All around me is talk about how unsafe Guyana is. Crime--random and targeted--seems to be quite rampant in Guyana--that's if I'm to believe the Guyana newspapers, some accounts from people who have visited there, and some of my blogger friends. Now I'm not really squeamish about random or targeted crime, after all I live in urban America. My relative comfort comes from a reliable security system, a dependable neighborhood watch program, and quick, responsive police. I have sound reason to believe that those security measures may not exist in Guyana.
So what's a Carifesta-seeking woman to do? Well, I'm gonna take my chances. As I keep telling concerned relatives and friends, my keep-safe plan is to avoid all the overly-popular Carifesta events and as many of the large crowds as I can, and of course, to pray a lot.
To get beyond all the negatives and put myself (and hopefully some of you who will also be going to Guyana for Carifesta) in a positive mood for Guyana and Carifesta X, for the next few weeks I'm focusing on the work of a few women writers from the Caribbean.
First on my list is Haitian-American writer, Edwidge Danticat. Years ago I read and enjoyed Danticat's first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory--published when she was 25--and I've since shared it with several groups of students. Each time, without fail, I get a special thrill from watching them discover (most with horror) the novel's "secret." Breath, Eyes, Memory is a remarkable debut novel you will remember for much more than its secret though.
As good as it is, Breath, Eyes, Memory is not the book of hers that I will be featuring here. I am choosing instead to read and write on Danticat's latest work, Brother, I'm Dying. Read its first chapter here for free. Brother, I'm Dying is autobiographical, and won a National Book Critics Circle award in March of this year. I'll begin posting on it on Friday. Meanwhile, here's to women writers of the Caribbean!
