Elizabeth Nunez Knihy

The year is 1954. A white woman’s body, stuffed in a coconut bag, has washed ashore in Otatiti, Trinidad, and the British colony is rife with rumors. In two homes, one in a distant shantytown, the other on the outskirts of a former sugar cane estate, two women hear the news and their blood runs cold. Rosa, the white daughter of a landowner, and Zuela, the adopted “daughter” of a Chinese shop owner used to play together as girls—and witnessed something terrible behind a hibiscus bush many years ago.

Exploring the challenges faced by an African Caribbean woman, the narrative delves into her quest for identity and belonging in America. As she navigates cultural complexities and personal sacrifices, the story poignantly highlights her resilience and the struggle to remain true to herself amidst societal pressures. The haunting themes resonate deeply, offering a powerful commentary on the immigrant experience and the quest for self-acceptance.

There is nothing like racial injustice in America to teach an outsider the differences between perception and reality "The racial politics of a small town in Vermont, as seen through Lila's eyes, provides an illuminating coun

Defining Ourselves offers perspectives on black literature in the 1990s by twenty-nine black writers and critics, including Paule Marshall, Amiri Baraka, John A. Williams, Ishmael Reed, Walter Mosley, Marita Golden, Thulani Davis, Jill Nelson, Arthur Flowers, Lorna Goodison, Bebe Moore Campbell, Brent Staples, Terry McMillan, Stanley Crouch, Houston A. Baker Jr., Barbara Christian, Karla FC Holloway, and William W. Cook. The essays in this book are based on papers presented at the Fourth National Black Writers Conference at Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, which focused on the question of whether or not black literature in the 90s is experiencing a renaissance to end all renaissances. In addition to this topic, this book addresses the issues of the universality of black literature, the changing tastes and concerns of black readers, and the politics of publishing.