FANTASTIC read. It is one of the BEST books I've read in quite a while. I look forward to Mari SanGiovanni's next book; "Liddy~Jean, Marketing Queen" with great anticipation. I'm currently working the three to midnight shift and had to take a book light to work with me so that I could read this book during my lunch break as I didn't want to put this book down. Maybe someday we'll see this book on the big screen! Thank you Ms. SanGiovanni for creating such an enjoyable and entertaining piece of literary work.
Kipanne

my uncle picked this up for me in provincetown on a whim, and i'm so glad he did! i loved the story and could really relate to it, from the aspiring screenwriter to the big crazy family to the crushing on someone you know you shouldn't. it's funny, and keeps you interested until the very end. although the main character is a lesbian, you don't have to be gay to enjoy the book. it's a fairly quick read, but well worth it!

Very well written. I loved this book and I would definetly read it again. I think this author is talented and I would read many more of her works.

This is a sweet story but I found the narration by Jimmy B. and his daughter a little lacking. I'm a Jimmy Buffet fan no doubt. I just don't think voice overs are his thing. It is cool to hear him doing something with his daughter though. Like I said, it's sweet but I don't think we will pull this one off the shelf very often.

When I read the initial literary review, I had to laugh. The story is not weakened by the Jolly Mon's lack of efforts! Hah! The story is about the Jolly Mon's total surrender to his own destiny. He sings, the fish jump out of the sea, a musical instrument comes his way, he tries to play and makes a discovery. He trusts nature. He takes the opportunites that come his way with faith and grace. He uses the gifts he was given to the best and highest purpose. He does as he is asked to do. The book is a metaphor of faith and surrender. Besides that, it is beautifully illustrated, the music is lovely and my 2 1/2 year old son asks for it again and again. And, yes we are all parrotheads...

Anyone who is familiar with Jimmy Buffett understands ~ fantasy and fun are important parts of life.

This book & CD get the dream underway...

When I ordered this book I didn't realize it was a children's book. But when it arrived I read it then mailed it to my grand daughters. So it didn't go to waste and it was at least read/heard by three people in my family. I have loved the other Jimmy Buffett books and songs.

The quality of the printing, the beautiful 'semi-true story', the bright and well done colorful pictures and the bonus CD of Jimmy Buffett's song, aka The Jolly Mon, make this an excellent purchase for anyone with young children in their lives. It can lead to laughter, clapping, dancing and giggles!

Mekisha Hugh Hampton apparently cannot read - this book DOES an oxtail recipe. There are also a few 'paid for' reviews on here as well (just look at reviews for other cookbooks and you will see what I mean). I am a West Indian and I appreciate all island cooking - this book is a wonderful addition to your cookbook library. So please disregard Mekisha Hugh Hampton's review

This book is great to have in your collection if you are trying to learn to cook authentic Jamaican food. I am so glad I bought this book.

This is a superb book. Many recipes that I remember from my childhood. I've made a few already and they've all turned out really well.

I use it for everyhting when I can. Its a little hard getting the correct measurments. I love it and should be a a staple in every jamaican household.

I am Jamaican and know how to make some Jamaican dishes, but wanted to learn new recipes. I found this book to be very user friendly with recipes that are well known, as well as some lesser known ones. For the reviewer who said there isn't a recipe for oxtail, may I point you to page 101, right next to the one for curried goat.

This was a wonderful story and beautifuly written. I fell in love with the characters and did not want the story to end.

Rescuing another person is always trickier than it may at first appear. Anyone who has tried it - through adoption, friendship or relationship - will discover the deep complications that inevitably occur. The question in "Jamaica Girl," a novel I couldn't put down except to sleep, is: who rescues whom? For all her poverty and lack of education, young Rosalind shows her supposed sophisticated savior what manhood is all about. A wonderful reversal in a book full of surprises! I sent this book immediately to my sister, who shares my love of delicious literary treats!

This book is incredible. I love it! It is an incredible love story, certainly with a different twist and many anxious turns, and even though Glenn starts something not too many people would admire, in the end, I can't help but want the relationship to work. The characterization is phenomenal. Each character is so different, and exciting. This would make a great film.
What I like about the writing is how all the subplots not only get resolved and some of them are pretty difficult, but all of them are somehow linked to the progression and end of the story. I really, absolutely love this story.
This is such an unusual story and it touches so many different opinions and feelings, but I can't help but want Glenn & Rosie to make it. We are never responsible for whom we fall in love with, and in the beginning Glenn does try to do the right thing according to the rules where HE lives. But, there are other worlds and the reader has to think outside the box to fall in love with the relationship, and Mr. Miller has done that very well.

