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Disposable People Inspired by true events Ezekel Alan 9781467922739 Books

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Disposable People Inspired by true events Ezekel Alan 9781467922739 Books

As a Caribbean native I can fully appreciate and understand the author's desire to chronicle his early experiences living on the fringe of society. This poignant, hilarious and candid memoir rings true and hits home hard, and unlike some others in the genre, never comes over as derogatory or offensive.

Indeed the language is raw, and the creolese may be befuddling to non-Caribbean readers, but the meaning and sentiment is always conveyed with complete honesty and clarity. To his immense credit, the author does not try to tie his observances together with a flimsy attempt at a plot, and does not promote his thoughts and experiences as being applicable to all people living on the island. This is the Jamaica that you won't see from your Ocho Rios beach chair.

Told as a series of short stories with intermittent poetry, the author covers not only daily life back in the day in the Third World Caribbean, but folklore, promiscuity, family relations, celebrations and politics, among others. To be honest, I read it in one sitting as I didn't want to put it down. Highly recommended for those seeking a true West Indian experience.

Amanda Richards, April 14, 2012


Tags : Disposable People: Inspired by true events [Ezekel Alan] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div><b>REGIONAL WINNER - COMMONWEALTH BOOK PRIZE 2013</b></div><div><span>FROM A REVIEW BY THE JAMAICA OBSERVER NEWSPAPER</span></div> <span>The pain and passion in this freewheeling text is so palpable that it is hard to regard it as fiction. It reads like a memoir,Ezekel Alan,Disposable People: Inspired by true events,CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform,1467922730,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction General,Fiction : Literary,FictionLiterary,General,Literary,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Disposable People Inspired by true events Ezekel Alan 9781467922739 Books Reviews

Alan's fictionalised memoir is well-written, captivating and as colourful as Jamaican life and scenery. However, after a while, I found myself becoming as bogged down as treading through a Jamaican mangrove marsh. The steady diet of violence and hopelessness seems without resolution...I keep ploughing through hoping for that end. A good read if you can bear the continuous flow of American obscenity. (Sorry, but some more colourful Jamaican "cloths" [Jamaican obscenities]would have seemed more authentic, even if no more tolerable.)I would recommend this selectively and cautiously, and am glad that it is not the total story of life in Jamaica. At the same time, it does deal with social issues that we as Jamaicans need to confront and address with urgency.
After over 50 trips to Jamaica in the past 25 years I am always on the look out for historical novels about Jamaica. I had lots of laughs throughout this book as well as despair and disgust. The treatment of dogs even shocked me. A good deal of the writers story does help me understand the root of Jamaican attitude toward sexual relationships and life in general. Of course there are exceptions to any generalization. I know three loving men and fathers who raised their children alone when the birthmothers took off to the States. They are terrific fathers. I knew an old fellow who passed a few years ago. He was married to the same woman for over 50 years. They never had children and he never had any elsewhere. He worshiped his loving Birdie (as he called her). Franklin was his name and he worked at the resort I frequent since it was built in the early 70's. He was in his late 70's when he died. I miss him and his stories. That is where I first heard of many Duppy stories and learned the proper way to roast a breadfruit.

Over all I enjoyed reading this book. One thing the book lacked was answers. Mon, I need some answers. How the heck you get out of that horrible place? What takes you around the world? What kind of consulting? What happened when you did meet your father? Why semicolon? Look forward to the next books.
From the onset of his provocative and captivating novel, Disposable People, Ezekel Alan lures and guides readers through each disturbing childhood experience of Kenneth E.S. Lovelace, or Kenny, using a unique yet effective 'stream-of-consciousness' writing style. Alan masterfully manages to pull me with him through regions of Jamaica that are often removed from the view of outsiders and tourists areas rifed with abject poverty, misery and hopelessness; areas steeped in a "fog" of despicable and wretched despair; Jamaica's so-called Depression and "that hateful f...ing place".

Disposable People held me captive and I felt as though I was there with Lovelace, living each haunting experience with him like one of his unfortunate, trapped and miserable childhood friends. While the book pokes through Lovelace's past, it simultaneously forces readers to explore their past and examine events that shaped their lives childhood experiences and how those experiences molded our deepest, innermost feelings of ourselves and others. As a fellow Jamaican, the book brought to the forefront of my mind disquieting memories of a distant past and Alan skillfully reminds us that our past follows like our shadow.

Lovelace's striking childhood experiences are described in his dairy entries to his "true love", Semicolon, and are often in vignettes that possess vivid, disturbing imageries. However, occasionally I found myself wishing that some of these vignettes were a bit longer as their brevity made some of the stories appear incomplete and had me wishing for more to read. This may be a testimony to Alan's unique brand of sarcastic humor and compelling stories. Adding to the book's intrigue, Lovelace's intense period-specific poems and artistic renderings are interspersed throughout, providing a welcoming change in rhythm.

Admittedly, I was confused by the jumping timelines in some areas of the book, for example in one paragraph Lovelace is 10 years old, and in another paragraph of the same chapter he is in his 30's, then he is back to being 10 years old again. While this timeline may be a consequence of Alan's 'stream-of-consciousness' writing style, the downside of this approach is that some stories may seem choppy and difficult to follow. Nonetheless, Alan's Diposable People will all-at-once shock and anger you at some point, force you into self-introspection at another point, then throw you into a fit of laughter at the next. An unforgettable read!
As a Caribbean native I can fully appreciate and understand the author's desire to chronicle his early experiences living on the fringe of society. This poignant, hilarious and candid memoir rings true and hits home hard, and unlike some others in the genre, never comes over as derogatory or offensive.

Indeed the language is raw, and the creolese may be befuddling to non-Caribbean readers, but the meaning and sentiment is always conveyed with complete honesty and clarity. To his immense credit, the author does not try to tie his observances together with a flimsy attempt at a plot, and does not promote his thoughts and experiences as being applicable to all people living on the island. This is the Jamaica that you won't see from your Ocho Rios beach chair.

Told as a series of short stories with intermittent poetry, the author covers not only daily life back in the day in the Third World Caribbean, but folklore, promiscuity, family relations, celebrations and politics, among others. To be honest, I read it in one sitting as I didn't want to put it down. Highly recommended for those seeking a true West Indian experience.

Amanda Richards, April 14, 2012