CARIBBEAN TODAY


BOOKS


r6ww -arbbentda.com


Celebrating women takes center stage in 'First Rain'


TITLE: First Rain
AUTHOR: Donna Weir-Soley
REVIEWED BY: Dawn A.
Davis
It's not often that words from
 another so stir the spirit that
 they conjure up memories
deeply buried with time.
 A book of poetry :, Ik l inil_
the rhythmic music of language,
"First Rain" celebrates the lives of
the women in the author's life -
from her grandmother to her aunty
and her close friends, who have
played significant roles in shaping
her words.
 Donna Weir-Soley recreates
the lives and tales '.f iIi, women
through her own unique storytelling
voice. And, through her stories you
will go back to a time when you felt
most nurtured, a time when quality
time meant a family g.ili, ringi with
the eldest matriarch in the family
the center of .ill nli. ,! as she
weaved her life store ..... but
strong as a bamboo basket.
...Ah was born Teresa Matilda
Touban,
but evvy baddy call me mi Miss
Mattie or Sistah Mattie
Mi madda was a Maroon, )t. i.. r
people dem
she was as a healer an a midwife;
Mi daddy people dem come from
India
im come ere wen im a bway...


... Mi nevah have a
easy life -
M i born .,,,, ,.ih,, ,
gle
Mi birth thirteen
pickney;
one born dead
one get poliomylitis
from im a baby
one get a bad injec-
tion almost cripple im
Mi bury two husband
Cousin dem, same
name,
one jetblack and cool ', de stone
in im water jar
de odder one red 'i ,. wite people,
eye dem ... !,. de pickney dem
glass marble...
STRENGTH
 Pictured on the cover is Weir-
Soley's r.inidm.ilii, r She is Nanny.
She embodies the strength of all the
women mentioned in this book; the
women who nurture and send their
sons and daughters into today's
harsh non-communicative world
giving them power to navigate.
 Indeed, many have written
about positive forces in their lives,
but these stories/poems are differ-
ent. They go beyond just telling the
tale; they invite you into the
author's world. But, her world
becomes yours because the stories
are so familiar, so personal to your
own experience.
 These tales are the Caribbean
experience, whether we want to


acknowledge it or not. In
I act, some totally deny this
part of their existence the
country life, cooking on a
 dtik i!i on a coal fire,
 feeding the pigs, going to
 bush with grindf.Ii111.r
 Sadly, this means denying
 your being living a life
 outside of who you are.
 The men-folk in Weir-
soley's life are also
 explored, always with
 love, some with a bite.


...Fadda nuh dare look pon me.
Him talk to mi wid im back turn,
name de worlds I and I see
and de faces that refuse to see me.
Me learn de rhythm of him voice,
each curve and dip, swell and whirl,
syllable by syllable me swallow him
,1,. ,,,, whole
.,,1,ilme learn to speak in parables
i,;- de river...

 But it is the women who take
center stage. In fact, they are the
first line of defense against adversi-
ty The women we meet in "First
Rain" 1b.iili, enemies, physical or
psychological, overcome great
handicaps, the jump hurdles to sur-
vival and success.
DISPLACED
 H Lr niir.iiin i.,ris paint a
picture many displaced Caribbean
people can relate to the loneliness
even in the middle of a vast concrete


jungle; the culture shock; the day
job, the night job; the overt discrimi-
nation. But, amidst all this the she
.lh',r.il\ s Ii!, I talK 1 w and contri-
butions made to our adopted lands.
... What if we were to tell the truth
about our voluntary exile?
That we became the butt of jokes In
I 1 i.,, Color
for the three, four jobs we worked
to make down-payment on the
modest home,
since ,, ,, ,. a home expressed the
dogged determination
that cast our spirits in iron, made us
oblivious


to racial slights and other insults
we broaden our backs to take daily...
 Insults bred desire, hope,
molded by large, tough hands into
words heavy as brick that become
edifices of powerful Caribbean
immigrant experiences.
 "First Rain" get it!
PUBLISHER: Peepal Tree Press
Ltd, U.K.

Dawn A. Davis is a freelance
writer for Caribbean Today.
0


BOOK BRIEFS


* Jamaican launches book
Jamaican David P. Rowe, a South
Florida-based attorney, last month
launched his book "Ira Rowe,
Caribbean Lawyer, Materials,
Tributes & Cases" at the St. Thomas
University School of Law.
* Law professor wins book prize
A book with a bittersweet Caribbean
flavor has been selected the winner
of the Frederick Douglass Book
Prize, which is awarded for the best
book on slavery or abolition.
 "Degrees of Freedom;
Louisiana and Cuba After Slavery
Rebecca J. Scott", a Charles
Gibson Distinguished University
Professor of History and professor


of law at the University of
Michigan, is the author of the book.
She won a prize of $25,000.
* New book focuses on abuse
A woman struggling to survive
abuse while living in the Dominican
Republic, Puerto Rico and the
United States, highlights a new
book titled "Tres Gritos de Abuso
Carnal Angustia Y Terror".
 The book, written in Spanish by
Leonidas Santana, focuses on the
hardships faced by the author.
0


 FOR A LIMITED .

 TIME ONLY, S EEI




 (4,gl _t ON THE BIG SCREEN!



Attend a preview of Humana's 2007 Medicare Advantage health plans and learn about the exciting benefits and services, as well as important Medicare dates.
 Then stay for a free showing of one of the greatest movies of all time Casablanca plus other fun surprises. Don't miss this chance to see Casablanca on the big screen.
 SHOWING FOR A LIMITED TIME BEGINNING OCTOBER IIT" AT THE fOLLOWING THIEATERS:


Aventura Mall 24 19501 Biscayne Blvd.
 Cocowalk 16 3015 Grand Ave.


South Beach Stadium 18 1120 Lincoln Rd. Mall
 Palace 18 11865 SW 26th St.


For reservations, dates, and show times and for accommodation of persons with special needs, call toll free:
 1-866-836-7908 TTY 1-877-833-4486
 Monday Sunday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
 If you discuss your Medicare decisions with a friend or family member, bring them along!
 Refreshments will be provided compliments of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club pharmacies! T


THE b
PHARMACY


HUMANA.
Guidance when ou need it rnost


 AT WAL-MARTO Pharmacy
Medicare approved HMO, PPO, and PFFS plans available to anyone enrolled in both Part A and Part B of Medicare through age or disability.
07 A sales representative will be present with information and applications.


October 2006


M0006_GH_2110


DAD 10/06