- Hardcover: 296 pages
- Publisher: Amistad Press (April 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060837578
- ISBN-13: 978-0060837570
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14.2 x 2.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 574,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
unburnable is a work of literary fiction that is at once a
love story, a murder mystery, a multigenerational epic, and a
reinterpretation of Black history - defies neat categorization. Covering
the African Diaspora, this riveting narrative of family, betrayal,
vengeance, and murder, follows Lillian Baptiste as she is willed back to
her island home of Dominica from Washington, D.C. to finally settle her
past. Haunted by scandal and secrets, Lillian left Dominica when she was 14
years old after discovering she was the daughter of Iris, the half-crazy
Carib woman; and the granddaughter of Matilda, convicted and hung for
murder. Their infamous lives were told of in chante mas songs sung during
Carnival -- songs about a village on a mountaintop and bones and bodies,
about African masquerades and a man who dropped dead. Lillian knows these
Carnival songs - thus the history - belongs to her. After 20 years away,
she returns to face the demons of her past, and with the help of Teddy, the
man she has until now refused to love, she is determined to find her
answers. Set partly in contemporary Washington, D.C. and partly in the
Caribbean island of Dominica, Unburnable is the dazzling debut of a
talented writer who deftly intertwines the African-American experience with
authentic Caribbean culture and history - the Caribs, the Maroons, the
African origins of Carnival, the practice of Obeah - and in doing so,
showcases a new literary voice confident enough to also deliver a
page-turner.
love story, a murder mystery, a multigenerational epic, and a
reinterpretation of Black history - defies neat categorization. Covering
the African Diaspora, this riveting narrative of family, betrayal,
vengeance, and murder, follows Lillian Baptiste as she is willed back to
her island home of Dominica from Washington, D.C. to finally settle her
past. Haunted by scandal and secrets, Lillian left Dominica when she was 14
years old after discovering she was the daughter of Iris, the half-crazy
Carib woman; and the granddaughter of Matilda, convicted and hung for
murder. Their infamous lives were told of in chante mas songs sung during
Carnival -- songs about a village on a mountaintop and bones and bodies,
about African masquerades and a man who dropped dead. Lillian knows these
Carnival songs - thus the history - belongs to her. After 20 years away,
she returns to face the demons of her past, and with the help of Teddy, the
man she has until now refused to love, she is determined to find her
answers. Set partly in contemporary Washington, D.C. and partly in the
Caribbean island of Dominica, Unburnable is the dazzling debut of a
talented writer who deftly intertwines the African-American experience with
authentic Caribbean culture and history - the Caribs, the Maroons, the
African origins of Carnival, the practice of Obeah - and in doing so,
showcases a new literary voice confident enough to also deliver a
page-turner.
About the Author
Born and raised in Antigua, Marie-Elena John wasn't considering
a writing career when she left her Caribbean island for New York's City
College. There, thanks to a semester spent at the University of Nigeria,
she became fascinated by the intertwined cultural commonality of the
Continent, the Caribbean, and the African-American experiences. After
graduating as CCNY's first Black woman valedictorian, she went on to earn a
Masters degree from Columbia University, focusing on culture and
development in Africa. From a Washington D.C. base throughout the 1990s,
she worked with non-profit organizations, traveling throughout Africa,
first in support of grassroots development efforts, later working with
pro-democracy and human rights movements, and eventually becoming best
known in her field for her pioneering work on the denial of women's
inheritance rights in Africa. Recently, though, she has been channeling
her vast knowledge of and passion for the African Diaspora into her
dazzling literary debut, Unburnable - a multi-generational novel that
powerfully brings together Caribbean history, African customs, and
African-American sensibilities, published by HarperCollin's Amistad in
April 2006.
