Island People: The Caribbean and the World

by Joshua Jelly-Schapiro

From the moment Columbus gazed on the land he mistook for India, the islands of the Caribbean have been the subject of daydreams and fantasy. The result of ten years†travel, this book strips away the myths to reveal the real Caribbean, a region that has produced some of the worldâ€s most influential artists, activists, writers, musicians and sportsmen, as its people speak for themselves about their home and its place in the world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Travel, Geography, Music, 21st Century

464 pages, Hardcover

First published November 15, 2016

About the author

Joshua Jelly-Schapiro is a geographer and writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, the New York Review of Books, the New York Times, and Harper's magazine, among many other publications. Among his books is Names of New York, Island People, and (with Rebecca Solnit) Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas. He is a scholar-in-residence at the Institute for Public Knowledge at NYU, where he also teaches.

Reviews

[Suzette · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's so much interesting in this book as the author details his travels, and I was excited to read this recommendation from a bookstore. However, within the wonderful details are biases that irritated me so much. There is a reference to the author observing Jamaicans at a chain restaurant and his thoughts that they are perhaps "getting a jump on their dream to dwell in a Florida suburb" ... I have no idea how one infers/ even gets in the mind that eating a meal from a chain restaurant translates to wanting to live in America. The disdain for the Marley children was too much. Sure he is entitled to his opinions and perspectives in his travel journey but they irritated me too much that it took away the joy from reading the stories of the beautiful Caribbean.

[Aloke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this six stars because it is so packed with information about Caribbean (outstanding on Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti and Dominican Republic) history, music and literature. And Jelly-Schapiro is a charming but dorky travel guide. But I'll subtract a star because the writing is sometimes baroque (there were a handful of times when I lost track of nested clauses). Honestly, this is probably a four star book for most but I really loved it once I got into it.

[George Roper · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Caribbean Basin contains islands that have been the birth place and residence for countless influential authors, musicians, political leaders, revolutionary thinkers and poets.

Joshua Jelly-Schapiro's "Island People" adds to an already extensive volume of books written about the region's lands, history and people. What makes this book a worthy addition to the extant body of literature on the Caribbean is the fact that in one book you can read about the impact of:
1) The Caribbean's leading artists and writers on world culture;
2) European colonization on the Caribbean;
3) US hegemony, particularly on the former Spanish colonies;
4) forces that drove many of those islands towards political independence and the aftermath of that process; and
5) remaining under European rule, for those territories profiled that chose that path rather than the route of independence.

The diversity of the various islands in the region - a point often missed by the uninitiated outsider - comes clearly through in Jelly-Schapiro's accounts of his journeys through the Greater and Lesser Antilles, namely Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic (DR), Haiti, Puerto Rico, Cayman Islands, Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada, Montserrat, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Trinidad and Tobago. If you have never visited any of these islands, reading Jelly-Schapiros' book is the next best thing.

Jelly-Schapiro does an exceptional job in examining the fractious relationship between Haiti and its neighbor the DR with whom it shares the same land mass - the island of Hispaniola. His profiles of Martinique's poet-politician Aime Cesaire and his one time student Frantz Fanon is also illuminating, effectively elucidating the reasons why the former is revered in his homeland (and also favorably recognized in France) whilst the other is not - though Fanon is adored by academics and revolutionaries the world over, across several generations. The book also has interesting profiles of Dominica's Jean Rhys, Trinidad's V.S. Naipaul (a Nobel laureate) and CLR James, and Antigua's Jamaica Kincaid, illustrious writers all.

The pacing is perfect as Schapiro's writing style packs a lot of content into each and every sentence, but so fascinating were the subjects covered by the book, I found myself wanting to know much more about what I read at several points. Those urges came most forcibly to the fore as I read Jelly-Schapiro's accounts of the Haitian wars of independence, Grenada's political crisis of the early 1980s, the impact of the 1958 Notting Hill Riots on the lives of Caribbean people living in England, the rise and fall of Michael X (formerly Michael Defrietas) and the unique societies and cultures of Barbuda and Montserrat. The author could easily expand many of the chapters into individual full blown books - a challenge I hope he finds worthy to take on. More importantly, there is a need for the people of the region to write their own story... hopefully this book helps to spread a recognition of that need.

