June is Caribbean American Heritage Month. June 2020, however, is marked with pain, loss, grief, anger, uprising and civil unrest for many Caribbean Americans. This is the reason why I compiled a list of “15 Revolutionary Books Every Caribbean American Should Read.“
As many American cities and Caribbean countries begin their reopening phases, I have decided to create a reading list for you to partake in at home, to indulge on your way back to work, and to share with your family and communities.
The great Marcus Garvey once said, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”
In no particular order, check out my short list below.
15 Revolutionary Books by Caribbean Authors that Caribbean Americans Should Read
1. Maurice Bishop Speaks: The Grenada Revolution and Its Overthrow 1979-83 – The triumph of the 1979 revolution in the Caribbean island of Grenada had “importance for all struggles around the world,” said Maurice Bishop, its central leader. Invaluable lessons from that workers and farmers government, overturned in a Stalinist-led coup in 1983, can be found in this collection of Bishop’s speeches and interviews.
Maurice Bishop ( Aruba / Grenada)
Maurice Rupert Bishop, (born May 29th, 1944 in Aruba – died October 19th, 1983 in Grenada), was a Grenadian revolutionary and the leader of New Jewel Movement which proclaimed the Independence of Grenada in 1974. After a 1979 coup he served as Prime Minister of Grenada until his death in a subsequent coup in 1983.
2. Capitalism and Slavery by Dr. Eric Williams – Slavery helped finance the Industrial Revolution in England. Plantation owners, shipbuilders, and merchants connected with the slave trade accumulated vast fortunes that established banks and heavy industry in Europe and expanded the reach of capitalism worldwide. Eric Williams advanced these powerful ideas in Capitalism and Slavery, published in 1944. Years ahead of its time, his profound critique became the foundation for studies of imperialism and economic development.
3. From Columbus to Castro: The History of the Caribbean 1492-1969 by Dr. Eric Williams – The first of its kind, From Columbus to Castro is a definitive work about a profoundly important but neglected and misrepresented area of the world. Quite simply it’s about millions of people scattered across an arc of islands — Jamaica, Haiti, Barbados, Antigua, Martinique, Trinidad, among others — separated by the languages and cultures of their colonizers, but joined together, nevertheless, by a common heritage.
Dr. Eric Willams (Trinidad and Tobago)
Eric Eustace Williams, (born September 25th, 1911 – died March 29th, 1981 in Trinidad), was the first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who served from 1962 until his death in 1981. He was an acclaimed Caribbean historian, lecturer and revolutionary leader. He also founded the political party, the People’s National Movement.
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4. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley – The Autobiography of Malcolm X was intended to be a true autobiography, with the name of Alex Haley appearing not at all or as a ghost writer or as a mere contributor or assistant. However, with the assassination of Malcolm X having occurred in Harlem in New York City on February 21, 1965 just before this book could be published, it became necessary to reveal the important role of Alex Haley in creating this book.
Malcolm X (Grenada)
El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, better known as Malcolm X, (born Malcolm Little; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965), was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a popular figure during the civil rights movement. He is best known for his staunch and controversial black racial advocacy, and for his time spent as the vocal spokesperson of the Nation of Islam. (Wikipedia)
5. Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey [Volumes I & II in One Volume] – First Published from 1923 to 1926: This collection of Garvey’s writing remains the most famous collection of Garvey’s speeches and essays. Marcus Garvey and the “Universal Negro Improvement Association” form a critical link in black America’s centuries-long struggle for freedom, justice, and equality. As the leader of the largest organized mass movement in black history and progenitor of the modern “black is beautiful” ideal, Garvey is now best remembered as a champion of the back-to-Africa movement. In his own time he was hailed as a redeemer, a “Black Moses.” Though he failed to realize all his objectives, his movement still represents an attempt at liberation from the psychological bondage of racial inferiority.
