Review by Choice Review
Like many other Caribbean writers, Strachan (Univ. of Massachusetts, Dartmouth) forces the reader to take a closer look at the "paradise" of his homeland, in this case the Bahamas. Tourism's influence on the islands has deep colonial roots, a claim substantiated here with excellent research. Strachan traces the discourse of paradise through Columbus's diaries, Caribbean literature, and travel brochures, among other texts. The continued production of a paradise mythos has been key in appealing to the traveler's need to "discover" a beautiful, virginal landscape. The author deconstructs the modern tourist industry, revealing it as a postcolonial plantation on which the Bahamian people continue to serve the needs and desires of foreigners (reaping little profit themselves) and are complicit (and encouraged) in maintaining the myth of paradise in hopes of economic prosperity. Though other Caribbean scholars have made many of the same points, Strachan's text is an important addition to the literature because it reveals specifics particular to the Bahamas. It also provides fresh readings of Caribbean literature in which the discourse of paradise is addressed. Closest attention is paid to V.S. Naipaul, Derek Walcott, Paule Marshall, Michelle Cliff, and Jamaica Kincaid. ^BSumming Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. N. M. Peeterse J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
