Scan barcode
A review by lagobond
Island People: The Caribbean and the World by Joshua Jelly-Schapiro
2.0
A while ago decided I wanted to learn about Antigua and Barbuda, a small Caribbean nation I knew nothing about. I watched some YouTube videos, read a few articles online, listened to some music... I learned a few things about the history, geography, politics, language, the flag, the people, and the cuisine. Then I moved on to books. I read three of [a:Jamaica Kincaid|39237|Jamaica Kincaid|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1613135013p2/39237.jpg]'s novels, not realizing when I checked them out of the library that the author had left Antigua and Barbuda decades before writing her books; but finding enough tidbits about life on Antigua to keep me going (also, the books are short).
All of this gave me a fairly broad impression of the country; enough that I no longer have to say "I don't know anything about Antigua and Barbuda." For good measure, I decided to give Island People a try. I have to say this was overall quite disappointing. The chapter on Antigua is 9 pages, the first third of which is basically a rehash of the author's conversation with his taxi driver on the way to the school Jamaica Kincaid attended. He sprinkles in a few general observations about the kind of tourist who doesn't concern itself with the place he's visiting, choosing instead to live a fantasy life in a sheltered resort, viewing the locals largely as servants or from a distance. The rest of the chapter is a rehash of Kincaid's writings.
I get the impression that Jelly-Schapiro is feeling quite enlightened as he quotes paragraph after paragraph of Kincaid's observations about the inequalities and disconnect between rich tourists and locals. Yet all the while he never leaves his touristy bubble of hotel (the one with the "bad coffee"), taxi, quick photo stop, and ferry boat. And then his conclusion:
Oh, and as for Barbuda? The author never made it there, because the ferry tickets were sold out. So instead, he chose to rehash a bit of the Antigua chapter -- plus a few history notes anyone can look up online; some musings about the nature of slavery in Barbuda vs. the rest of the world; and a lengthy treatise about a newspaper he had picked up at the airport, which discussed the current power outage in Barbuda and various corruption issues. A couple locals barely feature as asides.
Way too much regurgitation for my taste. The things I didn't already know from my fairly cursory internet readings would have fit on one page. Also the author comes across as judgmental and haughty. The writing is overwrought and grating.
All of this gave me a fairly broad impression of the country; enough that I no longer have to say "I don't know anything about Antigua and Barbuda." For good measure, I decided to give Island People a try. I have to say this was overall quite disappointing. The chapter on Antigua is 9 pages, the first third of which is basically a rehash of the author's conversation with his taxi driver on the way to the school Jamaica Kincaid attended. He sprinkles in a few general observations about the kind of tourist who doesn't concern itself with the place he's visiting, choosing instead to live a fantasy life in a sheltered resort, viewing the locals largely as servants or from a distance. The rest of the chapter is a rehash of Kincaid's writings.
I get the impression that Jelly-Schapiro is feeling quite enlightened as he quotes paragraph after paragraph of Kincaid's observations about the inequalities and disconnect between rich tourists and locals. Yet all the while he never leaves his touristy bubble of hotel (the one with the "bad coffee"), taxi, quick photo stop, and ferry boat. And then his conclusion:
But as we rolled away from the school and back down Market Street toward Drake, all the history shaping how he spent his days and how I was spending mine, was hovering in the car and between us as well, as it always does: our appointed roles here, in this small place, whose strictures could be transcended but where subversion might never feel total.Well... no, it won't, but it's not like he ever even tried to engage on a level that goes in any way, shape, or form beyond a simple tourist transaction. The contrast between his admiration for Kincaid's writing on the one hand, and his own obliviousness to his own role in the very dynamics she condemns, is mind-boggling.
Oh, and as for Barbuda? The author never made it there, because the ferry tickets were sold out. So instead, he chose to rehash a bit of the Antigua chapter -- plus a few history notes anyone can look up online; some musings about the nature of slavery in Barbuda vs. the rest of the world; and a lengthy treatise about a newspaper he had picked up at the airport, which discussed the current power outage in Barbuda and various corruption issues. A couple locals barely feature as asides.
Way too much regurgitation for my taste. The things I didn't already know from my fairly cursory internet readings would have fit on one page. Also the author comes across as judgmental and haughty. The writing is overwrought and grating.