"Jamaica Girl" is a heck of a book. The brief information on Jon Michael Miller on the back cover concludes that the Saint Petersburg, Florida, resident "travels to Jamaica whenever he can." The depth of detail and intimacy with the subject in his novel hint that he has racked up more frequent flyer miles than an Air Jamaica in-flight attendant. And that when Mr. Miller comes to Jamaica he stays.

Glenn Webber and Rosalind Mitchell move from an initial meeting as she hitchhikes between Negril and Lucea to living together in a cottage in western Jamaica blissfully. Their union is accompanied by her growth from a shy, illiterate though certainly not unassertive girl just into her teens into a confident festival queen who takes the national title when she suggests "less hands out and more eyes bright" for tourism.
And Glenn, a middle-aged American, moves from being lacklustre about life and overweight to, on the final page, walking to the edge of a cliff and doing "a perfect swan dive into the blue-green sea", a happy man.

And it also includes scheming, intrigue, murder, whitemail, visits to the provider of spells, near prostitution, licky licky police, Jamaican 'runnings' and, of course, sex.

The writer's skill is evident throughout "Jamaica Girl", heady stuff indeed. Especially impressive is his attention to detail in situations that are way outside the ken of even community tourism, with details of his trip to the Black Cherry go-go club, to the home which Rosalind visits to get a potion and to the waterfall and stream in the hills above Lucea where the young country miss grown into near international model lives.

The perspectives of a foreigner on Jamaica are striking. Before Glenn and Rosalind have sex, his Jamaican friend Duane asked if he has yet "kill it". Glenn is shocked and it leads to a discussion between the two about how women are treated. Duane explains that with his woman Nicole, "she do for me, me do for her". Glenn replies: "...Maybe it's a Jamaican thing. But that's not the way I am. I'll feel responsible for her. I can't just think about my own lust, you know? I can't just play with her then throw her away like a used toy." To which Duane advises: "Me tell you man, have some fun. Do it to her, then go home... Give her something, some nice clothes, some money. Then she's better off than most country girls. But don't worry for her. Jamaica girl strong, man. Believe me, Jamaica girl can carry on for them own self".

Miller's patois dialogue could do with some brushing up, but hey, what the heck.

Stella and Winston have everything in common but their ages-they are black, beautiful, rich and cool. But Glenn and Rosalind have nothing in common. The issue in "Stella" is simple; in "Jamaica Girl" there are issues upon issues, and none are simple. In "Stella" McMillan presents the Jamaican settings as idyllic, lush, and verdant, the result of wealth and commercialism - the manicured environment as aphrodisiac. No one in "Stella" has poverty to contend with. It is the fantasy of a successful woman seeking stimulation in paradise.

Like Stella, Glenn reclaims his groove in Jamaica. But Miller reveals Jamaican life far outside the sterilized confines of the all-inclusive resort. In "Jamaica Girl" we see the reality of the land and of the people, a place where people must eke out their existences in a hostile world. He reveals the joy as well as the agony of that environment. Of the two books, Miller's is not only the braver but the truer. I greatly prefer "Jamaica Girl."

I just love this novel. I can't express it any other way. If you want a true understanding of the novel the way it was meant to be experienced - listen to it on an audio CD. The combination of Joyce Palmer words and Robin Miles' voice is indescribable.
Just wonderful!

This story is brilliantly told in the vernacular. Fay, the protagonist, is the last child of a family of eight. She is four years old at the beginning of the story but at the end she is a young woman of twenty. Life in the country with her mother and siblings is difficult indeed but in a way she is happy. Life changes when Flo, her eldest sister, comes to see the family and takes Fay for a visit to Kingston.This visit last sixteen years.

The violence in this book is hellish.The poverty, overwhelming. The reader is made to intimately feel the suffering Fay goes through. This book brought me to tears. However amidst all the squalor there is occasionally an oasis of kindness. Thank God!

Note: Cokee reminds me of Jack DeCotreau in the novel 'What Goes Around...'by Paula Aird. Check it out!

A wild, wild tale of a young girl living in Greenwichtown and has to endure voilence and ugliness on a daily basis until later on in the book were she leaves the country to look for work and try to support her family. And boy were they really poor. A lot of scenes are graphic and would have you in therepy if you had to witness the scenes the way Fay Myrtle had to. It was a nicely written novel but life in Greenwichtown I would wish on my worst enemy.

