I made the mistake at first of trying to read these stories altogether in one go, and when one started to blend into another I felt myself zoning out. So I put it down for a few days, read something else and went back to How To Love A Jamaican with the plan of reading one at a time, amidst other books. I’m really glad I did because each story is a gem in itself, a slice of life. But they definitely should be read slowly, one at a time.

This is Alexia Arthur’s debut collection, and I just love how she weaves life, the meshing of cultures, humanity, and heartbreak into each story. Some of the stories are based in Jamaica, others in the US (NYC or the Midwest), others in both countries. On the surface, one story might seem similar to the next, but in reality they are not at all. Each one deals with life in general, whether that be family, love, school, human nature, or a mix of all of that, and everything ties back to Jamaica, and being Jamaican. I love how the author naturally uses Jamaican Patois in the narrative, as well as some typically Jamaican sayings (I had to Google “hisses her teeth” for example, as it comes up quite frequently in the collection and I wanted to see if it was a common saying).

Some of the stories struck me more than others, and I cried during the one where the protagonist goes home to bury their grandmother, something I did only a few years ago and I know how hard it is to lose a loved one when you live so far away from your home country. All in all this is a lovely collection of belonging and not belonging, and searching for home, and I definitely recommend reading it! Also, the cover is gorgeous, and is perfect for the book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

How to Love a Jamaican by Alexia Arthurs is a very engaging, highly readable, book whose characters are as colorful as the book cover. It's lovely to see collections of short stories out for publication to the masses. This is a book that will create a whole new generation of readers in love with the genre. Each story features a Jamaican character full of amazing depth in a short story format. Arthurs' writing is so strong and nuanced, that despite not being Jamaican, an immigrant, a college student or a mother of young children, I could absolutely connect and relate and sympathize with each diverse character presented. She does not strictly write from a female perspective, nor in first person, but she writes deftly each character she portrays. Lovely writing; lovely book.

Alexia Arthur’s <i>How to Love a Jamaican</i> is her debut short story collection. Read in order, Arthur’s stories develop, expand, and mature as the reader progresses through the collection. The stories are related rather than linked, each a varying combination of several themes that make this an especially cohesive short story collection. No surprise, given the volume’s title, the stories all deal with Jamaicans—the volume is dedicated “for Jamaicans.” The Jamaicans of Arthur’s stories start out as schoolgirls in “Slack” and “Bad Behavior”; as college students in “Light-Skinned Girls and Kelly Rowlands,” “Mash Up Love,” “The Ghost of Jia Yi,” and “Mermaid River”; and move to women perhaps in their mid- to late 20s as in “Island.” Later in the collection, the Jamaicans are fully adult, as in “Shirley from a Small Place,“ “How to Love a Jamaican,” and “On Shelf.”

Arthur’s characters are pulled between Jamaican and American culture, between life in rural Jamaica and life in the urban U.S., and between older and younger generations. Some see their sexuality developing, others are conflicted by their sexual identities. Arthur’s stories are sweet, loving, and nostalgic without being saccharine, full of everyday life and full of loving and yearning for family, place, and culture. While the immigrant experience portrayed in <i>How to Love a Jamaican</i> is specific to Jamaicans in the U.S., Arthur in fact portrays a more universal immigrant experience of both fear and eagerness to lose and modify identities.

