Book - Caribbean by James Michener

Caribbean by James A. Michener 11/14

“A fictional account of the history of the Caribbean area includes the racial, political, and economic struggles from the arrival of Columbus and Spanish control to present day problems.” worldcat.com  “The historical novel Caribbean (1989), written by James A. Michener, depicts the history of the Caribbean region from the time of the native Arawak tribes until about 1990. It mixes fact and fiction as Michener notes in the foreword.” wikipedia.com 

See reviews at goodreads.com  Click here for an interesting 1989 article on Michener as he was writing "Caribbean"

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After rereading Michener’s “The Covenant” recently, I decided to make my way through other Michener books. I'd read many of them decades ago and remember enjoying them. “Caribbean” was a natural choice to reread next since we lived in The Bahamas for almost 1 ½ years during our mission. We became acquainted with people from all over the Caribbean and found the history of the area fascinating. Michener doesn’t include The Bahamas in his book. The Bahamas technically isn’t part of the Caribbean because it’s in the Atlantic Ocean. Many of the events and issues in the Caribbean were major factors in the history of The Bahamas.

For me the book didn’t hold together as a smooth flowing story. That’s because each of the islands has such a different history, depending on which colonial power was in charge. I still enjoyed the book because of our experience in the Bahamas.

Initially I didn’t like the fact that he created a fictional island, All Saints, and mixed its story with the historical islands. Perhaps he used this island to make statements about the whole area. 

Speaking of the past.  “It was a memory, not a magnet.” (703)  It's important to keep the past in perspective.

Each colonial power governed differently. That made a difference in how the island country developed and how it is after independence. England, Spain, Netherlands, Denmark, France - all were different and left different legacies. At one time these tiny islands were major players in global politics. Some of them changed hands numerous times in their history. 

One of the modern day characters in the book grew up in Trinidad and goes to college in Miami, Florida. “When I got off the airplane in Miami … my lungs expanded, as if responding to the freedom in the air, the excitement.” (612) One of our Bahamian friends used to talk about how the United States felt different and that you could feel and smell freedom in the air.

This isn't an easy book to read because it's not a "page turner" and doesn't have a story that flows throughout the whole book. It's more like a history book with stories. The history is fascinating. The issues are as relevant today as they were centuries ago. 

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