Congratulations to the author on a job well done. And might I add, it was a good choice to start this engaging travelogue in Jamaica - my home and the land of my birth! The book underscores that Jamaica - and indeed the entire region as a collective - has punched way above its weight class in its global impact. The Caribbean - even with its troubled history, complicated present and uncertain future - is a gift to the world that keeps on giving.

[Book Riot Community]

A comprehensive and intriguing look at the nations of the Caribbean, their shifting identities through the centuries, and their music, politics, religions, cutltures, and people. Jelly-Schapiro delves deep into the sometimes ugly history of such beautiful places, as well as thoroughly examining what role the Caribban has played in shaping the present world. But you don ‘t have to take my word for it – it’s also highly recommended by Marlon James! I’ll read anything he tells me to read.


Backlist bump: The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost


Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative book about several of the Caribbean islands. However, I often found it difficult reading. Apparently the author was working on his doctorate thesis, which I´m sure this book was a part of that effort. This book was written for academia: wordy and lengthy prose.

The countries the author writes about are the Greater Antilles (Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola consisting of Dominican Republic and Haiti) and the Lesser Antilles( Cayman, Barbados, Grenada, Barbuda, Montserrat, Antigua, Martinique and Guadeloupe, Dominica, and Trinidad (nothing about Tobago). Not only did he write about the history and geography of the islands, but also about their culture. In fact, I first thought that this book was about the music of the islands.

Of all the islands he writes about, Haiti impressed me more than any other island. Haiti, you say? Yes, Haiti. The only nation where the slaves revolted and took over their homeland. It´s also the home of The Citadel which is the largest fortress in the New World built by Henri Christoph in the 1800´s. Looking at pictures, it is a remarkable but ruinous structure now.

Other facts that I found interesting are:
-- US Navy once owned 2/3 of the island of Cuba and more than likely procured its ownership in a dubious manner.
-- Although Dominican Republic and Haiti share the island of Hispaniola, they are as difffernt nations as can be. How can one country be richer than the other? There was no definitive answer. Dominican Republic, although not rich, is definitely richer than Haiti and has benefitted from tourism. Haiti is well-known for its poverty and earthquake stricken country. There is also an immigration issue between the two countries. Dominican Republic will not give citizenship papers to those born in that country if they are descandent from Haitians. Many of these people with questionable citizenship fear deportation to Haiti and Dominican Republic has threaten deportation.
-- I remember hearing in the news about the US military "rescuing" American medical students in Grenada. According to the author, this reasoning is a ruse that the US used to invade Grenada and rid the country of Cuban military and influences.
-- Martinique and Guadeloupe are not independent countries but French departments (DOM-TOMs). Citizens of these two islands are French citizens the same as French citizens in Paris. As such, they are also Europeans as part of the EU with all its benefits and disadvantages.
-- Martinican poet Aimé Césaire termed the phrase "negritude" which is the philosophy of rejecting self-hate that was instilled by colonial rule.
-- France gave that frozen country of Canada to Britain in order to have Martinique and Guadeloupe. I think they thought these two islands would be like the other Caribbean countries rich in sugar cand and/or tobacco but they were wrong. The land is not arable.
-- I had just finished reading a book by Jean Rhys who is a Dominican. The author spent much of this chapter discussing her life and books. I now want to read her most famous book, Wide Sargosso Sea.
-- Trinidad is off the coast of Venezuela and also has oil deposits which makes it a rich country in relation of other Caribbean nations. In fact, Trinidad has a GDP equal to that of a first world nation.

I learned so much. I still don´t understand the difference between Cuban son music and salsa but maybe one day I will. Very informative.

[Ann Tonks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely give 5 stars to books but this was a stand-out. Partly because I learnt so much about the history and culture of countries in the Caribbean from Jamaica to Dominica, Cuba to Haiti, large islands to small islands. Partly because this is clearly a work of a learned and passionate person. Partly because the story telling is so full of humanity.

I picked it up accidentally because like many people, Cuba is on my travel list but know I'm in a deeply ambivalent situation. Many more Caribbean places are on my list as a result of reading this brilliant book but I'm fearfully of turning into a cruise tourist who doesn't properly experience the islands.