It’s difficult to choose favorites among Arthur’s stories, since all contain beauty and strengths. “Light-Skinned Girls and Kelly Rowlands,” the very first story, artfully deals with race, class, and color of two college students, one Jamaican-born, one U.S.-born of Jamaican-born parents. It’s narrated by Kimberly, who lives with her mother, and reveals her burgeoning friendship with Cecilia, which <i>”isn’t the kind of name that brings to mind a black girl, and that day when she spoke, telling us that she was from California, her voice reminded me of all those blonde white girls on reality television, confirming that, as I suspected, she was a white girl trapped in a black girl’s body”</i>. As Kimberly tells us, <i>”Cecilia was the kind of black girl who didn’t think about her race as much as I did.”</i> Kimberly and Cecilia bond over their Jamaican mothers, who, as Kimberly says, <i>”want to eat their daughters”</i>. In Kimberly’s eyes, Cecilia <i>”was the best friend I’d always wanted”</i>, <i>”honest in the way a white girl was honest”</i>, yet separated from Kimberly by her thorough American-ness. Yet, ultimately, in a painful yet perhaps predictable conclusion, the story ends with a confrontation, with Kimberly telling Cecilia: <spoiler> <i>”In many ways middle-class people have the same ideologies as white people. Because more than any of us, they want what white people have. Your parents are Jamaican and you don’t know anything about the country—“</i> and Kimberly then concluding <i>”I stood there on West Seventy-second, waiting and hoping that she would turn around, but I was too stubborn and maybe even too stupid to make any attempts at winning back my best friend’s favor.”</i> </spoiler> But one question remains: Where on West Seventy-second?

“How to Love a Jamaican” is another stand-out story in a volume of stand-outs. Told in the first person, it recounts a return visit to Jamaica of a middle-aged man and his beloved wife and his beloved three children. The story is highly nuanced and surprising, lovely and thought-provoking.

Alexia Arthur’s <i>How to Love a Jamaican</i> is a fine short story collection for any writer, let alone for a debut collection. The stories build upon each other throughout the volume, riffing on the same themes, without repeating. Arthur builds upon her characters’ emotions, and expands the reader’s understanding of just what she’s trying to convey in her stories. Arthur’s stories and her writing are full of grace and good will. I am eager to read Alexia Arthur’s next fiction.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an advanced reading e-copy of <i>How to Love a Jamaican</i> in exchange for this honest review.

Fuly deserving of four stars.

*An ARC of this book was given to me from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Alexia Arthurs' "How to Love a Jamaican" will remind readers of "The Joy Luck Club." People all over the world are familiar with Jamaica due to the athletes, the music, the food, and the ganja. However, Alexia Arthurs allows for a further look into the Jamaican culture from the perspective of Jamaicans.

There are 11 short stories about Jamaicans and the way their culture affects their daily lives. The characters within each story illustrates the diversity of Jamaica and presents a further look into the culture that is not always shown on mass media. Family, education, love, marriage, America, socioeconomic status, sexuality, racial appearance and identity, and religion are some of the central themes found within the author's tales. Each story allows the reader to comprehend the ways of Jamaicans whether or not they reside on the Island or in the United States of America.

My only criticism here is the use of patois in the dialogue throughout the book. While I'm familiar with both the dialect and the written language, many other readers will find the dialogue difficult to comprehend (at first). The process to understand the dialogue is similar to understanding Shakespeare, read it aloud and eventually you'll understand it.

Anyone who has read "Finding Samuel Lowe: China, Jamaica, Harlem" and/or "A Brief History of Seven Killings, or if you are someone who wants to learn more about Jamaica, both the people and their culture, then this book will provide the best insight.

I received a copy for advanced review in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was recommended to me because I enjoyed “Heads of the Colored People” which is another clever short-story collection by a millennial Blackwoman that explores issues of identity, But it is definitely it’s own separate thing. This book distinguishes itself as the author is very good at evoking sensuality of time and place – she really makes Caribbean Brooklyn and Jamaica come alive, You can see and hear all the details, the people, the streets. She also writes well about the ambiguous discomfort of intersectional identities. The book is literary without being tedious, which is not something I say about short story collection very often. Recommended

How to Love a Jamaican by Alexia Arthurs is a vibrant collection of short stories that captures the culture and rhythms of Jamaica. Beautifully written and executed! Highly recommended!

