Copies of Mayer Matalon biography donated to JLS

The Jamaica Library Service has welcomed the donation of 240 copies of Mayer Matalon’s biography ‘Mayer Matalon: Business, Politics and the Jewish-Jamaican Elite’ from son Joseph Matalon, chairman of ICD Group Holdings. Written by Diana Thorburn, the biography chronicles the life and times of the revered nation builder and his many contributions to Jamaica.

Deemed an eye-opening depiction of the island, Director General of the Jamaica Library Service, Maureen Thompson, regards it as a lasting addition to the 111 libraries across the island. “The donation comes at an opportune time. We need more content that highlights and uplifts the morals and ambitions of Jamaicans. This donation is quite significant as it is one that represents local content, and the author is Jamaican. This is an area that really is under-represented in our libraries, so we are always elated when we get books that have this type of focus. It will be of interest to all our citizens whether young or old. When we have books that are written by citizens who have achieved much in this country, it is always inspiring. It’s telling others that you, too, can achieve and accomplish much in your life,” she said.

NON-ACADEMIC PUBLICATION

From ideation to publication, author Diana Thorburn, a Jamaican researcher, writer, and editor, credits Mayer Matalon: Business, Politics and the Jewish-Jamaican Elite as her first non-academic publication. The piece took a total of four years to be completed. Throughout this course of time, she interviewed several people. Thorburn shared, “I started working on this book in 2015, and it was published in 2019. I’m a reader of biography and memoirs, and I wanted to read about the life and times of Jamaicans, about how Jamaica came to be the way it is, and countries, oftentimes, come to be the way they are because of outstanding individuals, and Mayer Matalon was an intriguing and fascinating person who was undeniably outstanding. He was almost always behind the scenes of so many things in Jamaica’s history that he played a role in. My desire to read about my own country, and having knowledge of this powerful and influential man that no one had ever written anything about was the drive behind creating this body of work.”

The biography of Mayer Matalon traces his path from humble beginnings to his rise as innovator, public servant, political insider, and leader of his family’s conglomerate. It tells a story of race, class, and power in post-colonial Jamaica, and of the island’s political and economic trajectory over the sixty years before and after independence.

Commitment to self-development

“What I appreciate about this book is that it tells the story that the family did not come from anything. When growing up, there were 11 siblings, and they shared shoes and pants and had to take turns wearing them. What this says to me is that if you are willing to commit yourself to your own self-development, then it is possible to succeed in this beautiful life,” Joseph Matalon said

Thorburn said: “I hope the book will have a positive impact on Jamaicans. Jamaicans need to see themselves more. We need to know our own stories told by ourselves. What strikes me about Jamaica is the extent to which people can attain upward social and economic mobility. It’s really incredible. Mayer’s story is an early story of that, and we can look all around us and see so many stories that are quite fascinating. Usually these persons are smart or talented, or even that they have someone who is looking out for them and really pushes them to their full potential.”