I was hooked from the very first page. Joyce Palmer describes life in the Jamaican country and in Greenwichtown with such vivid detail that I was transported vicariously to the world of Fay Myrtle. This book is not only touching in its frank description of life in a Jamaican ghetto; it also educates the reader on the effects of Jamaican politics and the caste system. The book is an easy read and used enough patois to be authentic without overwhelming readers who are not familiar with this language. Although there are numerous sad, dark, and shocking moments, hope prevails in the midst of hopelessness and the book will leave you smiling or crying, but definitely satisfied.

I just had to E-mail the author Joyce Palmer and tell her how much I enjoyed the book on so many levels. I had been to Jamaica several times and this book really brought the towns and people to life for me. I could imagine everything that happened to Faye and I felt her pain & despair and later on love & joy. It was a story of finding what was right & true and the unbreakable bond of Mother & child. I have recommended this book to several friends and they all came away with something different. Truly a wonderful story.

This book is certainly the greatest single published wealth of knowledge on Wailers recording I have ever seen. However, Steffens' choice of what is included in the book seems at times erratic. He has included a smattering of live shows (both historical & typical), but he has not fully documented all the shows currently in circulation. He has included some shows for which no tracks are issued, some which are partially issued, and some that are in for sale in thier entirety.

He also includes only a partial glimpse into the known unissued studio recordings of Marley. For instance, he lists tracks such as "Show Your Dreads" and "She Used to Call Me Dada," and intimate sessions, such as the one commonly known as Mother B Reel I. However, he includes no mention of known unissued studio tracks, such as "Wounded Lion" and "Real Good Time." For that reason, I must wonder how many songs & sessions are sitting in the vault that were purposefully omitted from this "definitive" discography.

This is a valiant effort and invaluable resource for sure. I'll be looking forward to the 2nd edition.

One.

With any discography, you expect to get details layered upon details about an artist's output. Here you get all of that, but there's much more. Roger Steffens is not only a huge reggae fan and supporter, but he's one of the premier collectors of reggae (and Marley in particular) recordings and memorabilia. He shares photos, anecdotes and insights into countless Marley recordings and sessions. As a long time Marley fan, I have spent hours just browsing and absorbing the information. Highly recommended if you want to know the minutiae and tidbits of the record releases from the Bob Marley.

Even "experts" have long been confused about details of Marley's recorded works, but here is the long-awaited authoritative reference source. Anyone, no matter how knowledgeable, will learn from flipping through this book, and the many illustrations of record covers/labels/etc make it fun to do so. Imagine Bob himself looking at this one - even he no doubt would be reminded of many recordings he might have forgotten - and would be proud indeed.

-steve heilig, BEAT magazine

Many a fan has wondered about the provenance of a certain track by Bob, Peter or Bunny or the whole holy Wailers trinity; only to be stymied by the seeming impossibility of ever imposing rational order on the gush of Wailers releases over the years. Helped by other aficionadoes, including my fellow Marley biographer Tim White, reggae historian and archivist Steffens and multi-talented bluesman Pierson have kept the faith -- and the vinyl -- for a full fifteen years to produce this handsome, thorough volume, illustrated with previously unseen pix by lenspersons including Kate Simon & Steffens. Delightful essays round out a very valuable work that's a true labour of love.

This long gestating book on the wild and wonderfully wide-ranging releases from 'Jamaica's Beatles' is finally out and meets all expectations. Thanks in part to the extensive interviews authors Steffens and Pierson conducted with 'the living stone' Bunny Wailer over several years, BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS: The Definitive Discography plows through the mountains of facts and dis-information to provide a clear and thorough, yet still living and evolving, look at the tremendous output of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny in all forms, roots and branches. The days of frontin' Wailers discs as originals in online and other record auctions are over as this compendium provides detailed proof of all origins and matrix numbers. Here's a slam dunk that actually merits an Order of Freedom Medal. Go deh dready go deh. -Doug Wendt, www.midnightdread.com

If you love things Jamaican, but have not savored this book, you have cheated yourself. Just as Faulkner showed his love and respect for the people of his South in his writings, the same feeling comes through in Anthony Winkler's portrayals of the people both common and not in Jamaica. In their own language, they tell their own tale in their own words, Jamaican patois, Labrish. Winkler's ear for speech makes me feel I am back a yaard in JA listening over a wall. The Lunatic himself is a Zen master conversing with a bush not burning. The tale is humorous like Faulkner's Snopes' stories, but the characters reveal their humanity and dignity, or lack therof, without being patronized. Their struggles reflect the grand drama of Life, an existential comedy. And it is uproariously funny, Mon!