Each story is brought to you with such beautiful prose and imagery. I fell for the characters and was left wanting more. I had a hard time letting go of one character, however, within a page or two I was wrapped up into the lives of another. I've never been a huge fan of short story collections, but I think I have been converted. I love that each story, though unconnected, has a way of weaving one book tackling the same themes through the lens of many. Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This remarkable set of short stories is for anyone who has felt out of place or self-conscious of their cultural differences to American culture. This is titled How To Love a Jamaican, but it can be easily attributed to anyone from the Caribbean (both born or descended). As the child of a Caribbean mother and first-generation American, there were many similarities between the Jamaican stories and the cultural morals, values, customs, and preferences. I connected with so many of these stories, the foods, the critical mother, the emotionally distant parent, the missing father figure. Much of the stories were relatable. Some were amusing. Some were sad. But all were enjoyable. A strong new "own voice" author, Ms. Arthurs, captivated me with her voice. I loved the touches of a Jamaican accent to distinguish from a parent or a grandparent. I'm delighted to have discovered this book. I wish the author much success.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for permitting me to read and review this book.

How To Love A Jamaican is a beautiful collection of short stories about the lives of Jamaicans, living on the island, as well as those who have decided to come to the United States. There isn’t much about white sand beaches, all inclusive hotels, and the tourist experience in this collection, but instead focuses on the human condition toward a more authentic Jamaica.

There are many themes within this book of short stories. Family, sexuality, love, self discovery, personal growth, assimilation, and the immigrant experience are all tied into this collection of short stories. At times, the dialect was a bit hard to get into, but enjoyable once I overcame that.

I liked the book, didn’t love it, but could relate to it in my own uninformed views of Caribbean Island lives. I would recommend this book to all who are looking for a unique glimpse into Jamaican life. Some were uplifting, some were heartbreaking, but all were beautifully written. A solid four stars.

Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for a pre-publication ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Although I didn't connect with each story here, there was so much heart in most of the vignettes. The theme that carries throughout is of Jamaican men and women living in America for education, or family, or recently returned to the island (and a more subtle sub-theme of mermaids) and the way the cultures crossed and how the MCs were judged by both other Jamaicans and Americans was especially fascinating.

Would definitely be interested in seeing a novel from Arthurs. She has so much potential.

"How to Love A Jamaican" is not difficult at all, if you just listen. Four stars for various perspectives of life, love, and family set on an island only seen for its shallow vacation fare and Ganga, when complex nuances coat the green isle.

How to love a Jamaican is a collection of short stories which are as vibrant as the cover of the book itself! I won’t give a synopsis of the book, but I will tell you that this book is wonderfully written and engaging. The book focuses on Jamaicans living in both Jamaica and America. The book has themes such as family, culture, the harshness of life, Motherhood (and controlling mothers), self-discovery, sexuality, love, personal growth, insight, the immigrant experience, and coming home.

Years ago, I would have told you that I do not like short stories. I was not a fan. Then around two years ago, I had a change of heart and began reading them from time to time. I have found that I am enjoying short create interesting characters and his/her idiosyncrasies and draw the character into those characters world if only for a short period of time. I think this is the mark of a great storyteller. Obviously, there were stories in this book which I enjoyed more than others but as a whole, this book is captivating from beginning to end. Plus, am I the only person reading this book who did not know what salt fish was? Thee is a lot of cooking of salt fish in this book (a pregnant dog even helps herself to some!) and I am intrigued and will be on a mission to try some!

Thank you to Random House Publishing -Ballantine and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions expressed in this book are my own.

All eleven stories in this collection are centered in the Jamaican experience both there and here in the US, mainly NYC, specifically Brooklyn, well because as she says in the story, The Ghost of Jia Yi, “Iowa isn’t the kind of place Jamaicans talk about when they talk about America.” The overriding theme of this work is the angst and emotional capriciousness of traversing this land as an immigrant. Although this particular story takes place at a University in Iowa.

The book starts off strong with a tale about a budding friendship in College. Although Kimberley and Cecilia are both Jamaican, they have had quite different experiences hailing from up Jamaica with one more rooted in her heritage and Cecelia seemingly trying to leave hers behind. This conflict typifies immigrants and the quest to assimilate a little, a lot, or not at all.

