KINGSTON, Jamaica – Six years ago, Lennie Little-White was in a Jamaican hospital “with needles in my arm for an extended period.” This followed brain surgery for partial facial muscular paralysis. The condition restricted his movement to home in rural St. Ann parish.
While recuperating, he was told by Dr. Fred Hickling, a leading psycho-analyst, to write daily to help restore his focus. Little-White heeded his friend’s advice, and compiled personal thoughts. These can be found in his book, Pathways, scheduled to be launched on September 7.
It is the first book by Little-White, a film-maker who wrote and directed the 1980 movie, Children of Babylon, and Royal Palm Estate. Royal Palm Estate is a popular drama that aired on Jamaican television for many years.
“Most of my life has been an ongoing creative experience in all aspects of the visual and audio arts. Creative writing has always consumed my consciousness, so it was natural that while l was flat on my back in 2019, daily ad hoc jottings became the genesis of Pathways,” he said. “No topic was sacred, so l had fun going beyond boundaries l never visited before. Everything from politics, religion, science, sex and everything in between was par for the course.”
The 82-page project also contains photographs of nature scenes on the property where he lives in St. Ann.
Little-White, a cousin of reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, added that he shared many of the writings with a whatsapp group of close friends. He used their response as a gauge for the most impactful to include in Pathways which has a foreword by P. J. Patterson, the former Jamaica prime minister.
Born in St. James parish, western Jamaica, Little-White is a graduate of Ryerson Polytechnic University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) in Canada. He also studied film at Northwestern University in Chicago.
The plantocracy that dominated pre-independence Jamaica made a lasting impact on him. It is the backdrop for Children Of Babylon, which starred singer-songwriter Bob Andy, and Royal Palm Estate.
Pathways will be available in physical form through Amazon. It will also be online from Kindle.
