Book Review - The Encyclopedia of Jamaican Heritage (Jamaica)

Jamaica Primetime

Skip Navigation

Jamaica Primetime

E-mail

discuss this article

Book Review - The Encyclopedia of Jamaican Heritage

Published Jul 31, 2004

Book Review - The Encyclopedia of Jamaican Heritage-Main

The Encyclopedia of Jamaican Heritage by Olive Senior

Twin Guinep Publishers Ltd., Jamaica - 580 pages, 7 x 10 ins (17.75 x 25.5 cm)

Need a concise and informative resource reference? Looking for just the right reading material to display on your coffee table next to that great centerpiece? Or do you just want to learn about various historical events and traditional activities? This carefully researched and lovingly compiled reference book contains almost everything you can imagine about Jamaica.

Twenty years of collecting the information and graphics in this Encyclopedia is well evident in the almost 1000 entries and 700 photos within. The contents are definitely not ‘dry reading material’ but rather interesting snapshots capturing pieces of Jamaica throughout its history. A healthy list of contributors is included in the Acknowledgements, covering areas such as: Art; Language, Literature, Education; Sociology & Anthropology; History; Culture, Music, Dance & Sports.

The Subject Index includes a detailed breakdown of sub-categories under the headings: The Natural World; Economic Life; Cultural Activities; Domestic & Leisure Activities; Folklore; Historic People; Historic Events; and Historic Places. Details of another time long ago interspersed with current events are a welcome consideration in this collection. Learn about the Tainos, King Yellowman, Bammy, Black River, Independence and the Reggae Boyz all in one edition. Congratulations also to Twin Guinep Publishers for their compilation and presentation of the materials, beautiful layouts inside and out!

The Encyclopedia of Jamaican Heritage is a ‘must have’ for every family and library. Get your copy today!

To see other books by this author and reviews visit Olive’s website http://www.olivesenior.com/

To order your Encyclopedia visit Twin Guinep Publishers Ltd. Website at http://www.twinguinep.com/whatsnew.html

See the transcript of our online discussion with Olive Senior.

E-mail

discuss this article

Browse the latest articles

More from Book Reviews

Jamaican Movie Review: What Goes Around, A Movie By Steve "Tehut-Nine" McAlpin
What Goes Around is a bold movie that follows the romantic relationships of two brothers. It takes us through their triumphs and failures. The tangled webs they weave with the women they love, like or just 'check for'.

Book Review: Olga - A Daughter's Tale
Olga - A Daughter's Tale is based on the true story of a kind, naive and gentle girl who was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. One of eleven children from a close-knit coloured Catholic family, she came to London in 1939 to live with a malevolent, alcoholic aunt intending to study dance and stay for only six months.

The Color of Ice- A Canadian Serenade: Jamaican Book Review
After his father’s death, Eric Taylor is left to fend for himself on a small farm in the mountains of Jamaica. He decides to seek his fortune abroad, and chooses Toronto as his new home. It is a decision he immediately regrets. Alone and half-frozen, he longs for the sunshine and sensuality of his homeland.

Book Review - The Sun Always Shines Above the Clouds
The Sun Always Shines Above the Clouds is the autobiography of Claudette Smith’s life growing up in the Caribbean Island of Jamaica. Claudette, who has always been a private individual, has unveiled her life growing up in Jamaica from the tender age of seven to her departure to the United States of America at the age of twenty-seven.

From Harvey River : Jamaican Book Review
Lorna Goodison’s spellbinding memoir of her forebears, From Harvey River, combines family history with that of her beloved Jamaica. She describes how the Harveys settled the town named for them, how they met their respective spouses, and, in the case of her parents, how they adjusted to living in reduced circumstances in Kingston.

Free and Laughing: Spiritual insights in everyday moments : Jamaican Book Review
Free and laughing presents a different way of looking at life – one that is detached, yet accepting and rooted in trust and love. When one lives life this way, one is free to laugh,love and trust. Life becomes a big playground, full of fun, joy and learning. Yes, you fall,there are scrapes, cuts and bruises, but when you are free and laughing, you picky ourself up and play again!

“Layers of Blackness”(Colourism in the African Diaspora) : Book Review
Marcus Garvey’s observations in 1923 are an apt description of the topic of this book. But why write a book about colourism - a term that is rarely used in public spheres and a topic that is equally rarely discussed in private circles? As a journalist who writes predominantly about issues that impact the African Diaspora, I am acutely aware that a great deal of attention is devoted by community leaders to addressing issues of racism that disadvantage black communities and in fighting for social, economic and political equality that is routinely denied to people of colour.

Get instant answers to your questions.

Go to our FORUMS GO