A heated exchange between Kimberley and Cecilia:
“You came across as the eternally offended black woman.”
“That’s because we are eternally being disrespected.”
Cecilia was shaking her head at me.
“Black people like you don’t have to think about race as much as the rest of us do.”

Unfortunately the rest of the book doesn’t maintain this promising momentum. And the failure to keep pace with this initial story is disappointing. The stories aren’t bad, just not remarkable in any way, they all seem so average, humdrum. Don’t despair, there are enough of the right ingredients to propel one onto the next one and then the following and so on.

The book reads very fast, before you realize it, you are at the last and longest story, Shirley from a Small Place which acts like a summation of the theme of the collection. A story about being rooted, not forgetting where you came from, an overbearing mother, which seems to be a common trait of Jamaican moms and savoring the culture through memory, pride and food. Thanks to Netgalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced DRC. Book will be published on July 24, 2018.

A interesting collection of short stories focused around Jamaicans both in Jamaica and in the US. The stories give a unique perspective not just on this one group but on the minds and hearts of many immigrants and on love in general. Each voice rings unique and true. I really enjoyed each one.

I don’t read many short story collections. Since starting my blog how many years ago, this is the second short story collection I’ve read. The first one being Things We Lost in the Fire, an unsettling collection of thrilling, gothic stories by Argentine writer Mariana Enriquez, which I read last year and enjoyed.

I’ve always assumed that I wouldn’t like short stories because of their short length. But reading these two collections have proven how wrong I was. Sure, there are a few stories that are so engrossing that I wished they were longer, but now I see short stories as a way to sample a writer’s style before committing to a longer work by them and great for when I’m between books but don’t want to commit to anything hefty.

How to Love a Jamaican was easy to get into and relate to. I’d say it’s contemporary literary fiction and the stories are told from either a first-person or third-person omniscient point of view. The stories are all character driven and give a great sense of depth to the characters.

I was drawn to the book because of its title and didn’t really expect it to be about Jamaica or Jamaicans but was glad that it is. Though the characters are all connected to Jamaica in some way, the stories are about modern human experiences and in that way, all who read the stories, no matter their background, can relate to them in some way.

It was the characters that kept me reading. Yes, the book is composed of different stories none of which contains the same characters, but, after a few stories in, I realized that the stories will all focus on how a particular event or character causes the protagonist to change their perception. I became more interested in seeing who the protagonist will be or how the protagonist will choose to see by the story’s end.

Character-driven stories are my favorite because of how introspective they are, which made me like many of Arthurs’s stories in this collection. But the ones that stood out to me I loved because they bring back Jamaica strongly to my mind and made me go off in daydreams where I reminisce about my childhood and summers spent there.

It’s not that Arthurs describes the island and its people in detail — her writing isn’t very descriptive, — but that she includes little phrases like “mawga foot man” that are uniquely Jamaican because I and many I know have used such a phrase to describe someone. (Btw, “mawga foot man” means that the man doesn’t portray any sense of strength or capability. It literally means “skinny foot man,” a man with skinny legs.) She even mentions one of my favorite fruits, the Jamaican apple, and even touches on my longing for that fruit, which I haven’t tasted in years (because it’s never in season when I visit Jamaica) and can’t get in the U.S.

The stories touch on many of my struggles as a teen trying to assimilate to an American lifestyle when I moved to the U.S., on the nosiness of my family, on the nosiness of my community in Jamaica, and on the strength of my mother. I could strongly relate to these stories and I loved them for that.

But despite the nostalgia and insight into characters, some things niggled at me. The first being certain words used and how they are spelt, which isn’t a big thing but it really annoyed me. Like “hissed,” as in “she hissed her teeth.” The word annoyed me every time I saw it used in that context because in Jamaica we’d say “she kiss her teeth,” which, in the U.S., means that “she sucked her teeth.” I kept thinking how can a person hiss their teeth? Is that possible? Why wasn’t “suck” used instead?