So regardless of whether you're planning to travel or are simply curious about this extraordinarily multicultural part of the world, you must read this book.

[Lagobond · Rating 2 out of 5]

A while ago decided I wanted to learn about Antigua and Barbuda, a small Caribbean nation I knew nothing about. I watched some YouTube videos, read a few articles online, listened to some music... I learned a few things about the history, geography, politics, language, the flag, the people, and the cuisine. Then I moved on to books. I read three of Jamaica Kincaid's novels, not realizing when I checked them out of the library that the author had left Antigua and Barbuda decades before writing her books; but finding enough tidbits about life on Antigua to keep me going (also, the books are short).

All of this gave me a fairly broad impression of the country; enough that I no longer have to say "I don't know anything about Antigua and Barbuda." For good measure, I decided to give Island People a try. I have to say this was overall quite disappointing. The chapter on Antigua is 9 pages, the first third of which is basically a rehash of the author's conversation with his taxi driver on the way to the school Jamaica Kincaid attended. He sprinkles in a few general observations about the kind of tourist who doesn't concern itself with the place he's visiting, choosing instead to live a fantasy life in a sheltered resort, viewing the locals largely as servants or from a distance. The rest of the chapter is a rehash of Kincaid's writings.

I get the impression that Jelly-Schapiro is feeling quite enlightened as he quotes paragraph after paragraph of Kincaid's observations about the inequalities and disconnect between rich tourists and locals. Yet all the while he never leaves his touristy bubble of hotel (the one with the "bad coffee"), taxi, quick photo stop, and ferry boat. And then his conclusion:

But as we rolled away from the school and back down Market Street toward Drake, all the history shaping how he spent his days and how I was spending mine, was hovering in the car and between us as well, as it always does: our appointed roles here, in this small place, whose strictures could be transcended but where subversion might never feel total.

Well... no, it won't, but it's not like he ever even tried to engage on a level that goes in any way, shape, or form beyond a simple tourist transaction. The contrast between his admiration for Kincaid's writing on the one hand, and his own obliviousness to his own role in the very dynamics she condemns, is mind-boggling.

Oh, and as for Barbuda? The author never made it there, because the ferry tickets were sold out. So instead, he chose to rehash a bit of the Antigua chapter -- plus a few history notes anyone can look up online; some musings about the nature of slavery in Barbuda vs. the rest of the world; and a lengthy treatise about a newspaper he had picked up at the airport, which discussed the current power outage in Barbuda and various corruption issues. A couple locals barely feature as asides.

Way too much regurgitation for my taste. The things I didn't already know from my fairly cursory internet readings would have fit on one page. Also the author comes across as judgmental and haughty. The writing is overwrought and grating.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not just a travelogue of the Caribbean. As Joshua Jelly-Schapiro arrives at each island, he offers some background history, it's culture as well as a look at the contemporary lifestyle and politics of the place.

It was interesting to see how the various locations visited (Jamaica, Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Montserrat, Grenada, Barbados, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Martinique, and Trinidad) differ in many ways but also have their similarities.

One thing that is missing is a map detailing the places that the author visited. There is an antique map provided at the start of the book, but something more modern, allowing the reader to follow the author as he travels from island to island would have been useful.

But overall, I enjoyed reading "Island People", and it highlighted some places in the Caribbean that I would love to visit.

[Anela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent travelogue on Caribbean islands: Jamaica, Cuba, Puerto Rico, DR, Haiti, Cayman, Barbados, Antigua, Barbuda, Trinidad, Dominica, Grenada, Martinique, etc. Travel centers on music (Jamaican reggae, Cuban everything, Trinidadian calypso) and the author's search for the origins of literary figures and intellectuals (V.S. Naipul, C.L.R. James, Jamaica Kincaid, Jean Rhys, Frantz Fanon). But you also learn about politics, history and culture. A fascinating compendium, he ponders each country individually plus the region as a whole.

I stumbled upon this book because the very on-trend gradient cover caught my eye at McNally Jackson. Then I noticed the author was my T.A. at Berkeley for a class on Globalization. He mainly graded our reflections on the readings and guided our Berkeley-ite discussions as T.A.s do.

