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Augustown
Augustown | Kei Miller
78 posts | 27 read | 74 to read
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 through her. While they wait for his mama to come home from work, Ma Taffy recalls the story of the flying preacherman and a great thing that did not happen. A poor suburban sprawl in the Jamaican heartland, Augustown is a place where many things that should happen don't, and plenty of things that shouldn't happen do. For the story of Kaia leads back to another momentous day in Jamaican history, the birth of the Rastafari and the desire for a better life. Augustown is a novel about inequality and aspiration, memory and myth, and the connections between people which can transcend these things but not always change them. It is a window onto a moment in Jamaican history, when the people sought to rise up above their lives and shine.
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review
Jas16
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Pickpick

Set in Jamaica, a young Rastafarian boy comes home from school crying after his teacher cut off his dreads. His grandmother may be blind but she can see that this event will have serious repercussions. The story goes back and forth in time, giving us a deeper understanding of this town and the divides that bind but also separate its inhabitants. Miller manages a lot in less than 300 pages. #24in2024

BarbaraBB Great review. I‘ve been meaning to read this one for years 2w
squirrelbrain Sounds great - stacking. 2w
51 likes2 stack adds2 comments
review
Currey
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Pickpick

#readaroundtheworld #jamaica A near allegorical telling of the people‘s lives in a low down neighborhood of Kingston and their desire to fly free. The tale travels back and forth in time as we learn about Ma Taffy, her daughter by upbringing but not birth Gina and Gina‘s son Kaia. The author almost teases with young adult fare and then turns around and slaps us for falling for that. I learned a lot about Rastafarian and Bobo Shanti beliefs.

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Kshakal
Augustown | Kei Miller
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I feel like this is a solid tbr for the month!

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Kshakal
Augustown | Kei Miller
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I want to put the brakes on and savor every bit of my last few weeks of summer! This photo challenge looks fun and a good way to do that!! #bookbinge @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yes!!! 💛💛💛 8mo
Eggs Yes!! We appreciate your dedication and loyalty to our challenges🥰❤️😍 8mo
27 likes2 comments
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Bookgoil
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Here is my August TBR for #bookspin coming up @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 8mo
20 likes1 comment
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booklover3258
Augustown | Kei Miller
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My bookspin list for August... :)

#bookspin

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Itchyfeetreader
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Pickpick

This is probably a brilliant book if you read it at the right time but not sure it was the right time for me. Good story telling and a real sense of the community alongside clever plotting and some beautifully written sections were all for the good. It also meandered and had a bit too much poetic lyricism for me (also magical realism). Read for #readingtheamericas and Jamaica

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AudiobookingWithLeah
Augustown | Kei Miller
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🎧📚𝔸𝕌𝔾𝕌𝕊𝕋 ℝ𝔼ℂ𝔸ℙ📚🎧

𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐻𝑂𝑈𝑆𝐸𝐵𝑂𝐴𝑇 - 2¼⭐
𝐺𝑅𝑂𝑈𝑃𝐼𝐸𝑆 - 2¾⭐
𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐺𝑈𝐸𝑆𝑇 𝑅𝑂𝑂𝑀 -4¼ ⭐
𝐴𝑁𝑁𝐼𝐻𝐼𝐿𝐴𝑇𝐼𝑂𝑁 - 2⭐
𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐿𝐴𝑆𝑇 𝑇𝑂 𝑉𝐴𝑁𝐼𝑆𝐻 - 2¼⭐
𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐿𝐴𝑆𝑇 𝐻𝑂𝑈𝑆𝐸𝑊𝐼𝐹𝐸 - 5⭐
𝐶𝑂𝑉𝐸𝑅 𝑆𝑇𝑂𝑅𝑌 - 5⭐
𝐴𝑁𝐷 𝑇𝐻𝐸𝑅𝐸 𝐻𝐸 𝐾𝐸𝑃𝑇 𝐻𝐸𝑅 - 4¾⭐
𝑇𝐻𝐸𝑅𝐸 𝐼𝑆 𝑁𝑂 𝐷𝐸𝑉𝐼𝐿 - 4⭐
𝐸𝑋𝑃𝑂𝑆𝐸𝐷 - 3½⭐
𝑆𝑇𝑅𝐴𝑁𝐺𝐸𝑅𝑆 𝑊𝐸 𝐾𝑁𝑂𝑊 - 3⭐
𝐶𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐼𝑉𝐸𝑆 - 3½⭐

