JAMAICA: Paradise and Paradox: Volume 3

Jamaica's exquisite beauty that encompasses verdant hillsides, rolling plains, pristine coastal areas dotted with white-sand beaches incessantly caressed by the wind and bathed by turquoise waters of the Caribbean Sea, plus the 'Irie vibes' of Jamaicans collectively conspire to make the Island a unique place on planet Earth. Political independence from Britain in 1962 ignited hope of a better future for all Jamaicans. Indeed, Jamaica made significant early progress and was regarded as the 'Pearl of the Caribbean' and a positive example for newly-independent countries. Alas, there is now pain in paradise because Jamaica toggles between paradise and paradox. Jamaica is still stunningly beautiful and has achieved some notable successes, but its dominant portrait is a fractured and traumatized nation hobbled by many problems, the most troubling of which is a full-spectrum crime problem resulting in one of the highest murder rates in the world. The author was born after independence and in this multi-volume book, he applies the scholarship of integration to examine Jamaica's challenges; he also curates 'crowd-sourced' prescriptions for restoring the 'health' of his sick homeland.