The subject matter was interesting but I think the book needed more editing. What needed work:
1) Overlong, oft-repetitive sentences smacking of Academia. Could use the Hemingway app.
2) Some sections feel quite academic, lending themselves to skimming
3) Bits of condescension that I found distracting (frequent sarcastiquotes, and just plain ol' condescending/dismissive language)

[John Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time with this book. Written by a geographer, it only includes one map and it was made in 1701! Chapter qualities vary from place to place. The book is a mixture of a travelogue with a mix of history, cultural (with an emphasis on music) and literary studies. When he overemphasizes the music of a place, like he did in Jamaica, I felt lost. Other times when he had the right mixes of all parts, like in Cuba and Hispaniola, the book seems to work quite well. Other times he brings out a strong background on a place like Barbuda and then mentions that he was unable to get there because the ferry from Antigua wasn't running then so you get a good background but no feel for the place. So I left mainly disappointed in this book by a fellow geographer because the places were often overwhelmed by too much other stuff.

[Andy White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting and accessible history of some of the Caribbean islands. The author is at his best when he narrates his adventures on the islands. I did skip a couple of offshoots from his history telling. They were a little too lengthy (e.g., history of West Indians in London). An important work on this topic and a fun armchair adventure.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5, really, perhaps, for being fairly comprehensive but lacking the rest for condescension & overcompensation. His tone is (to me) insufferable for solidly half the book. No thank you.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope this author is onto the Windrush story, the execrable treatment of Caribbean immigrants and their British-born children who since 2010 (PM May's term as the Home Office Secretary, 2010-16) have been deported, denied services, and otherwise mistreated under Mrs. May's "hostile environment" policies. Enoch Powell's notorious attitude was seconded by Eric Clapton in the '60s, among others (when he gave his rant, a member of the audience shouted "You didn't shoot the sheriff" {Clapton had covered Marley's tune]), altogether an ugly patch that has not been sewn in to any good effect.

Anyway, I really liked this book, found it informative on music, history, and politics throughout the Caribbean. I came to it directly from Leigh Fermor's book, one referenced by Jelly-Schapiro occasionally in the course of this volume. This one, however, differs a great deal from its predecessor in its closer attention to factual matters and the research which under pins. Historical vignettes and brief biographies of cultural figures, writers and musicians, provide ballast for the author's trip from Jamaica (opening) to Trinidad (conclusion); beginning with an introduction, it presents two sections: The Greater Antilles: Jamaica (ch 1-3), Cuba (4-6), Puerto Rico (7), Hispaniola (8-10); The Lesser Antilles (The Sea of Islands: ch 11-14).

I found references to: one of my favorite films, The Harder They Come which the author credits for much of the global success of reggae, Castro's Cuban revolution from a much more intelligent perspective than is usually available to US readers, the Haitian-Dominican situation (which resembles the Irish/Northern Ireland division and attitude) (actually, my interest in the Caribbean was piqued by a novel (Kenneth Roberts', I think) about Toussaint L'Ouverture when I was a tad; the names that leapt out at me included his, of course, but some of my true culture heroes and favorite writers like C.L.R. James, a major influence on the author, Jose Marti, Franz Fanon, George Lamming, Naipaul, Alejo Carpentier, Paule Marshall, and numerous others. This man knows his subject inside-out.

The material is engaging and the writing moves it along smoothly. The attitudes evinced toward the darker peoples by their lighter or supposedly lighter fellow islanders or fellow Caribbeans depresses this reader though they cannot match the crassness of the Big Uncle to the northwest.

This book is a keeper, would be an excellent background text for readers of the astounding literature that the archipelago and its natives has produced in the past century and a half.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a remarkable survey of the history and culture of the Caribbean basin. It begins in Jamaica and works it's way around the arc of Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the Antilles down to Trinidad. Jelly-Shapiro has had a love of and fascination with the region that predates his academic training which has also suited him for the analysis he does in his travels. This makes the work an interesting combination of passion and erudition. At some points, when describing his musical or leftist heroes it can come across as a little cloying but he never shrinks from looking at the underside of the things he loves and he gives it a full accounting. This is especially useful for a reader such as myself who came to the subject with neither the passion nor the erudition of Jelly-Shapiro and he made the region and its culture really come alive for me. Jelly-Shapiro is an American and I think the book is probably written with an American audience in mind, this may or may not sit as well with audiences from the region itself but it was of great use to me as I did not have a firm understanding before reading this of the powerful influence Caribbean figures have had on African American society within the United States as well as the wider American culture. While this was interesting, I don't want to overplay it because the book really is focused on the region, its history, its politics, its music, its culture, and mainly, its people. I highly recommend it.

