Understanding 'Jamaica Fi Real'

Beautiful, aggressive, exuberant, talkative, humorous, resourceful, unpredictable - Jamaica brings many adjectives to mind, but boring is not one of them. No other country so young and so small has had such global cultural influence as the land of Marcus Garvey, Louise Bennett, Bob Marley and Usain Bolt. Jamaica Fi Real, Kevin O'Brien Chang's new book, provides an indepth look at Jamaica's people, history, music, sports, religion and culture, creating a vivid 21st-century portrait of perhaps the world's most fascinating island.

Author of the best-selling book, Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music, and longstanding Gleaner columnist, Kevin O'Brien Chang paints a real and insightful portrait of Jamaica, looking at its music, culture, sports, religion, history and people. To the world at large, Jamaica means sunny beaches, reggae and rum, but Jamaica Fi Real: Beauty, Vibes and Culture goes far beyond the surface, exposing and exploring the unique things that make Jamaica, Jamaica, in some cases setting the record straight, and also highlighting some significant achievements and little-known facts about Jamaica.

Did you know?

Did you know that in the 2008 Olympics, Jamaica won more gold sprint medals than every other country put together? That Ska - a mixture of rhythm and blues, mento, revival and Rastafarian music - was born in poor west Kingston ghettos? Or that Martin Luther King Jr praised Jamaica, saying he felt more at home here than anywhere else in the world?

Lavishly illustrated with more than 200 images, featuring places to go, foods to eat, religious practices and cultural and historical icons, no other book on or about Jamaica provides such an indepth, honest and creative representation of Jamaica as Jamaica Fi Real. It will appeal to the Jamaican diaspora, persons wanting to visit Jamaica, and persons generally interested in Jamaican history, culture and lifestyle.

Jamaica Fi Real: Beauty, Vibes and Culture is set for worldwide release in October.

A few comments on the book:

... A fascinating and enthralling journey; exposing you to the full tapestry of Jamaica, no doubt eliciting your smiles, even uproarious laughter … hard data, solid analysis.

- Ian Boyne, multiple-award-winning television talk-show host and Gleaner columnist

… A really great book about Jamaica and its people … provides an honest and real insight … required reading for anyone who has to interact with Jamaicans. Fi Real.

- Lloyd Lovindeer, Jamaican deejay