Finished!

Finished Catch a Fire (see post below) - incredible book, I had no idea it was going to delve so deeply into Ethiopian (pre-Haile Selassie i.e. Ras Tafari, till near-present day) and Jamaican history, the rise of the political gangs and the ganja-into-cocaine trade, both of which have shaded Jamaican culture ever since. Having formerly studied the Caribbean and now Africa, it was a pleasure to read on several fronts. Reading more about Bob Marley's life, from his alleged mystical powers to his difficult childhood in St. Ann's and then Trench Town, to his struggle to get his music produced and get paid for it, and so forth until cancer killed him at 36 gives new spark to his music. As I mentioned in my last post, there's a complete discography, so I'm working on finding some of those early recordings. Tim White, the author who recently passed, managed to update this book about six times and his love of Bob and all things Jamaican, as well as his lust for detail, is evident. Well worth it!