a writing career when she left her Caribbean island for New York's City
College. There, thanks to a semester spent at the University of Nigeria,
she became fascinated by the intertwined cultural commonality of the
Continent, the Caribbean, and the African-American experiences. After
graduating as CCNY's first Black woman valedictorian, she went on to earn a
Masters degree from Columbia University, focusing on culture and
development in Africa. From a Washington D.C. base throughout the 1990s,
she worked with non-profit organizations, traveling throughout Africa,
first in support of grassroots development efforts, later working with
pro-democracy and human rights movements, and eventually becoming best
known in her field for her pioneering work on the denial of women's
inheritance rights in Africa. Recently, though, she has been channeling
her vast knowledge of and passion for the African Diaspora into her
dazzling literary debut, Unburnable - a multi-generational novel that
powerfully brings together Caribbean history, African customs, and
African-American sensibilities, published by HarperCollin's Amistad in
April 2006.
Inside This Book
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In spite of the first review which made note of a disappointing end, I had no complaints in that or any department. I don't mind ambiguous endings; or endings that don't deliver a fairy-tale. This was a deep, engaging story that had me forsaking sleep so I could keep reading to get just one more little "reveal" to take me a little closer to the answers. Still, I wasn't able to anticipate what it would all turn out to be. The richness of the culture Ms. John describes reads as completely authentic. I like the fact that I got an education without sacrificing the story. Intelligent writing, good plot, and raw talent all come together in Unburnable. I recommend this book highly.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I read this book because it was a "best of 2006" selection by a U.S. review magazine. I recommend it to anyone who appreciates good storytelling. The author also knows her subject matter intricately, and the reader also goes on a journey deep into Caribbean and African culture. There is a Black American character and perspective as well, but the focus is on the part of Caribbean culture that's not known. There is something for everybody. Mystery, murder, secrets, scandals, and love stories. There is strong sexual content as well, which is well done and is not gratuitous.
Once I started reading, it was difficult to put down, because of how the author kept up the suspense.
I will read this book a second time, it was that good.
Once I started reading, it was difficult to put down, because of how the author kept up the suspense.
I will read this book a second time, it was that good.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the full text of Chimamanda Adichie's comments about Unburnable in The Guardian:
..More recently, I read Marie-Elena John's novel Unburnable on the plane from New York to Copenhagen. I laughed aloud so often reading this wondrously intelligent book about Dominica and the United States and Africa, about gender, class and race, about love and sexuality, that the bespectacled man sitting next to me put his Wall Street Journal down and leaned over to see what the title was. He asked what it was about. I could have told him how it dealt honestly with issues without ever forgetting to keep character and soul as its centre, but instead I told him a tiny anecdote from the book about black women and thongs. And I much enjoyed his blush.
It appeared on Saturday June 23, 2007.
I feel the same way about this wonderful book.
..More recently, I read Marie-Elena John's novel Unburnable on the plane from New York to Copenhagen. I laughed aloud so often reading this wondrously intelligent book about Dominica and the United States and Africa, about gender, class and race, about love and sexuality, that the bespectacled man sitting next to me put his Wall Street Journal down and leaned over to see what the title was. He asked what it was about. I could have told him how it dealt honestly with issues without ever forgetting to keep character and soul as its centre, but instead I told him a tiny anecdote from the book about black women and thongs. And I much enjoyed his blush.
It appeared on Saturday June 23, 2007.
I feel the same way about this wonderful book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Exactly what Chimamanda Adichie said it would be
I was given Unburnable as a gift and kept in in my stack of Books To Read Soon. Then I read what Adichie had to say about it in The Guardian, and I moved it to the Read Now pile. Read more
Published on 2 July 2007 by Toni
Page-turner
This novel ranks among my best reads in a long, long time. The quality of the writing was outstanding, yet even if it qualifies for the "literary" category, there was all the plot... Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2007 by bookworm
It was going so well..................
What a fantastic book, it started so well. The characters were great, the plot interesting and just as it reached its peak it took a complete nose dive!!! Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2006 by CeCe
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