[Juha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book on many levels. Joshua Jelly-Schapiro knows the Caribbean intimately and is extremely well-read in the region and its culture, from history and literature to music. He covers the places he visits or stays in for longer periods from the time of Columbus’ journeys, the colonial period when the islands were used for sugar plantations relying on slave labor, to contemporary cultural trends. This is how a travelogue should be: personal but anchored in the larger historical-geographic-political context, erudite but entertaining.

Yet, it took me some time to wade through the 430+ pages. Not because I wasn't interested but because some of the chapters (each dealing with a specific island) were rather heavy going. Some sections on the larger islands—Jamaica and Cuba each get three chapters—are lively, mixing culture and societal commentary with the author's personal experiences.

In the case of Jamaica, rasta culture and reggae, naturally, play an important part. It's not only about Bob Marley, but also Toots Hibbert, Peter Tosh and many others get their share. Jelly-Schapiro spends time with Chris Blackwell, the founder of Island Records that brought reggae to a wider audience, now living in the villa where Ian Fleming dreamed up James Bond. Jelly-Schapiro places these cultural and musical factors firmly into the socio-political setting.

Similarly, the highly personal section on Cuba brings together history, politics, economy, music and culture. He explores the notion of cubanidad, which “first crystallized as an important, if still vague, idea when the cause of Cuban independence” was promoted by José Martí in the 1880s and 1890s (p. 120). He equally explores the roots of the specifically Cuban music that we love in the mélange of African and European traditions. He highlights the role of Israel “Cachao” Lopez, the legendary musician and composer broght to broader fame in his later years through Buenavista Social Club. The last of the three chapters concerns Cuba in the twilight of Fidel Catro’s reign.

The chapter on Puerto Rico emphasizes the island's relationhip with the United States and the diaspora in the Bronx. The chapter also traces the history of Puerto Rican nationalism and its hero, Pedro Albizu Campos.

The three chapters dedicated to Hispaniola are weighed down by history, perhaps inevitably given how important it is in explaining the current state of affairs. The two countries that share the island—Dominican Republic and Haiti—are often contrasted, with the first one coming on top as a developmental success story and the second as a hopeless basket case. Jelly-Schapiro brings much nuance to this interpretation highlighting the violent and dictatorial history of the Dominican Republic, while bringing out the humanity in Haiti. He sheds light on the curious racial relations on the island, stemming from the two sides’ histories as Spanish vs. French colonies, and how these continue to cause tensions between the two.

The four chapters covering eight smaller islands in the Lesser Antilles are shorter, perhaps because there's not that much to report (and perhaps because the author seems to have spent less time on each of them, which is perfectly understandable). His reporting from these islands tends to poke holes to the image of them as paradise. Yet, Jelly-Schapiro's understanding still brings forth many distinctive features between, say, Barbados and Barbuda, both with a history as British colonies and sugar plantations.

Grenada has a distinct political history and a charismatic leader, Maurice Bishop, executed by his political rivals in 1983. Ronald Reagan found the island's socialist experiment so threatening that he sent in the marines to subdue the tiny island nation, on the pretext of the presence of Cuban workers helping to expand the airport.

Montserrat, a British Overseas Territory where Sir George Martin, the legendary producer built a house and studio, rose to international attention in 1995 when the long-dormant Soufrière volcano erupted destroying Plymouth, the capital, and forced two-thirds of the island’s population to flee. Jelly-Schapiro explores the volcanic zones with an American geography professor, Lydia Pulsipher, and her husband. They note how, following the disaster, the British governmental aid agency DFID, relocated people into new houses in a non-affected area: “they’re well bjuilt, but they’ve got nothing to do with how Montserratians live; with the old social structure here, and with homes they built to fit it” (p. 319). Unfortunately, this is a picture that often emerges when well-meaning outsiders try to assist countries to rebuild after a disaster (for example in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami).

