“From Yaad” is a short novel by Tracey Jackson about Stevonie, a career driven young woman born to Jamaican parents living in New York. While visiting her mom in Florida she gets a mysterious letter from a woman in her deceased father’s past and the resulting path that letter takes her on.
The book is full of real life scenarios or situations experienced by Caribbean Americans. From relationships with parents and or grandparents, friendships and just how we go about our every day lives. There were scenarios in this book where I said “yup Grandma would’ve done this.”
For me it highlights the nuanced relationship a “Yankee pickney”** has with the island of their parents’ birth.
If you’re looking for a nice easy read, grab yourself a copy of “From Yaad”. It’s definitely a welcomed representation of the modern Caribbean novel. Looking forward to more stories like these exploring the Caribbean American experience.
*Yard. A term used to describe home and a widely used to reference Jamaica.
**A term used to reference the American born child of a person born in Jamaica or the Caribbean
About the Author
Tracey Jackson is a speaker and author of four books. Her recent work, “From Yaad” was inspired to write this book after a family reunion spent in Montego Bay, Jamaica’s North Coast. She currently resides in South Florida.
Connect with Tracey on Instagram: @thesummerofchances
