David’s Comments (group member since Dec 21, 2012)

David’s comments from the Island State of Mind group.

I had the opportunity to interview author Elizabeth Nunez last week via Skype. Thought I’d share. Please excuse the typo in the final question.

David


https://www.goodreads.com/videos/6377...

Beverly wrote: "The Cleveland Foundation today announced the winners of its 79th annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards. The 2014 recipients of the only national juried prize for literature that confronts racism and ex..."

Lamming is definitely a revered writer within the context of the Caribbean.

Beverly wrote: "Hi -

I have a long tbr list books and was feeling that I did not have many on the list that was being released this year and some sort of Caribbean "mindset", but I did have these:

[book:Pepperpo..."

Hey Beverly,

I’m actually reading Not for Everyday Use right now. I really enjoyed Nunez’ last novel Boundaries. I’ve dealt with Akashic for a while now.

As for the other selections, I interviewed Tiphanie Yanique around the time of her debut. I’m not familiar with Roxane Gay, though.

Thanks again.

Beverly wrote: "Buzz Johnson, who has died aged 62 from an arterial haemorrhage, was the founder of Karia Press, one of the small but dedicated band of African-Caribbean publishing initiatives in the UK that have ..."

Thanks for this, Beverly. Mainstream publishers often reject more esoteric literature from the Caribbean and Africa. Indie publishers are extremely important.

Beverly and Roger: It’s amazing that the duty of a father is to provide for his children, yet some women treat it as such a grand gesture, granting their partners an infidelity pass.

Cy wrote: "I have to admit that I have always held Bob Marley up on a pedestal a bit and justified his lifestyle and his love-life as part of his creative genius. I also held up Mandela in the same fashion un..."

Bob’s infidelity is a cultural norm in Jamaica. Maybe not the part about having 11 children with 7 different women, but having multiple sexual partners is not uncommon for Jamaican men. Infidelity is so prevalent in cultures across the planet that it’s hard to demonise a man for this practice. Having children with persons outside of your marriage is a different matter altogether.

Cy, reading Rita’s account of these happenings did tarnish my perception of Bob to a certain extent.

Beverly wrote: "OK - Not sure where to begin with discussing this book.
I am struggling reading this book - to be honest - really just not interested.

Perhaps will start with a couple of things that prejudice my ..."


I can’t say that I’m the memoir enthusiast either, Beverly. In fact, I’ve read about five in total. My favorites have been the few which I’ve read from Edwidge Danticat. This one was respectable. I agree with some of your critique regarding memoirs in general.

Roger wrote: "David wrote: "As we draw near the close of another Reggae Month, here in Jamaica, it’s only fitting that we discuss the lives of two of Reggae music’s biggest contributors. It may sound crazy to s..."

Rita definitely possesses a heart bigger than I’ve encountered in this life. I’m amazed by how she was not only able to forgive Bob for his affairs, but also did her part in raising some of those outside children. I hear you though, Roger. Leaves me scratching my head.

As we draw near the close of another Reggae Month, here in Jamaica, it’s only fitting that we discuss the lives of two of Reggae music’s biggest contributors. It may sound crazy to some, but I have never been the big Bob Marley fan. A certain segment of Reggae fans in Jamaica found and still find his music to be too commercial. I belong to that group. Perhaps if I had been alive and of age during his rise in the 1960s I might have a different take. I don`t deny his talent. I simply prefer other artists within that Rasta-Reggae space.

Anyway, I think there`s plenty within this memoir worthy of discussion. Below are some questions that I`ve thrown out there to get things started. As usual, I’d like the group to drive this discussion.


Interestingly, there is no mention of Bob’s then teenage mother, Cedella, marrying his much older biological father in the documentary Marley. Jamaica was still under British colonial rule at the time. I feel that Rita’s citing of marriage was her way of trying to sanitise the situation. What are your thoughts?


I can’t speak for anyone easy, but I was bothered to learn that when Rita relocated to Delaware that she was required to pay Bob’s mother, Cedella, to babysit Ziggy. I won’t even go into the bit about her bathing her mother-in-law. Should grandmothers be compensated for taking care of their grandchildren?


