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2 Hawthorne Gay and Lesbian- General
20 Local Warehouse Biography- Literary
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The Other Side of Paradise: A Memoir

by Staceyann Chin

The Other Side of Paradise: A Memoir Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

No one knew Staceyann's mother was pregnant until a dangerously small baby was born on the floor of her grandmother's house in Lottery, Jamaica, on Christmas Day. Staceyann's mother did not want her, and her father was not present. No one, except her grandmother, thought Staceyann would survive.

It was her grandmother who nurtured and protected and provided for Staceyann and her older brother in the early years. But when the three were separated, Staceyann was thrust, alone, into an unfamiliar and dysfunctional home in Paradise, Jamaica. There, she faced far greater troubles than absent parents. So, armed with a fierce determination and uncommon intelligence, she discovered a way to break out of this harshly unforgiving world.

Staceyann Chin, acclaimed and iconic performance artist, now brings her extraordinary talents to the page in a brave, lyrical, and fiercely candid memoir about growing up in Jamaica. She plumbs tender and unsettling memories as she writes about drifting from one home to the next, coming out as a lesbian, and finding the man she believes to be her father and ultimately her voice. Hers is an unforgettable story told with grace, humor, and courage.

Review:

"The human family is a complex ecosystem, a magnificent experiment of righteous diversity. The Other Side of Paradise captures the evocative struggle of one strong but fragile flower. Staceyann breaks our hearts a little, and then brings us safely, gratefully, home." — Rebecca Walker, author of One Big Happy Family and Black White and Jewish

Review:

"Staceyann's courage, sensitivity, and bravery are exposed on these vulnerable pages. Captured is the fire, passion, and light I experience when she performs. Liberating, beautiful, and life-affirming, The Other Side of Paradise is simply incredible." — Russell Simmons, author of Do You!

Review:

"Staceyann Chin's memoir is a heartbreaking feat of unflinching memory and language. Set in a Jamaica far from the tourist brochures, The Other Side of Paradise is Chin's rich and nuanced story of family and abandonment, love and brutality, and a child's struggle to survive and find a home that will accept her. A remarkable young woman emerges, whose gift for poetry has been forged by poverty, religiosity, and a circle of adults who found the child in their care. This is A Portrait of the Artist written for our age. I love this book — and I am completely hamstrung by the feelings it evokes." — Walter Mosley

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Ronald Taylor, May 16, 2009 (view all comments by Ronald Taylor)
I know it's a cliche, but "The Other Side of Paradise," a memoir by Womyn-Warrior Poet-Extraordinaire Staceyann Chin, is quite inspirational. She takes the unusual step of writing in the first-person present. Thus we experience her life as she truly remembers it. At turns heart-breaking and even funny, Paradise is a must read for Chin fans and those just coming to her writing.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780743292900
Subtitle:
A Memoir
Author:
Chin, Staceyann
Publisher:
Scribner Book Company
Subject:
Authors, Jamaican
Subject:
Jamaica
Subject:
Personal Memoirs
Subject:
Women
Subject:
cultural heritage
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Specific Groups - Lesbians
Subject:
Homes and haunts
Subject:
Chin, Staceyann - Childhood and youth
Subject:
Chin, Staceyann - Homes and haunts - Jamaica
Publication Date:
April 2009
Binding:
Hardcover
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
278
Dimensions:
9 x 6 in

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