This book presents typically serious issues such as racism, morals, and social inequalities in a comedic way. The main character nonchalantly converses with trees, bushes, even a rock. Under the guise of a slapstick comedy novel, Winkler is presenting a social commentary that is very relevant. I laughed out loud throughout the book, but at the same time, I felt that I was given a new point of view on many issues. This is a truly unique book, with the language making the reading a little more challenging, but a lot more fun. I've never been to Jamaica, but I lived in Hawaii, and the language is a bit similar. It's great to see a slang language in print. A great read, and definitely worth the time!

i was recommended this book by an outside source. The language was a little difficult for me, but fear not, if you aren't familiar with patois, then you can still read this book without too much effort. A very good story, but, unfortunately, it loses most if not all of its energy in the second half of the book. Also, if I read the phrase pum-pum one more time, i will lose my mind. try the duppy if you are new to mr. winkler's work.

I had never heard of Anthony C. Winkler before receiving information from Akashic Books that they were republishing his 1980s comic novel, The Lunatic. But I've seen interesting titles from the house before, so asked for a review copy - and I'm delighted that I did.

The story concerns a Aloysius, a Jamaican madman who claims a thousand names, who talks to trees, bushes, and rocks and lives alone in the open forests. He eventually meets a German tourist who sees the world through the lens of a camera and sex. They improbably become lovers, eventually add a third - a butcher - and go through a series of experiences and situations, culminating in the robbery of a rich man's house.

I've seen references to Winkler as Jamaica's Mark Twain. His humor manages to be both earthy - the running comments about sex and how it dominates life are funny in a way I find little sexual humor to be - and cerebral at the same time. But the humor isn't something to be enjoyed for its own sake. Winkler uses smiles and laughs as tools to further both the story and the ideas behind it. He deftly starts blending the worlds of the sane and the mad until they mingle, and suddenly he shows how much of modern society really is crazy, and how basic decency is too often viewed as a type of insanity. But that quality really is redemptive.

Winkler's use of symbolism is smooth and deep. The thousand names theme, for example, brings an association with the Hindi concept of the thousand names of God, each of which describe an aspect of the deity. The list of words - Aloysius Gossamer Longshoreman Technocracy Predominate Involuted ... and so on - actually read like a list of attributes of life and of people. They were all names he heard, sneaking outside a classroom because he had a desire to learn something. Aloysius isn't a deity, yet he seems to walk with God. Instead of seeing the change in him, we see the changes he works, just by his presence, in all around him. He calls forth mercy, a connection to the world, and true love.

Winkler is also a master of language. The book's pacing is smart - fast but not driven - and his use of dialect leaves the characters, and eventually the narration, ringing in your mind. Well, at least mine.

I'd strongly recommend this book for a pleasure read that lets something more substantial sneak up on you.

This is undoubtedly the funniest book I have ever read. 10 years ago in my college dorm through peals of laughter, which had everyone thinking I had gone mad - as mad as Aloysius - I read this tale in 24 hours. Since then I have reread the book several times and given copies as gifts for a variety of occasions. Each time, the response of belly ripping laughter has been the same.

This is a true depiction of the quintessential Jamaican rural mad man. Those of us who grew up in rural Jamaica know an Aloysius. The theme might seem like a simple silly Jamaican comedy, but the writing style is eloquent and easy. Tony does not skip a beat.

I have two criticisms; the first is that we end on an anti-climax as if the writer ran out of ideas or he became tired of writing. Therefore I felt that the tale ended too abruptly. Then again, this feeling could also be due to my desire to have this story go on and on. My second criticism is that I sensed a touch of Condescension by the narattor to ordinary poor country folk. In the Jamaican context, the church going old woman who slept with the mad man would hardly have done such a thing. But then again this is fiction. I guees the problem for me is that when fiction mimics real life so closely, one wants consistency throughout. Nevertheless, I give this five stars - and more - every time I read it.

Also recommended: Slip Stream, by Rachel Manley, Orange Laughter, by Leone Ross, Mine Boy by Peter Abrahams.

i llllllove this book, its so genius, the plot, the imagary, the use of language, de book wikid u see?

i am now wrting a script because of this book, it inspired me to write. I would like to in my future endeavour make a film out of these stories if given the right tools and the permission.
i seriously did not want to bring it back to the library!
story sweet!

Wow. I truly enjoyed reading this book. I found it well written and it carried me from beginning to end without a hitch. It was quite a ride! I did find myself reading out loud quite a bit - pronouncing the lingo/slang/pidgen words aloud so I could try to understand or hear what they sounded like or meant. Some words I looked up in on-line dictionaries as I wasn't sure exactly what they meant. (woe to us Pacific Northwest folks...) I can easily imagine this book as a movie - the characters were (and still are) very vivid in my minds eye as I read through it.