This business of Bob having all of those children with women other than his wife was beyond disrespectful, in my opinion. Do you feel that Rita exhibited patience or passivity?

Beverly wrote: "The 2014 OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature longlist:

POETRY

Edward Baugh, Black Sand: New and Collected Poems (Peepal Tree Press)

Malika Booker, Pepper Seed (Peepal Tree Press)

Lorna Go..."

This year’s longlist for Fiction is the best I’ve seen since the festival’s inception. I’m rooting for Danticat with Young as a runner up.

Beverly wrote: "Fear of a Black Nation: Race, Sex, and Security in Sixties Montreal by David Austin

In the 1960s, for at least a brief moment, Montreal became what seemed an unlikel..."


Hey Beverly,

I’ve only been to Montreal once in my life. All that I know of the city is based primarily on what I’ve seen in the news. Very interesting book.

Are you aware of this book?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

I know of Montague Kobbe.

Thanks.

Toni wrote: "Sorry, everyone for tuning in so late. I haven't finished the book yet, however I like the way the author introduces the complicated story of the Haitian development and the corresponding mixed sen..."

Hey Toni,

I’m happy to hear that you’re enjoying Love, Anger, Madness.

Cy wrote: "In trying to make sense of the title and how the trilogy works together, I thought that maybe it is about the Haitian people and their relationship to their homeland and it is about the reign of te..."

The novella "Love" could definitely be a metaphor for a greater theme.

Cy wrote: "I read that the author had to go into hiding, or something like that, after publishing the book."

I wouldn't be surprised by that, based on the history of dictatorship in the country.

Beverly wrote: "Beverly wrote: "Some of the concepts/themes I saw in Love was relating to oppression, and domination and the different ways it affects others when repression is a constant way of life.

When we mee..."

Interesting point. I never looked at it from that perspective.

Beverly wrote: "Some of the concepts/themes I saw in Love was relating to oppression, and domination and the different ways it affects others when repression is a constant way of life.

When we meet Claire - she h..."

I don't disagree with this summary. But I still feel that Claire possessed enough inner strength to move beyond most of the superficial forces around her.

Beverly wrote: "Unfortunately, I have only been able to read "Love" and was surprised how long it took me to read those 156 pages. My plan is to finish Anger tonight and Madness the next day. Sorry for the delay b..."

The time frame in which the story was written is critical to take into consideration. "Love" was slow though in pace.

Cy wrote: "David, Thanks for being transparent.
I read the three and come away not understanding it well, but needing to talk about it some as this is my second reading. So it's like I haven't read at all.
..."

Knowing the history of Haiti definitely gives one perspective. I couldn't pretend that I'd completed the book. Sorry about the late reply.

Divided into three novellas, Love, Anger, Madness examines an earlier period in Haiti’s history. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get beyond Love, the first of the three stories. Vieux-Chauvet is a capable writer. Her exploration of the troubled mind state of Claire Clamont was both revealing and sad. What I grappled with most was the dense structure and plodding feel of the novella. For that reason, I’ve only included questions regarding Love. But don’t let me stop those of you who completed the book from discussing the other two sections.

Claire, the eldest of the Clamont sisters, is undeniably the centre piece of the first novella, Love. I found it hard not to pity Claire as a person. Her self-inflicted victimization had me scratching my head throughout the story. Internally, she seemed to view herself as wise, strategic and even superior to her younger sisters and others. How would you summarize her character?

In a Haiti then dominated by a blatant caste system, had Claire been born with the same mulatto colouring as her sisters Annette and Felicia, would this have changed her that dramatically as a person?

After witnessing Claire plot to destroy her youngest sister Felicia’s marriage through Annette, and her later attempts to occupy the role of mother and wife to her nephew and brother-in-law; were these simply cases of severe jealousy or did Claire possess psychological deficiencies?

Cy wrote: "What is your favorite section of the novel? Mine is, "We Church." The resilience of the people and the cultural identity is so strong for me in this section. We are the church (is we church) is a s..."

Cy, growing up Pentecostal, I enjoyed Lovelace’s depiction of the Baptist expression of their faith. There was depth and a visceral component to his wording. It’s hard to single out one section of the book that spoke most to me.