Roots & Reckonings: Family, Memory & Caribbean Identity – Nonfiction

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In How to Be Unmothered: A Trinidadian Memoir, Camille U. Adams maps the fault lines between mother and child against the backdrop of Trinidad’s colonial violence and her family’s legacy of abandonment. Tormented by her mother’s presence and haunted by her absence, Adams presents an account of survival and self-determination, reimagining the meaning of escape, its cost, and what comes after. In Silence and Resistance: Memoir of a Girlhood in Haiti, Monique Clesca recounts surviving Haiti’s 2010 earthquake while confronting a past marked by state terror, domestic violence, and generational secrets. Set against Haiti’s rich history, this powerful memoir explores love, trauma, and identity as she uncovers her father’s dark legacy, navigates betrayal, and seeks healing, ultimately discovering strength and freedom in breaking the chains of silence. Created for readers ages 10-17, Unstoppable You: 50 Quotes from Marcus Garvey to Inspire Greatness (Mabrak Books) is Jamaican poet, novelist, and playwright Geoffrey Philp’s guide to help Black teens build confidence, clarity, and purpose using Garvey’s timeless words. Included are reflections on creativity, leadership, purpose, and legacy; bold affirmations; and real-life stories of Black heroes who lived Garvey’s message. Moderated by Chantalle F. Verna, associate professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University and author of Haiti and the Uses of America: Post U.S.-Occupation Promises.
Buy How to Be Unmothered: A Trinidadian Memoir – Adams
Buy Silence and Resistance: Memoir of a Girlhood in Haiti – Clesca
Buy Unstoppable You: 50 Quotes from Marcus Garvey to Inspire Greatness – Philp
Buy Haiti and the Uses of America: Post U.S.-Occupation Promises – Verna

Authors

CAMILLE U. ADAMS is a writer from Trinidad and Tobago. Her book How to Be Unmothered: A Trinidadian Memoir (Restless Books), was recognized as a finalist for the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing in 2023. She earned her MFA in poetry from City College of New York and a doctoral degree in creative nonfiction from Florida State University. Honors for her work include Best of The Net: Nonfiction 2024, five nominations for the Pushcart Prize, three Best of the Net: Nonfiction nominations, and recognition for a notable essay in Best American Essays 2022. She is the recipient of numerous fellowships, including an inaugural Tin House Reading Fellowship.

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