Rape of Paradise: Columbus and the Birth of Racism in the Americas

by Jan R. Carew

A revealing account of the historical origins of Western racism in the Americas, Dr. Jan Carew takes you through a journey of intense revelation about thte impact of Columbus. Rape of Paradise is more that that, it is the voiceless ones whose whose saga has never been told; who have suffered massive genocide at the hands of Columbus who prepared to 'rape the sun' in search for gold. From the Foreword by Dr. Edward Scobie.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

232 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1994

Reviews

[Noel Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

book #32 of 2022: Rape of Paradise: Columbus and the birth of racism in the Americas (2006) by Guyanain-American author Jan Carew. this book was a monumental endeavor and in only 139 pages, the author achieves his goal. the first chapter describes the vast cultural contributions the Moors made to Europe during their 800 year rule in Spain, which ended with the Spanish Inquisition and, the last stand, the fall of Grenada in 1492…what a calamitous year…. The Spanish expelled the Jews and eventually the Moors as well, despite their monarchs’ initial promises. then they burned thousands of books the Moors had been carefully protecting. the author goes on to characterize the political and socioeconomic climate in Spain that made Columbus’ world changing voyage and devastation possible. The second chapter discusses the man himself, a low born, almost illiterate, power hungry charlatan who sought renown amongst the most powerful and wealth and rank for his heirs. in doing so, he initiated massive genocide of eventually over a hundred million indigenous peoples as well as massive ecological destruction throughout the Americas, and actively sparked the Atlantic slave trade, enslaving more than a hundred million Africans. the third chapter discusses how Africans came to the Americas long before the Columbus did and were so lauded for their teachings that lore was passed down and sculptures were made of them throughout the Americas. the third chapter also describes how racism, based on stunning cultural and religious exceptionalism, was developed to justify this vast slave trade, which European imperialists accepted as necessary and merited to build their capitalist empires. this book is a tour de force of the amazing accomplishments of Africans in early seafaring and massive contributions to countless aspects of culture in the Americas and Europe, the historical climate in Europe that made Columbus, the man, and his journey possible, and the centuries of impacts his barbaric human and natural destruction, as well as those who supported him largely for reasons of greed and power, but also religious proselytizing, have had and continue to have on peoples on several continents. there is a tendency of the author to portray the indigenous peoples of the Americas and Africans as wholly perfect beings and of course the opposite of many of the Europeans, but, at least on a cultural scale, this characterization doesn’t seem far from the mark. I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

[Duia Lafia Kwame · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good history of the Tainos and the Caribs, but he was a little to lenient on the Moors and the role of Islam in birthing racism.