Jamaican novelist gets Ivy League attention

Shereita Grizzle, Gleaner Writer

Following the announcement that three Jamaican novels were shortlisted to receive the inaugural Burt Award for Caribbean Literature, another Jamaican author has made his mark internationally. Turn Back Blow, a novel written by Jamaican author, Roger Williams, has been named as part of the prestigious catalogues at Ivy League universities across the world.

Yale in Connecticut, Princeton in New Jersey (both in the United States) and Oxford University in England have all made the decision to include the Jamaican novel as part of their library catalogue.

The Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, has also catalogued Turn Back Blow.

Williams is the first author from Jamaica to advocate animal rights and bring awareness to animal cruelty.

According to him, the novel was inspired by a real-life event in Jamaica.

Williams said having watched news footage on YouTube where a dog was being used as bait to lure a crocodile, he felt the need to pen a novel defending the rights of animals and speaking against animal abuse.

The novel, set in rural Jamaica, is William's first and tells the tale of a group of stray animals that team up with a disabled boy to combat cruel humans residing in their community.

The book was published last year by Xlibris Corporation and is also part of the library catalogue at the University of the West Indies, Mona.

shereita.grizzle@gleanerjm.com