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The book came in a really timely manner, within a week of it being ordered, and it was in great condition.
Be prepared to hear how much she hates American and European tourists. However, it was alright. lol It was in good condition. The book however was a little confusing at times because the author is letting us know what she's thinking all the time in "()".
This work is a quick read, and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in Antigua or the Caribbean in general. Kincaid's sarcasm and wit make this a fun read, and his poetic style enhances the text further. I bought this book for a college class that I'm sailing through the Caribbean for. This is probably one of the best books I've read in a while.
This is not an essay providing answers - it is merely an essay trying to get people to wake up to the problem. After all we gave them hotel jobs, cruise ships and casinos, how dare they be angry at us. How dare they refuse to close their eyes to the parralells between slavery and the tourist industry maid job. Ignore the reviews laden with the white liberal guilt or the white liberal defensiveness. After all the west caused the problems - what if they tried to solve them too. As tourists we refuse to see that we've created a new form of economic imperialism around the world, we really just want to get away from the cold and draining life we left at home. This book is about a struggling country that needs the money from the west to survive, yet at its heart wishes the west would just take its rude tourists and away. It is easier to close our eyes and claim that angry brown people are lazy, stupid or senseless.
The only thing she was able to persuade me by the end of the book was that I was an evil person.The book is divided into several chapters. In the second chapter, she rants about British people.
Because she writes the entire book in second person, every insult is directed straight at the reader. If she focused on one group of people, her argument might make sense, but when she focuses on them all it becomes clear that she just hates everybody.
If you expect a well-reasoned and persuasive essay, look elsewhere. In the first chapter, she rants about tourists.
I left the book feeling extremely guilty, while at the same time not exactly sure what I had done wrong. At best, this is the mindless rantings of somebody who's been through a lot and really needs to vent.
The format is fairly simple: in every chapter, Jamaica Kincaid hates on a different group of people.
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