Martinique, which still today is a French territory and the westernmost extension of EU, deserves a lengthy chapter, largely due to the writers and political thinkers it has produced, such as Aimé Césaire and Patrick Chamoiseau. Jelly-Schapiro writes (p. 358):

"Few large countries, let alone little ones, boast the literary riches allowing one to trace the whole modern arc of their culture, and the contours of that culture's conflicts, through those of its books."

Accordingly focusing on these writers and their poetry and their legacy at the expense of the author's own experiences, these 32 pages took me more effort than most other parts of the book.

Throughout, the book discusses numerous authors from the islands, many of whom have achieved fame outside of the Caribbean: C.L.R. James and V.S. Naipaul (Trinidad), George Lamming (Barbados), Jamaica Kincaid (Antigua), Franz Fanon (Martinique), Jean Rhys (Dominica), and the already-mentioned Aimé Césaire and Patric Chamoiseau

Luckily, he saved the best for the last. The 40-page final chapter on Trinidad is superbly crafted. Its culture and social and political issues are presented in a very animated way. Jelly-Schapiro has spent ample time on the island, including as a visiting scholar at the university. The carnival, the calypso and steel bands form a sort of a backbone to the chapter. Jelly-Schapiro tells the dramatic story of Michael Abdul Hakim (a.k.a. Michael X), a Black activist, and the people around him.

His best informant is Jay Telfer, an octogenarian figure whom he befriended. Telfer who in the 1960s played a central role in bringing West Indian culture, including the Notting Hill Carnival, to London, is a font of information and a delightful character. Before that, in the 1950s, Jay Telfer studied at NYU and worked at the jazz clubs in Greenwich Village where he met many jazz legends, and where Thelonius Monk told Telfer he was the only man able to dance to Monk’s music. Although involved in politics throughout his career, Jelly-Schapiro says of Telfer: "Personal ethics, like personal style, were for him much more important than politics" (p. 411).

Jelly-Schapiro has written a highly interesting and valuable book, although it is somewhat uneven. He generally writes well alternating between the casual when describing his own personal experiences and the academic. There are places where his style can get a bit out of hand. Take, for example, this sentence about Chamoiseau (p. 334):

"And his ideas' shadows have been palpably present, too, over polemics surrounding the French Antilles' great human export of now; those other public artists—soccer players—whose goals in World Cup stadia, firing France to victory in a Coupe de Monde contested in Paris in 1998, prompted scenes of joy on the Champs-Elysées more massive than any since the Liberation, and forced a country still unaccustomed to seeing itself reflected in the brown and black faces of its colonies to ask pointed questions about what, two centuries after Robespierre's fall, a Frenchman is."

Apart from these squabbles, it is a book worthy of its author, a fellow geographer, with a PhD from UC Berkeley. Finally, Jelly-Schapiro confesses to having adopted C.L.R. James as “a kind of intellectual hero and style icon alike” (p. 401):

“Here was a scholar activist who wrote with equal verve and brilliance about the Haitian Revolution and the game of cricket, Hegelian philosophy and Hollywood movies, Herman Melville and calypso music—and whose synthetic aptitude for doing so, moreover, found him placing all those subjects within the larger telos not only of modern capitalism but also of humanity’s struggle for democracy reaching back to the Greeks.”

If this cultural-historical-political-social mixture was what Joshua Jelly-Schapiro aimed for in this book, I think he pretty much succeeded.

