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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Triggering
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
Paula Williams Madison is a successful and brilliant woman who seemingly had a great deal to be thankful for, still, she always felt as if a part of her was unknown... missing in a way. Finding Samuel Lowe is the re-telling of her journey to put together a family that had been torn apart by politics, race, and cultural roles.
Samuel Lowe was a Chinese business man who owned a shop in Jamaica back in the 1920's. He fathered a child with a Jamaican woman whom he didn't marry. After battling financial struggles and local politics, Lowe returned to China and left his daughter behind. As a result, his daughter, Paula Williams Madison's mother, grew up cold and hard. Her upbringing played a great role in how she brought up her own children. Her own mother's heritage fascinated Madison and as an adult, that fascination drove her to bring together a part of the family that had seemed lost long ago.
I really enjoyed Madison's story overall and the book was a great account of her journey. Admittedly I knew very little about Jamaica and the mecca that it was back in the 1910's and 1920's. It really was fascinating to read about the diverse cultures and how they both came together and clashed against one another.
While the book was very good, there were moments when I would get lost between the grandmother's story and the mother's story and other times when whatever storyline I was reading couldn't keep my attention. But despite my occasional lack of connection, I would still recommend it for non-fiction readers. It is a remarkable story and one that biography lovers will surely enjoy.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Goodreads.
Samuel Lowe was a Chinese business man who owned a shop in Jamaica back in the 1920's. He fathered a child with a Jamaican woman whom he didn't marry. After battling financial struggles and local politics, Lowe returned to China and left his daughter behind. As a result, his daughter, Paula Williams Madison's mother, grew up cold and hard. Her upbringing played a great role in how she brought up her own children. Her own mother's heritage fascinated Madison and as an adult, that fascination drove her to bring together a part of the family that had seemed lost long ago.
I really enjoyed Madison's story overall and the book was a great account of her journey. Admittedly I knew very little about Jamaica and the mecca that it was back in the 1910's and 1920's. It really was fascinating to read about the diverse cultures and how they both came together and clashed against one another.
While the book was very good, there were moments when I would get lost between the grandmother's story and the mother's story and other times when whatever storyline I was reading couldn't keep my attention. But despite my occasional lack of connection, I would still recommend it for non-fiction readers. It is a remarkable story and one that biography lovers will surely enjoy.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Goodreads.
I enjoyed the academic and personal history, but the author really lost me in the second half by asserting these distant familial relations had such a large degree of influence and importance in her life spiritually.
Needed a family tree of all the family because it was a bit confusing for me but pretty wild story about lineage that goes way back. I could see how things came to be the way they were. I would love to hear the other side's story and their backstory up until the point of connection with Paula.
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
I tried countless times to get into this book,finally boarding the train on my way to a family holiday to Jamaica, I had the book in my hand luggage no excuses. Alas it took me the final week in January to finish. As wonderful as the beginning was (1920's rural Jamaica St Anne's my family homestead), I felt it was made to feel like an idyllic furnace of romance and angst, which then turned into a bland history textbook. I shed a few tears of frustration for all the skeleton keys of Jamaican and Chinese historical biases and revolution facts and tales. I felt bothered by the focus on connecting with this Asian bloodline,where it was so severed,while the African side felt like a visitor, a guest of dishonour. The book assisted me in trying to find dialogue amongst my own Caribbean family, especially in areas of adoption and 'other children'. All in all,something of reference,but not a 're read at all.
*I am not assigning star ratings in 2019 as a personal experiment*
Read this book as part of the Silicon Valley Reads program at my library. Was fortunate to see the author speak; she included a lot of general history about the Hakka people that wasn't in the book, so that was interesting and added to the story.
Read this book as part of the Silicon Valley Reads program at my library. Was fortunate to see the author speak; she included a lot of general history about the Hakka people that wasn't in the book, so that was interesting and added to the story.
This was an amazing story. I was not aware of the history shared between China & Jamaica. What an amazing feeling it must be to be able to trace your family history through so many generations. Sadly for so many of us African Americans, we will never know this joy.
There was a lot of history in this book without it being overly educational. I enjoyed the writing. I felt like I connected with the author on several different levels.
I would recommend this book to anyone!
There was a lot of history in this book without it being overly educational. I enjoyed the writing. I felt like I connected with the author on several different levels.
I would recommend this book to anyone!