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ravenlee
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Better late than never: I finished four books for the #AwesomeAugust readathon. That got me a #BookSpinBingo! Thanks to @Andrew65 for hosting.

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ravenlee
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Awesome @Andrew65 is hosting #AwesomeAugust readathon over the next nine days. I hope to make some headway on my list for the month. Specifically, I want to complete at least one line on my #BookSpinBingo - which will require that I read/finish at least three books. Hubby is traveling this weekend so I had high hopes for reading time but momming is negating that somewhat. 🤷🏻‍♀️ We shall see.

Andrew65 Best of luck 😁 Hopefully momming won‘t take all your time. 2y
24 likes1 comment
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DieAReader
Augustown | Kei Miller
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#BookSpin #DoubleSpin #BookSpinBingo #BookNookBuddies2022 #SeriesReads #ReadMyRoom

#ImpulseReads #PenniesPerPage

So very moody lately when it comes to reading that I kind of did I the August list with even more room to let the stupid🧠🐿s choose the reading material…but only to a point🫣

Bring it on August! Let‘s read me lots of pages (book finishes too📚🤞🏻)

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! I think the categories are a great compromise for mood readers!!! 2y
TheSpineView 👍🌞❤️🤩 2y
CoverToCoverGirl I really love your bingo card/list! 2y
DieAReader @CoverToCoverGirl ☺️Awe, thanks hun. 2y
26 likes4 comments
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Kshakal
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Looking forward to this months reading.., #tbr

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Gissy
Augustown | Kei Miller
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August 2022 #BookSpinBingo I‘m so a mood reader🤷🏽‍♀️

@TheAromaOfBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
30 likes1 comment
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Kshakal
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Summer is flying by… can‘t believe it is already august!! This picture challenge will help you forget that summer is quickly slipping away! #artfulaugust @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks It is!! Thank you for sharing! 2y
Eggs Thank you Kerri💛💚💛 2y
15 likes2 comments
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RainyDayReading
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Here we are with yet another month of library books. Eventually I will read books I own again…just not this month…and probably next month 😅 #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
19 likes1 comment
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HufflepuffGirl90
Augustown | Kei Miller
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My August list for #bookspinbingo !

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 2y
14 likes1 comment
review
Smrloomis
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Pickpick

I don‘t know how to describe this book except that it‘s amazing and I plan to read more from this author. Seriously, that‘s all I can say!

Ruthiella I also really enjoyed this book. 2y
Reggie I also liked this book. 2y
Smrloomis @Ruthiella yes!!! How did you hear about it? 2y
See All 6 Comments
Smrloomis @Reggie 💃🏽💃🏽💃🏽 Did someone recommend it to you? Just curious … 2y
Ruthiella I heard about it from the Tournament of Books 2018 longlist. 2y
Smrloomis @Ruthiella ah, cool 👍🏽 2y
46 likes6 comments
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Smrloomis
Augustown | Kei Miller
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I have no idea if any of this is true, but I love the idea and think it seems completely plausible to me!

42 likes1 stack add
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FelinesAndFelonies
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Here's my August board for #bookspinbingo. I also read The Last Debutantes & We are Not Like Them which weren't on my board. Not a terrible month.