[Hansel5 · Rating 5 out of 5]

After listening to Jelly-Shapiro in a webinar on NYC place names, I looked up his work. A geographer and lecturer, he has a keen interest in the Caribbean and an affinity for Cuba, I was surprised to find out.
The book was a great read. He easily glides from island to island, beginning with the Greater Antilles, recounting each island history from colonial times to their stark, honest, if problematic present. The history of colonialism is one that is painful and with wide repercussions on the racial, economic, and social nature of these volcanic and coral land formations . In the Caribbean, along with the harsh realities there is a joy the peoples, the islanders, are infused with in order to deal with the challenges of their daily lives.
The author spends more time on the islands which hold a special place in his heart: Cuba, Jamaica, Dominica, Trinidad. While others are brought in sharp contrast with the other idyllic tropical paradises due to the violent nature of their history, for example Grenada, Haiti, Dominican Republic.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The focus of the book is centered far too much on music- although an important part of many of the islands identities there is so much more to these nations! I was expecting a more rounded approach but the minute details on various musicians, to the detriment of other historical and notable figures lost it for me

[Jay Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I misunderstood the premise of this book, I had hoped for a brief history context for the Caribbean nations, this book is literally the Caribbean people that the author met whilst researching something with some little bit of background and a travelogue feel.
The insights were interesting but it seemed to be not a history, not a contemporary description or have a theme.

[John Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Island People, by Joshua Jelly-Shapiro; Alfred A. Knopf: New York: $28.95 hardback

When Americans think of the Caribbean, it is vaguely defined by beautiful beaches a short flight away. Yet Joshua Jelly-Shapiro, visiting scholar at New York University, journalist, writer for many top flight magazines and indeed, geographer, brings us the color, trauma, and wonder that is this diverse, charming, and disconcerting island archipelago.

Populations as diverse as the original Carib Indians, now forever history, other native peoples, waves of Europeans and Africans, only tell part of the story. Consider for instance how skin color continued to influence distinctions in Haiti even after its revolution against the French colonials. Or consider how Spanish treatment of its populations reflected a padron system where place, duties and obligations were defined not only by religion but social class. English Islands such as Jamaica adopted reggae as a type of antidote to its own unique development under sugar barons.

Economically these islands are the result of, for example, mammoth sugar plantations worked by thousands upon thousands of slaves brought from Africa. Additionally, the rich islands were traded like chess pieces. After European wars, whole populations and their islands would be traded away by a losing power. Thus we find English as the main language of the city called Port of Spain. How these peoples integrated and live today is a story in itself which Jelly-Shapiro demonstrates with a remarkable facility. That he does so over and over, each tale more compelling than the last, is so astounding you wonder how one man could himself so carefully investigate, and appealingly inform, his readers. Just a few examples suffice. We learn of course of varied transported African and European religious and spiritual practices, but also of individual expeditions such as that of discoverers sent by Cardinal Richelieu in 1635. We learn how Christianity varied in its treatment of slaves throughout the national and cultural island practices. We learn how nutmeg in Granada is a tale of its own, and Cuba, as if somnambulant for years under Communism is now reawakening to a chance to integrate again into the main life of the other islands.

Jelly-Shapiro is both social commentator and geographer. He demonstrates how not only the land, thus the economies, and so the social arrangements all intersect. He finds people who can talk authoritatively about whatever subject he pursues, be it Cuban mestizos, the art deco beauty of Fort de France's Hotel L'Imperatrice, or any of a thousand other appropriate subjects. I found reading this book gave me more appreciation for a wonderfully different region, which varies indeed from island to island. You'll enjoy this, and find so much more to whet your spirit of travel.

[David Bickerton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly excellent book which I enjoyed the more I read it, even though this might not make much sense given that it covers different islands. Starting out with Jamaica, the island I know best, I wasn't quite sure about the book because I couldn't understand the rationale of what was covered and what was not covered. The book is a mixture of history, travel anecdotes, relatively recent current affairs which differs by island. If you are looking for something that is more clearly one than the other then this might not be the book for you, but for me it just worked (on the whole). There is also quite a lot in here about Caribbean authors which was definitely of interest.

The author clearly loves the Caribbean and that shines through his writing. Having grown up on West Indies cricket and Bob Marley I have a soft spot too so it's not always easy to read the history and the constant social and economic struggles that the islands have suffered since independence. Having grown up in the UK it was also fascinating for me to see the differences between the islands from the British, French and Spanish colonies and how that has affected their social and cultural life along with the influences from Africa and later indentured labour. Well worth the read if you have any interest in the Caribbean and how it's music and literature has impacted the world.

