Augustown A Novel
Augustown A Novel by Kei Miller is a reprint edition published by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group on May 15, 2018. This 256-page book presents a narrative centered around Ma Taffy, a blind matriarch who perceives the emotional turmoil of her great-nephew Kaia after a traumatic incident at school. The story unfolds against the backdrop of Jamaica in the 1980s, exploring themes of cultural heritage and the impact of personal and collective history on a community.
Readers will find that Augustown delves into the complexities of family and societal dynamics, as Kaia’s experience with a teacher who cuts his dreadlocks ignites memories of Ma Taffy’s past and the broader historical context of Jamaican oppression and resistance. The novel intricately weaves together elements of fiction and cultural commentary, highlighting the struggles of a family as they navigate the intersections of race, class, and myth. Through its vivid storytelling, the book captures the essence of a community grappling with its identity and legacy.
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PEN OPEN BOOK AWARD FINALIST
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Slate • Publishers Weekly • Kirkus Reviews • Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Ma Taffy may be blind but she sees everything. So when her great-nephew Kaia comes home from school in tears, what she senses sends a deep fear running through her. A teacher has cut off Kaia’s dreadlocks—a violation of the family’s Rastafari beliefs—and this single impulsive action will have ramifications that stretch throughout the entire community. Kaia’s story brings back memories from Ma Taffy’s youth, including the legend of the flying preacherman and his ties to the history of Jamaican oppression and resistance—all of which will reverberate forward to the present and change Augustown forever.
Vividly bringing to life Jamaica in the 1980s, Augustown follows one family’s struggle to rise above the brutal vicissitudes of history, race, class, collective memory, violence, and myth.
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