6. The Tragedy of White Justice – When he published this third edition in 1935, Garvey described The Tragedy of White Injustice in these terms: “It must be remembered that this is not an attempt at poetry: it is just a peculiar style of using facts as they impress me as I go through the pages of history and as I look at and note the conduct of the white race.” Garvey wrote this “epic poem” in 1927 while in an Atlanta prison. Its first and second editions were published while he was serving a five-year sentence “as the result of the white man’s prejudice in America.” According to him, at the time of publishing the third edition, thousands of copies had already been circulated all over the world.
Marcus Garvey (Jamaica)
Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. ONH, (born August 17th, 1887 – died on June 10th 1940 in Jamaica), was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and an orator for the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements. Garvey advanced a Pan-African philosophy which inspired a global mass movement, known as Garveyism. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League.
7. Ready for Revolution: The Life and Struggles of Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture) – By any measure, Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture) fundamentally altered the course of history. Published at the fifth anniversary of Carmichael’s death, this long-awaited autobiography fills a yawning gap in the American historical record as it chronicles the legendary civil rights leader’s work as chairman of SNCC, patriarch of Black Power, Pan-African activist, and social revolutionary. It is an unflinching, searing, often visionary testament to the man’s legacy and joins the works of Frederick Douglass, W. E. B. Du Bois, Malcolm X, and Nelson Mandela as a crucial and colorful contribution to contemporary history.
8. Black Power : The Politics of Liberation – Co-authored by Stokely Carmichael (later known as Kwame Ture) and political scientist Charles V. Hamilton. The work defines Black Power, presents insights into the roots of racism in the United States and suggests a means of reforming the traditional political process for the future. Published originally as Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America, the book has become a staple work produced during the Civil Rights Movement and Black Power movement.
Stokley Carmichael (Trinidad and Tobago)
Stokley Carmichael, (born June 29, 1941 in Trinidad – died November 15, 1998 in Guinea), was a prominent Trinidadian organizer in the civil rights movement in the United States and the global Pan-African movement. Born in Trinidad, he grew up in the United States from the age of 11 and became an activist while attending Howard University. He eventually developed the Black Power movement, first while leading the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), later serving as the “Honorary Prime Minister” of the Black Panther Party (BPP), and lastly as a leader of the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (A-APRP). (Wikipedia)
9. Fidel Castro: My Life: A Spoken Autobiography – Fidel Castro was a dictatorial pariah to some and a hero and inspiration for many of the world’s poor, defiantly charting an independent and revolutionary path for Cuba over nearly half a century. Numerous attempts were made to get Castro to tell his own story. But only in the twilight of his years was he prepared to set out the details of his remarkable biography for the world to read before his death in 2016. This book is nothing less than his living testament.
Fidel Castro (Cuba)
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz, (born August 13, 1926, near Birán, Cuba—died November 25, 2016, Cuba), political leader of Cuba (1959–2008) who transformed his country into the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere. Castro became a symbol of communist revolution in Latin America. He held the title of premier until 1976 and then began a long tenure as president of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers. He handed over provisional power in July 2006 because of health problems and formally relinquished the presidency in February 2008. (Britannica)
10. Who Do They Say I Am: The Vindication of Minister Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan (St. Kitts)
Louis Farrakhan, (born Louis Eugene Walcott; May 11, 1933), is an American minister, political activist and the leader of the Nation of Islam – an African American movement that combined elements of Islam with black nationalism.
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11. No Woman No Cry: My Life with Bob Marley – Bob Marley was one of the greatest musicians of our time. While much has been written about him, here is a unique, intimate, and honest portrayal written by his wife Rita, who talks about their struggles–both before and during his rise to fameas well as their dreams, fears, and ultimately, her husbands losing battle with cancer while at the height of his career. This stirringly honest, no-holds-barred account of life with Bob Marley reveals a different, deeper side of the beloved musician that will be sure to strike a chord with his legions of faithful fans.
Rita Marley (Jamaica)
Alpharita Constantia “Rita” Marley, OD (née Anderson; born 25 July 1946), is a Cuban-born Jamaican singer and the widow of Bob Marley. She was a member of the vocal group the I Threes, along with Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt, who gained recognition as the backing vocalists for Bob Marley and the Wailers.
