‘Small Island’ Reading for Abolition of Slave trade commemoration

MIAMI – Several copies of the novel “Small Island” published by Jamaican author, Ms. Andrea Levy was distributed at the recent Community Service Awards ceremony of the Jamaica Consulate in Miami.

According to Consul General Ricardo Allicock, the distribution of the novel bore relevance to the observation of the commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in England.

He continued that the juxtaposition of the Awards Ceremony and that Anniversary celebrates the realization of “how far we’ve come in freedom” at the same time maintaining the relevance of Jamaica’s unique cultural inheritance.

The novel was recently selected as the United Kingdom Library’s choice in the biggest reading initiative that has ever taken place in Britain, called “Small Island 2007”.

The Consul General describes the story of “Small Island” as ultimately a realistic and cathartic representation of our history in the Diaspora and legacy. The subject of the nearly 400-page novel also encapsulates the story of the immigrant’s life, sensitizing the immigrant experience of the Jamaican migratory period during the 1940s and the effects of slavery.

Beyond the many endorsements the book has received, the story also “supports and celebrates the success we can have in the Diaspora just by minding our own experience,” Mr. Allicock added.

To that end, the Consul General encouraged the wider community to engage in reading the book in preparation for a visit from the author to the South Florida diasporic community, later this year.

Andrea Levy

The author of three previous novels, Ms. Levy is the winner of the Commonwealth Writers Prize, (Best Book Award 2004); Whitbread Book of the Year; and the Orange Prize.

Ms. Levy resides in London and is the daughter of Jamaican parentage.