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Skygoddess1
Augustown | Kei Miller
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August wasn‘t my best reading month, but I did manage to read my #Doublespin book and get one bingo, so not terrible. #Bookspin #BookspinBingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! Fabulous progress!!! 3y
10 likes1 comment
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SusanLee
Augustown | Kei Miller
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#falltreasures #auguststats @Eggs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
I‘ve been on a slow drive since the pandemic started, working from home, hence the low one book a month target 😅

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I hear you!! Me too!! 3y
Eggs It happens to many readers... 3y
SusanLee @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs I know right! Oh well let‘s hope this will be over soon 🤞🏻 Stay safe ya all 3y
3 likes3 comments
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Kshakal
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Eggs You did!! 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Yay!! 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 3y
16 likes2 comments
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Gissy
Augustown | Kei Miller
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August #BookSpinBingo tbr I still have unread books from previous months😬 but this time I included some related with our almost last summer month (well, not for us here in PR. We can feel that weather almost until October 😳).

@TheAromaOfBooks

TheAromaofBooks Yay!!! 3y
mabell Do you go read on the beach? 🏖Or do you like reading inside better? 3y
Gissy @mabell Not as much as I would like☹️and I don‘t have friends with a passion to go to the beach to read and I don‘t like to go alone for general security reasons, like swim alone. The heat here is high that‘s why I like to go to the beach early in the morning or late in the afternoon. On the weekends is full of people and I‘m allergic to people😂Also, you will need a palm tree to survive the heat and if you go in the weekend you better be early. 3y
mabell @Gissy Yes, the beach isn‘t fun when it‘s crowded! I‘m allergic to people, as well. 😆 If I lived by the beach, I‘m sure I would have a whole umbrella/beach tent ensemble to take with me! I love that the beaches at hotels usually have shaded loungers. And drink delivery. 🤣 That‘s beach reading in comfort! 3y
48 likes4 comments
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Kshakal
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Looking forward to this one!! #conflictedworlds @Eggs

Eggs Thanks Kerri❣️ 3y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks 🙌🏻📚🎉 3y
11 likes2 comments
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KarenUK
Augustown | Kei Miller
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So here‘s my ambitious #augusttbr….. The first 7 are all my Netgalley #arcs I need to catch up on (all end of July/August releases) 📚📚📚
Outlander is to finish my #pop21 #advanced with my highest page count #pagecountphobiaisreal 😳
The Mercies and The Arctic Fury is for zoom bookclubs, and Everyone Knows.. for #campToB, and finally Queen‘s Gambit for #pop21 #beginswithQ

Excited about my lineup! 💕📚

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AbigailJaneBlog
Augustown | Kei Miller
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My goals are pretty much always the same at the mo, but I just can't think of anything else I wanna add!

- read 8 books
- exercise 1/week
- write 1 chapter/week

Good luck to everyone @wanderinglynn

wanderinglynn Great goals! 🙌🏻 3y
13 likes1 comment
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HufflepuffGirl90
Augustown | Kei Miller
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My August list for #bookspinbingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
21 likes1 comment
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Bookgoil
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Wow did July fly by! Hopefully I made some good decisions on my August TBR! I don‘t have any graphic novels I just realized now but I guess I‘ll use my free spots! #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

29 likes1 comment
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joidevivre55
Augustown | Kei Miller
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This is not another story about superstitious island people and their primitive beliefs. No. You don't get off that easy. This is a story about people as real as you are …

2 likes1 stack add
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Michollio
Augustown | Kei Miller
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August wrap up:
41 books (I read a BUNCH of graphic novels)
#BookishBingo: 20/24 with 6 bingos
#MonthlyKeyWordGXO: 4/6

Progress:
#Pop20: DONE!
#AtoZ: 19/26
2020: 244 books (I upped my Goodreads goal from 200 to 300)

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Gissy
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Eight books read in August #BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks Plus I read The One and Only Ivan (July #ReadWithMrBook). A total of 9 books and 200 pages of my 10th book which will be completed on September🤞I didn't accomplish my goals😔I didn't finish NEWTs, no Bingo, didn't read BookSpin neither Double Spin. Well, new month, new energy, new reading goals. I will read those books on September, which means I will not complete September goals🤔🤣