12. The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography – In this luminous memoir, a true American icon looks back on his celebrated life and career. His body of work is arguably the most morally significant in cinematic history, and the power and influence of that work are indicative of the character of the man behind the many storied roles. Sidney Poitier here explores these elements of character and personal values to take his own measure;as a man, as a husband and a father, and as an actor.
Sidney Potier (The Bahamas)
Sidney Poitier KBE, (born February 20, 1927 in Florida), is a Bahamian-American actor, film director, and ambassador. He was the first black male actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, and was also nominated a second time for the same award.
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13. It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership – A beautiful companion to his previous memoir, the #1 New York Times bestseller My American Journey, Powell’s It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership is a trove of wisdom for anyone hoping to achieve their goals and turn their dreams into reality. A message of strength and endurance from a man who has dedicated his life to public service, It Worked for Me is a book with the power to show readers everywhere how to achieve a more fulfilling life and career.
Colin Powell (Jamaica)
Colin Luther Powell, (born April 5, 1937 in Harlem), is an American politician and retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under Republican President George W. Bush. Colin Powell was the first African American appointed as the U.S. Secretary of State, and so far the only, to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Biography)
14. The Enigma of Arrival by Sir V.S. Naipaul – The story of a writer’s singular journey—from one place to another, from the British colony of Trinidad to the ancient countryside of England, and from one state of mind to another—this is perhaps Naipaul’s most autobiographical work. Yet it is also woven through with remarkable invention to make it a rich and complex novel.
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15. A Bend in the River by Sir V.S. Naipaul – A Bend in the River is a 1979 novel by Nobel laureate V. S. Naipaul. The novel, telling the story of Salim, a merchant in post-colonial mid-20th century Africa, is one of Naipaul’s best known works and was widely praised. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1979.
Sir V.S. Naipaul (Trinidad and Tobago)
Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad Naipaul, (born August 17, 1932 in Trinidad – died August 11, 2018, in London), was a Trinidad and Tobago-born British writer of fiction and nonfiction works. V. S. Naipaul was knighted in 1989 Queen Elizabeth II. He was awarded the David Cohen British Literature Prize by the Arts Council of England in 1993 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001. He holds honorary doctorates from Cambridge University and Columbia University in New York, and honorary degrees from the universities of Cambridge, London and Oxford.
Update 6/2/2020: Many of my readers suggested I add these books…
16. The Black Jacobins: Toussaint L’Ouverture and the San Domingo Revolution by C.L.R. James – This powerful, intensely dramatic book is the definitive account of the Haitian Revolution of 1794-1803, a revolution that began in the wake of the Bastille but became the model for the Third World liberation movements from Africa to Cuba. It is the story of the French colony of San Domingo, a place where the brutality of master toward slave was commonplace and ingeniously refined. And it is the story of a barely literate slave named Toussaint L’Ouverture, who led the black people of San Domingo in a successful struggle against successive invasions by overwhelming French, Spanish, and English forces and in the process helped form the first independent nation in the Caribbean.
C.L.R. James
Cyril Lionel Robert James, (born January 4th, 1901 in Trinidad – died May 31st, 1989 in England), who sometimes wrote under the pen-name J. R. Johnson, was a Trinidadian historian, journalist and socialist. His works are influential in various theoretical, social, and historiographical contexts. More on Sir. C.L.R. James HERE.
17. “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” by Walter Rodney – Before a bomb ended his life in the summer of 1980, Walter Rodney had created a powerful legacy. This pivotal work, How Europe Underdeveloped Africa, had already brought a new perspective to the question of underdevelopment in Africa. His Marxist analysis went far beyond the heretofore accepted approach in the study of Third World underdevelopment. How Europe Underdeveloped Africa is an excellent introductory study for the student who wishes to better understand the dynamics of Africa s contemporary relations with the West.
Walter Rodney
Walter Anthony Rodney was a prominent Guyanese historian, political activist and academic. He was assassinated in 1980. He completed his bachelor’s degree from the University College of the West Indies in Jamaica, graduating in 1963 with a first-class degree in History, thereby winning the Faculty of Arts prize.
Want to add a book to this list? Add the names of books by revolutionary Caribbean authors in the comment box below.
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