This novel depicts, with very gory and startling detail, the true life of Protestant, Pentecostalist, small-town, country people in mid-20th-century Jamaica, who are completely caught up between misguided perceptions of what is good and evil and the plague of superstition and mysticism. As was mentioned before: if you enjoy Toni Morrison, you will enjoy this read. If you have no clue as to the ins and outs of Jamaica's overly "Christian" culture and the captivating politics of beauty and race on this island-nation, then this book will serve, as was mentioned in other reviews, as a frightening, yet quite real, introduction.

This story about the struggle for the soul of a small Jamaican village evokes the dreamlike particularity of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and the driving inevitability of Faulkner's major novels. But the voice is unique to Marlon James, and it's the voice, rather the many voices, ranging from poor folk patois to high flown hermeneutics, that make this novel special.

Hector Bligh, the Rum Preacher, presides over the pulpit of the village's Christian Church. Bligh, lost in fog of guilt and alcohol, is a barely credible messenger of God. During service one Sunday, a stranger bursts into the church and physically tosses Bligh out into the street. The stranger, Apostle York, tells the congregation he's been sent to put the village back on a proper spiritual path. Over time, the sacrifices York asks from the faithful get greater, and the price for disobedience rises sharply. Pastor Bligh sinks to the depths, but he's given a hand up by the Widow Greenfield, and eventually finds the will to struggle back. Sober, connected again to spiritual power from multiple sources, he's ready to fight to reclaim his church.

James flits in and out of a lot of minds. He's particularly good with the main female character, Lucinda, who's caught between love of God and lust for Apostle York, between the spiritual light of day and the darkness of obeah magic. And we care for the Widow Greenfield, who can't keep compassion from seeping into her sealed-off heart. A rarely seen technique is the way James uses the collective voice of the village as a kind of Greek chorus that comments on the struggle between the Pastor and the Apostle. This voice is fearful, ignorant, credulous - prime fodder for York's emerging cult.

The book contains many graphic scenes. Fluids from many bodies gush, flow, spurt. The language is raw; neither the reader's nor the characters' feelings get spared. But all of it is in service to the plot: the battle between the Pastor and the Apostle comes to a climax; Lucinda's internal struggles get resolved; and we learn why York showed up at this particular dusty country crossroad in the first place.

This is a powerful novel. The writing is strong and original. The shifts in setting and point of view are handled with aplomb. Even more impressive, it's James' fiction debut. He's a writer to watch.

This book is nothing like anything I expected. It is very well written. I am amazed that this is a new author.

Has proved to be a great read so far. My copy was signed by the author, not sure if he signed all of them or I was maybe lucky. Excellent shipping and packaging.

I haven't put this book down since it arrived in the mail! You will love 'meeting' several Rastas and hear their personal philosophies which are each unique and yet all based on One Love. Learn why Ital (natural and/or organic) foods and herbs are soooo important. Sychronicity happens!

This book is an amazingly written book that has you wanting to read more. The views and interviews of the Rastas will have you spiritualy moved and emotionally involved. One of a kind book that could never be duplicated.

Enjoy and immerse yourself in the ways of a Rastaman. The author literally makes you feel like your right there smoking a spliff with the rastas during a reasoning(conversation) session. This book is extremely inspirational you truly feel the love coming through the book. I reccommend it to all looking to learn about Rastafari and take a look at living FREE out of babylon!!!

JAH!!! RASTAFARI!!

I know Jahmayka and the Rastas... I love the island and its people, sweet reggae music ! Rastafarian is a system of belief that people living in extreme poverty have found to make their hardship tolerable.

Where there is no hope,
one must invent hope.
- Albert Camus

But to suggest that this is the way to a better soceity for the world at large is delussional !
Though Babylon ( Eurocentricism ) has played a role in much of the dark history and disparity that exists today, it has also developed many parts of the world that have just begun to show the potential we have as a species if we can get past our tribal differences. Rastas who are not all alike, ( very individual and varied personalities ) will reason about one love in many different terms however it may suit them at the moment but in general tend to smoke herb and commiserate about their situation. Creating these roles that are just as fictitous as the ones that they denounce is not uplifting at all. Read Eckhart Tolle if you want some insight into reality. Smoke a spliff and listen to reggae riddims if you want to escape it.

Otherwise this is a pretty entertaining book that I enjoyed. The historical accounts of Rastafarian beliefs and Jamacian history are consistent with other accounts I have read. Some of the statements about Marijuana are questionable.