🇯🇲Jamaica, a Caribbean island nation, has a lush topography of mountains, rainforests and reef-lined beaches. Many of its all-inclusive resorts are clustered in Montego Bay, with its British-colonial architecture, and Negril, known for its diving and snorkeling sites. Jamaica is famed as the birthplace of reggae music, and its capital Kingston is home to the Bob Marley Museum, dedicated to the famous singer.
🇯🇲Jamaica became independent on August 6, 1962, remaining a member of the British Commonwealth. The United States recognized Jamaica’s independence on August 16, 1962, with the establishment of the American Embassy at Kingston.
☕️Blue Mountain Coffee was sent to Jamaica in the early 18th century by a governor and since then, it has been widely produced because of its distinctive and addictive flavours. It has earned its reputation as one of the tastiest and rarest coffees in the world. Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is produced in the Blue Mountain region which is located on the eastside of the island of Jamaica. Only coffee grown in this small exclusive area is officially certified as Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee.
Library Books
My favourite reads for this challenge this month:
📘Hurricane Summer by Asha Bromfield
In this sweeping debut, Asha Bromfield takes readers to the heart of Jamaica, and into the soul of a girl coming to terms with her family, and herself, set against the backdrop of a hurricane.
Tilla has spent her entire life trying to make her father love her. But every six months, he leaves their family and returns to his true home: the island of Jamaica.
When Tilla’s mother tells her she’ll be spending the summer on the island, Tilla dreads the idea of seeing him again, but longs to discover what life in Jamaica has always held for him.
In an unexpected turn of events, Tilla is forced to face the storm that unravels in her own life as she learns about the dark secrets that lie beyond the veil of paradise―all in the midst of an impending hurricane.
Hurricane Summer is a powerful coming of age story that deals with colorism, classism, young love, the father-daughter dynamic―and what it means to discover your own voice in the center of complete destruction.
📒A Story About AFIYA by James Berry & Anna Cunha
Every day, Afiya wakes to a brand new day and a clean white dress, ready for her adventures to begin…
Some people have dresses for every occasion but Afiya needs only one. Her dress records the memories of her childhood, from roses in bloom to pigeons in flight, from tigers at the zoo to October leaves falling. A joyful celebration of a young girl’s childhood, written by the late Coretta Scott King Book Award-winning Jamaican poet James Berry.
WINNER of the Northern Lights Book Awards Picture Book of the Year. USBBY Outstanding International Book 2021. New York Times, 25 Best Children’s Books of 2020. A Guardian Children’s Book of the Month.
