10 Books that Center Caribbean Heritage

Published on 15 June 2023 at 12:31

June is Caribbean American Heritage Month! Adopted in June of 2005 by the House of Representatives the resolution passed the Senate in February of 2006 and and a proclamation was issue later that year in June 2006 by former President George W. Bush. The push to institute Caribbean American Heritage Month began in 1999 through the efforts of the Institute of Caribbean Studies. Caribbean American Heritage Month celebrates the achievements of Caribbean Americans and raises awareness of issues facing the community in mainland United States, U.S. territories in the Caribbean, and other Caribbean islands.

 

The Caribbean covers a large swath of islands with diverse cultures, heritages, languages, and beliefs. More than 700 islands, reefs, and cays make up the Caribbean islands. There are 13 sovereign nations in this region as well as island territories of France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. For example, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are U.S. territories. For archaic and racist reasons, these territories continue to lack representation in Washington DC and people living in these territories are unable to vote for president unless they move to the mainland. Historically, there have been debates over making U.S. territories into states or ending U.S. control of its territories, but neither action has been seriously pursued by the U.S. government thus far. The current relationship between the U.S. and its territories, both in the Caribbean and in the Pacific Islands, creates a deep imbalance of power, income, opportunity, and autonomy.

 

Learn more about Caribbean American Heritage Month by clicking the links below:

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10 Books that Center Caribbean Heritage

This list is selected from the 2023 list curated by Caribbean Reads. Check out the full book list here.

  1. Black Cake (Charmaine Wilkerson): This story covers multiple generations, family, and culture as it follows two siblings investigating their mother's history and  her recipe for black cake, a darkly-colored cake flavored with rum and dried fruits. Buy this book on Amazon or search the WorldCat database to find it at a library near you.
  2. Elegguas (Kamau Brathwaite): This collection of poems by the famed poet, Brathwaite, honors the deceased. Buy this book on Barnes & Noble or search the WorldCat database to find it at a library near you.
  3. Hungry Ghosts (Kevin Jared Hosein): Set in 1940s Trinidad, this mystery is the debut novel of Kevin Jared Hosein. Buy this book from HarperCollins or search the WorldCat database to find it at a library near you.
  4. Moon Witch, Spider King (Marlon James): Book two of The Dark Star Trilogy, this book follows the Moon Witch, Sogolon, and her perspective of the events in book one. Buy this book from Penguin Random House or search the WorldCat database to find it a library near you.
  5. Neruda on the Park (Cleyvis Natera): A book about family, culture, and gentrification, this book follows a Dominican family living in New York City. Buy this book from Penguin Random House or search the WorldCat database to find it at a library near you.
  6. No Ruined Stone (Shara McCallum): Inspired by the poetry of Robert Burns, this book is an alternate history that asks what would have happened if Burns followed through on his desire to move to Jamaica to work on a slave plantation. Learn more about the book and its author on the author website. Buy it on Alice James Books or use the WorldCat database to look for it at a library near you.
  7. Pleasant View (Celeste Mohammad): Written in both English and Trinidad Creole, this book discusses the very real impacts of poverty and patriarchy in Trinidad and Tobago. Buy it on Amazon or use the WorldCat database to look for it at a library near you.
  8. River Sing Me Home (Eleanor Shearer): This book tells the story of a mother tracking down her children scattered across the Caribbean by slavery. Buy this book on Amazon or search the WorldCat database to find it at a library near you.
  9. The Legend of the Spirit Serpent (Adaiah Sanford, illustrated by Ken Daley): This children's book won the 1st Annual Caribbean Writer's Contest. It retells the legend of a serpent that looks after the indigenous people on the island of Dominica. Buy this book on Amazon or look through the WorldCat database to find it at a library near you.
  10. What a Mother's Love Don't Teach You (Sharma Taylor): Centering motherhood, familial love, identity, and belonging, this book travels from the dance halls of Jamaica to its criminal underbelly, and its political sphere. Buy this book on Amazon or search the WorldCat database to find it at a library near you.

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