Benjamin, My Son

Rating:
Summary: What We Read Books For
Review: Benjamin, My Son reminds us of what we read good books for. There is the taught pacing of the mystery/thriller as Jason, albeit with some reluctance, goes back home to find the murderer of his father, a local politician. There is the excellent writing that is at the same time symbolic and seamless. Thus, the book can be read as an allegoric homage to Dante's Inferno with the requisite levels of hell played out on the mean streets of Jamaica . For best symbolic effect, pay close attention to the naming of names in this book and keep your King James Bible handy. At other times, the book becomes music to the ears as Philp, a poet of the first order, captures the rhythmic speech of the people and nails the local color of their island without yielding to the impulse to stereotype. Philp knows what he is writing about. The rastaman/mystic Pap Legba is particularly well drawn, as well the various characters from Jason's childhood in their present adult forms, including the older cleaning lady who took his virginity. The book is dead on when it comes to depicting people and their motives. Finally, there is the message that resonates long after the book has been put down--boys need their fathers to become men; and fathers are not always as evil as they may seem. Now brothers, on the other hand, don't come off looking so good, but you'll have to read the book to find out what I mean. Benjamin, My Son is a whopping good read.

Rating:
Summary: What We Read Books For
Review: Benjamin, My Son reminds us of what we read good books for. There is the taught pacing of the mystery/thriller as Jason, albeit with some reluctance, goes back home to find the murderer of his father, a local politician. There is the excellent writing that is at the same time symbolic and seamless. Thus, the book can be read as an allegoric homage to Dante's Inferno with the requisite levels of hell played out on the mean streets of Jamaica . For best symbolic effect, pay close attention to the naming of names in this book and keep your King James Bible handy. At other times, the book becomes music to the ears as Philp, a poet of the first order, captures the rhythmic speech of the people and nails the local color of their island without yielding to the impulse to stereotype. Philp knows what he is writing about. The rastaman/mystic Pap Legba is particularly well drawn, as well the various characters from Jason's childhood in their present adult forms, including the older cleaning lady who took his virginity. The book is dead on when it comes to depicting people and their motives. Finally, there is the message that resonates long after the book has been put down--boys need their fathers to become men; and fathers are not always as evil as they may seem. Now brothers, on the other hand, don't come off looking so good, but you'll have to read the book to find out what I mean. Benjamin, My Son is a whopping good read.

Rating:
Summary: "The I that I-dureth for I-ver"
Review: Geoffrey Philp is, first and foremost, a poet because his writing is always poetry even when it's short stories and novels. His sense of language in his novel "Benjamin, my son" makes you feel what the characters are feeling and and get a rich sense of the Jamaican setting from the Standpipe ghetto to the beautiful coastal beaches. The characters are so well drawn that their actions seem totally appropriate and necessary even when they are most surprising -- and there are surprises. Jason, the main character is a wonderful mixture: an Americanized Jamaican with a Rasta past who still loves Jamaica, a law breaker and a rights' defender, a young man filled with confusion about his father's identity and his feelings toward him and a fierce loyalty and sense of duty toward his mother. Jason is clearly the character who is at the center of everything, but Papa Legba, the old Rastafarian (Jason's spiritual father) who verges on the supernatural, and the noble girlfriend Nicole are both essential to who Jason becomes as he explores his stepfather's murder and his own heart. The picture of Jamaica is devastating. It is gorgeous and ugly, joyous and disparing, honorable and corrupt. This book deserves a wide readership to learn about Jamaica and to see truths about the human potential to adjust to uncertainty, complexity, and contradictions, but, most of all, to relish The beautiful writing of Geoffrey Philp. Who else can put words like "chupsed," bumbo claat." "smady," and "idren" in a novel and make them sound so good?

Rating:
Summary: benjamin, my son
Review: this book is wonderful. such a talented author with great intuition and clarity of thought. this book is soon to be on best sellers list! : )

Rating:
Summary: benjamin, my son
Review: this book is wonderful. such a talented author with great intuition and clarity of thought. this book is soon to be on best sellers list! : )

Rating:
Summary: Great Book, great writer
Review: This is a very good book. Ilearned a lot about Jamica, reggae and rastas. I recommend this book.