Another thing that annoyed me was the protagonists’ regard of others. Too often it seemed as if an entire story is only about the protagonist comparing herself to another character to show how better the protagonist’s opinions and way of life is. It seemed petty to me and I didn’t like it. This mostly occurred in the first story, “Light-skinned Girls and Kelly Rowlands,” which I liked, but the constant comparing was annoying (though I should have expected that considering the title). And though this isn’t a big deal, it would have been nice to see at least one positive mother-daughter relationship in the book. They were mostly negative, though the stories do show how strong mothers are and how much they have sacrificed. But despite my complaints, I enjoyed the collection and think it’s pretty decent.

Of the 11 stories, here are my favorites:
“Light-Skinned Girls and Kelly Rowlands” is the first story in the collection and is about a young woman attending NYC who befriends a woman who doesn’t seem to acknowledge the complexities of being Black in America.

“Slack” — about the mother of twins who drowned while playing with dolls in a tank. I like the way it ends by hinting at an unsolved mystery. Maybe the girls didn’t die in the way we are led to believe.

“Bad Behavior” reminded me of all the times my father would threaten my sister and I that he would send us back to Jamaica if we misbehave. The story is about a girl who’s sent to Jamaica to be disciplined by her grandmother but blossoms into a woman there. I like this story because it’s a good piece to use to discuss womanhood, femininity, and raising daughters.

“Mermaid River” is about a boy remembering his childhood in Jamaica and how his grandmother cared for him. I love this one because it made me nostalgic and a bit sad by the end. I also like the structure of story. It jumps back and forth in time in alternating paragraphs, so one paragraph is the present with the boy travelling to school and the other is in the past in Jamaica with his grandmother.

“We Eat Our Daughters” contains four mini stories each from the perspective of four different women who basically talk about how their relationship with their mother affects or has affected their current situation. The story touches on the complex relationship between daughters and mothers and shows that Jamaican (Caribbean) mothers have a strong presence in the lives of their daughters and can be too demanding.

Overall: ★★★☆☆ 1/2
It’s a decent short story collection that I’d recommend to those seeking something contemporary that’s about Caribbean experience, Black experience, Black LGBT experience, and femininity.

I really enjoyed reading the novel. It was great. You can really see through the eyes of the characters in this book. The girls in this book and their journeys help you see past your own individual outlook and glance into someone else's. Watching and seeing how they both with Jamaican roots have different views on life. How education, time, and family play in our views and how we go about certain things.

I got this as an ARC from NetGalley and ooooo it was more than I expected. Beautiful, raw, relatable, nuanced, full of humanity... There are a few stories I felt were just totally standout (the last one about Shirley surprisingly has stuck with me and I wouldn’t have guessed that), but all of them brought something to the mix. I think the very first story remains my favorite, it’s tremendously done. Alexia writes friendships, and their pushes and pulls so well..and I don’t think I’ve really gotten to read many pieces like some of hers that realistically illustrate how humans try to navigate platonic intimacy. A great collection form an author I hope gets the fan base and continued publications she deserves!

I'm definitely in the minority here with my review but I didn't like this book. I didn't care for the short stories. I was given this ARC by the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

This author reminded me somewhat of Jhumpa Lahiri, in that running through her stories are similar tropes and themes that cause them to blur together for me. Mothers are always present, men are unfaithful, "loose" woman are shunned, queer women live in uncertainty. Certainly a solid collection, though.

Exceptionally strong collection with a definite focus and some beautiful writing. Most of these stories star young Jamaicans finding new lives in the U.S., usually as students in such places as Iowa and Wisconsin where they have been granted full boat scholarships, many pursue extended degrees. But their ties to their heritage are strong, and the generation preceding this one is presented with affection, their speech lovingly recreated incorporating the melodic patois of their island home. A sprinkling of magic realism surfaces now and then, but not enough to upset the earthiness of the overall book.