A review by tanyarobinson
Sugar in the Blood: A Family's Story of Slavery and Empire by Andrea Stuart

3.0

Andrea Stuart takes an interesting approach to the history of Barbados - she tracks the island's past by looking at the varied experiences of her own ancestors. She was able to trace her genealogy back to one of the earliest settlers from Britain, then through a later sugar cane plantation owner who produced children with several of his slaves. She examines the unique dynamic of Barbados' society, where a minority white planter class used extremely harsh measures to control the majority black and mulatto population, yet tacitly allowed miscegenation and gave greater privileges to mixed-race "coloureds" (as opposed to the one-drop of black blood policy predominant in the American South). The twentieth century is also examined, particularly post-colonial attitudes, the mid-century migration to NYC, and the economic rise of tourism.

I wish I had known about this book before traveling to Barbados on a cruise a few years ago. It's not easy to find good historical and informational literature on the Caribbean islands, but this gives depth to a place many see as simply a tourist destination. 3.5 stars.