Yaard and Abroad - from a Jamaican Perspective

Book excerpt: Yaard and Abroad is a beautiful collection of short stories which exemplify the Jamaican culture and its people, those living on the island and those residing overseas. The book begins with a story that depicts the genesis of the island's history - the coming of Christopher Columbus and the Spanish conquistadors, and continues with different stories that illustrate the Jamaican psyche and the uniqueness of Jamaica as an island, and the nature and attitudes of her people. Stories such as "Where is Jamaica?" and "Rent-a-Dreads" tell the reader what is good and bad about the island. In "Where is Jamaica" the island disappears into thin air and despite air and sea searches by the United States navy the island is nowhere to be found. Empty seas lie where the island of Jamaica used to be. With the disappearance of the island it is lamented that the world would have lost so much that is uniquely Jamaican; over-proof white rum, authentic reggae music, to mention a couple. "Rent-a-Dreads" on the other hand is about the harsh reality that tourists are sometimes preyed upon. The book contains a total of nineteen short stories which are set on the island of Jamaica (yaard) and in the United Kingdom (abroad). Each story depicts different topics that are true and reflective of the nature of Jamaica and Jamaicans. "Bun" describes the musings of a wife whose husband appears to be giving her "bun" which is the Jamaican vernacular for having an affair. "Vextation" gives a humorous look at a Jamaican domestic worker attempting to get a live-in job and constantly putting her foot in her mouth with the potential employer. This book will appeal to Jamaicans at home and abroad and can also be enjoyed by a world-wide audience.