Here are the selections for April’s Caribbean Book Club Discussion. I get books from the library, but you can also purchase them using the links provided. Some are available as ebooks, and others can be shipped internationally. To join the discussion, or recommend other books to the group, join our Facebook group. If you have read these book already, please hold any spoilers, reviews, or commentary until April 20. We would like everyone to have ample time to find and read the books.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/caribbeanbookclub/
Children’s selection: Down by the River: Afro-Caribbean Rhymes, Games, and Songs for Children
Collected by Grace Hallworth (Trinidad) and Illustrated by Caroline Binch (UK)
ISBN: 978-1847800824
A collection of Afro-Caribbean rhymes games and songs, collected by Trinidadian author Grace Hallworth, and brought to life by Caroline Binch’s bright and life-like illustrations.
Where to get it:
$0: Local library – several copies were available at within the DC library system. You can perform an online search for your area.
$7.95: Bookworm.com – paperback, free 2 day shipping
$7.19: Amazon.com
Teen Selection: Time Swimmer
Written by Gerald Hausman (US)
ISBN: 978-0-230-41092-3
Time Swimmer is the story of a young Jamaican, Luke, who befriends an ancient storytelling sea turtle, Odysseus. Together they travel through Caribbean time, righting wrongs and saving lives – the pirate, Henry Morgan, for one; and Cyparis, the only survivor of the Pelee volcano that killed 28,000 people in Martinique in 1902, to name another. The novel is full of spiders that are men and lizards that are gods. All mixed together in a pepperpot stew of fantastic spice that blends fiery history with delectable fantasy.
Where to get it:
$0: Always check your local library’s online search or call to check for availability. This was not available in our library system, but there are other titles by this author available. You may be the lucky one!
$9.86: Amazon.com
$2.99: Amazon.com
Adult Selection: Unburnable
Written by Marie-Elena John (Antigua)
ISBN: 978-0060837570
In this riveting narrative of family, betrayal, vengeance, and murder, Lillian Baptiste is willed back to her island home of Dominica to finally settle her past. Haunted by scandal and secrets, Lillian left 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: Matilda Swinging and Bottle of Coke; songs about a village on a mountaintop and bones and bodies; songs about flying masquerades and a man who dropped dead. Lillian knew the songs well. And now she knows these songs — and thus the history — belong to her. After twenty years away, Lillian returns to face the demons of her past, and with the help of Teddy, the man she refused to love, she will find a way to heal.
Where to get it:
$0: Local library – several copies were available at within the DC library system. You can perform an online search for your area.
$8.89: Amazon.com
$13.49: Amazon.com
Don’t forget to join at https://www.facebook.com/groups/caribbeanbookclub/. We start our online discussions on April 20th.