[Prayash Giria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This would’ve been a massively better book had the author fought off his urge to ‘write to impress’. He devotes half his time and thought towards rehashing what has already been written elsewhere about the music and literature of the Caribbean, and consequently makes far fewer original observations and records than a seasoned travel writer should while traipsing through one of the world’s most culturally and naturally rich corners. It ends up feeling like an amateur, college-submission level bibliography and discography patched together with lacklustre interactions with locals, casual privilege-checks of his own white-ivy league background, and armchair reportage of local politics. The only thing I’ll give this book credit for is for taking the time to talk about places that are otherwise hard to come across in English travel writing.

[Rock · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book thinking it was written by a native of the Caribbean, only to learn in the first few pages that the author grew up in Vermont and became enamored with the region through a teenage fixation on Bob Marley. Oh well, he is up-front about his biases at least, which may or may not be responsible for their frequent appearances. I was hoping for more of a historical perspective on the islands and their interactions, but the book is chopped up into chapters or groups of chapters on each island, and it varies how much history shows up in each. The frequent focus on cultural elements like music, literature, and poetry was very interesting, though, and I'd say overall the book is worth reading for anyone with an interest in the region.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not entirely sure what to make of this... As a mix of travelogue and history, it unevenly details the culture of islands across the Caribbean. Many of the sections focus upon a particular genre of music, though nothing more contemporary than reggae (which is the obsession of the first section on Jamaica). I know it's a staple of the genre, but it rubs me the wrong way to read of people described as broadly "lovely" or some other adjective describing the bland goodness of foreigners, and there's that sentiment throughout this book. But it also provides a great reading list and commentary on intellectual heroes of the Caribbean.

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many other reviewers I felt this was a disjointed book with some excellent chapters, lots of wonderful details, but also no clear theme, an academic tone, and too much of the author's personal opinions.

If this was to be an academic study, it needed more structure. If it was to be a travelogue, it needed less minutia. If it was a cultural history, the writing needed to be more accessible and less personal.

So overall I applaud the information in this book, but I wouldn't recommend it to a casual reader.

[Jashvina Shah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book, and I liked the intro. But for someone who, in the intro, talks a lot about the racism that has impacted the Caribbean, he paces A LOT of xenophobia throughout this book. The first part made my skin craw - I don’t think he’s allowed to judge whether or not Jamaica’s branding is a good thing. It was very centered around himself. I think you can find better books if you truly want to learn history of the Caribbean

[Shane Rajiv · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good attempt to refresh previous histories e.g. Patrick Leigh Fermor’s ‘Travellers Tree’. I personally found he focused too much on a single famous author, e.g. Jean Rhys in Dominica and V.S. Naipaul in Trinidad vs telling a more expansive story - there’s so much more going on these countries than needing to reference in some cases very old accounts. A worthwhile read nonetheless, even if to focus just on a few chapters.

[Julio Rodríguez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book in general, a good introduction, part travelogue and good history, as a Caribbean myself it made aware of the realities of my fellow “English Caribbeans” which sometimes is overlooked in our education in Dominican Republic, gave it three stars because the description of my country felt biased towards stereotypes and failed to grasp the intelectual efforts of my fellow countrymen who have written a lot on the issues presented in the book

[Dari · Rating 3 out of 5]

For what it is— a really great entry point into the rich and expansive cultures of the Caribbean. Admittedly i was a bit skeptical of the author 😭 but i actually really enjoyed and learned a lot from this novel, and it was pretty funny. I did think that there were certain points were it felt like the author was rambling…and it just felt a likkle…overwhelming or even underwhelming in certain locations. Cool nonetheless

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive and fascinating tour of the major and minor islands of the Caribbean. Jelly-Schapiro has a deep knowledge and respect the history of these islands and their people. He is the rare combination of excellent historian, travel writer, journalist and genial companion. You will learn a hell of a lot from this book and you will likely never set foot into an all-inclusive resort again.

[Antonia Mohamed · Rating 5 out of 5]

In taking time to learn about the culture and history of Trinidad and Tobago, I'm really glad I picked up the book at my library. I learned a lot about Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Haiti, St.Lucia and other surrounding islands in the Caribbean.
Each unique in their own history, struggle, economy, colonization and fight for Independence, each island beautiful and rich in history.