A Small Place - Softcover

Kincaid, Jamaica

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0452262356 ISBN 13: 9780452262355

Publisher: Plume, 1989

Synopsis

Antigua--a ten-by-twelve-mile island in the British West Indies and the author's birthplace--is the setting of a lyrical, sardonic, and forthright essay that offers an insider's eye-opening view of the lives and ways of her people

About this title

About the Author:

Jamaica Kincaid was born in St. Johns, Antigua. Her books include At the Bottom of the River, Annie John, Lucy, The Autobiography of My Mother, and My Brother (all published by FSG). She lives with her family in Vermont.

Review:

Born and raised in Antigua, Jamaica Kincaid is angry and frustrated with the white people who dominated the land and native people of her birthplace. In this thought-provoking essay, she appeals to the reader/tourist to look beyond the beautiful blues of the ocean and into the local people's lives, to question why Antigua does not have a decent library or hospital or sewer or school system. She believes the corruption of the government is a direct result of the power of money and examples set by the British occupation. She asks: "Have you ever wondered why it is that all we seemed to have learned from you is how to corrupt our society and how to be tyrants?...You came. You took things that were not yours, and you did not even, for appearance's sake, ask first." When you take the time to look into this small, beautiful place you eventually have to look inside yourself, to think about western colonialization and standards and their impact on non-western people. And as you look, Jamaica Kincaid invites you to see our common humanity and the benefits such broadening of vision can bring. -- For great reviews of books for girls, check out Let's Hear It for the Girls: 375 Great Books for Readers 2-14. -- From 500 Great Books by Women; review by Holly Smith

About this edition

• Publisher: Plume
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0452262356
• ISBN 13: 9780452262355
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 81