Former Government Minister and MP, Rawle Eastmond chatting with someone about one of his books.
FORMER Government Minister and MP, Rawle Eastmond has released four new books which have received very favourable reviews at their launch on Wednesday.
The books: Woman; Unschackled; Yardfowl; Beach Bum; and Principles of Business for Caribbean, were released at a ceremony held at Solidarity House, headquarters of the Barbados Workers Union.
Principles of Business for Caribbean is co-authored with Wendell Callender. It is ideally suited for Barbadian and Caribbean students in Business Studies programmes at secondary schools and at tertiary education institutions. The other books capture a variety of scenes relating to Barbadian life in previous years and depict in some instances the struggles and challenges which people faced in those formative years.
Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Richard Sealy who spoke at the function said his relationship with Eastmond goes back many years. He termed Eastmond as an educator.
The Minister believes that the reading of books is important in that doing so can entertain, they can bring about new perspectives as well as life changes. He reasoned that because a large segment of the Barbadian population is literate, local authors ought to be encouraged and supported.
Sealy said that Beach Bum tackles a number of societal issues bringing much deeper perspectives including especially when the economy was being transformed, how the church related to beach culture, and the fact that many significant players including hoteliers are represented in the book as well as the characters on the beaches.
He said that until now, these elements of tourism have not really been dealt with in a serious way. “That is why I think the book is a good read and why I think it should be compulsory reading for students in Tourism Studies,” Sealy suggested.
He saluted both authors.
Carol Pitt gave a brief review of Unschackled, noting that it is about “Salt Teeth,” the name of a poor individual growing up in a poor rural Barbadian district. It is a story, she maintained, that will touch Barbadians. She noted that Eastmond’s narrative highlighted the pain of that exercise and it is coupled with a deep understanding the author has of how Barbadians think.
Dr. George Brathwaite gave a critique of “Woman”. He said that the book is a truly fascinating piece of work. On the second occasion he read the book Dr. Brathwaite said that he saw things jumping out at him, which he did not see in the earlier reading.
According to him, “It brings out personal reflections on where we have come from over the last several years.”
Dr. Brathwaite conceded that the author touched a raw nerve in depicting some of the sex scenes. However, he queried of Eastmond where he got the time to put his ideas together in the book.
Suggesting that writing is a culture, that has started with both former MPs, Dr. Brathwaite urged Eastmond to continue writing.
Meanwhile, Callender said it was a pleasure to have worked with Eastmond and to have hand in ‘Principles of Business for Caribbean.’
“He has done this book for Caribbean students and I am involved in the sections dealing with Marketing and Accounting,” according to Callender.
He lauded Eastmond saying among other things that as an intelligent individual, Eastmond continues to make a contribution to Barbados.
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