EH2018 Either way you are still reading so many good books!!!📚💕🥰 4y
TheAromaofBooks Still fabulous progress!! 4y
Gissy Thank you! @EH2018 @TheAromaofBooks waiting for tomorrow lucky numbers!🤗 4y
33 likes3 comments
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Well-ReadNeck
Augustown | Kei Miller
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I read a lot of great books this month 🤗

Here are my favorites! 📚🥰

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FantasyChick
Augustown | Kei Miller
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#AwesomeAugust is right and I have a super busy week coming up so it's perfect for a #setyourowngoalsreadathon

Going to get some #audiobooks loaded up and ready to go!

@Andrew65

Andrew65 Thanks for reposting 😊👍 😍 All welcome 😎 4y
19 likes1 comment
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Gissy
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Inspired by the pages made by @candority and @Kangaj1 this is my #BookSpin #DoubleSpin and #BookSpinBingo card @TheAromaofBooks Some books will be used also to complete N.E.W.T.s Magical Readathon (the last one😢due to the controversy with Rowling) organized by YouTuber Book Roast. I still need to fill a free spot with a manga. I only have one series but they are in one of the boxes😳Can anyone recommend me one (but not a long series).

aroc Ooo! I like this layout! 4y
Gissy @aroc Thank you! 4y
TheAromaofBooks Looks great!! 4y
See All 6 Comments
Gissy @TheAromaofBooks Thank you! 4y
candority That looks so nice! And I‘m so happy I inspired you 💕 4y
Gissy @candority Yes! Thank you 🤗 4y
30 likes6 comments
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BookishGirl06
Augustown | Kei Miller
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#Augusttbr. All the books I want to get to this month. Really need to get to King of Scars already lol. I don‘t know why I keep putting it off.

Lucy_Anywhere Carry On is a cute read - I enjoyed it 4y
68 likes1 comment
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Kshakal
Augustown | Kei Miller
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I am going to use August as a catch up month... after I read these for my various book clubs I will read books that I have borrowed so I can get them back to their owners! #augusttbr #goals

Lylah You have such neat handwriting 😭😭 4y
Kshakal @Lylah thank you! 4y
vkois88 Eleanor! ❤️ 4y
28 likes3 comments
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Kshakal
Augustown | Kei Miller
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This one looks super fun @Eggs !! If you haven‘t joined a photo challenge now is the time people!!

#aboutaugust

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robinb
Augustown | Kei Miller
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We‘re getting closer and closer to celebrating the love for our bibliophilic Littens who were born in August...oh, it‘s gonna be a great month!!
If you‘d like for the birthday fairies to acknowledge your birthday, please drop us an email at: Litsybirthdays@gmail.com with your Litsy handle + your birthday (month, day). You can only make this request for yourself.
#BirthdayLove

@gradcat @julesG @squirrelbrain @Crazeedi @KarenUK

Crazeedi 🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️ 4y
43 likes1 comment
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Denisereads75
Augustown | Kei Miller
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August summer wrap up. I managed to read 9 books this month!⁣

Recursion 4⭐️⁣
Circe. 4⭐️⁣
Summer of 69. 3.5 ⭐️⁣
Three Women. 3⭐️⁣
The Unhoneymooners 4⭐️⁣
Things You Save In A Fire 4⭐️ ⁣
Love Life. 3⭐️⁣
The Family Upstairs 4⭐️⁣
Southern Lady Code 3⭐️ ⁣

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BookishGirl06
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Well it was a small tbr but I still read 3/4. Didn‘t get to unremembered since I tried a little bit but wasn‘t that into it, so I ended up returning it back to the library. I finished the Iron warrior and I‘m happy with myself for finishing a series. Planning to start a new one soon.

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Purrfectpages
Augustown | Kei Miller
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TheSpineView Thanks for the repost! 5y
Cinfhen Thanks for sharing ❤️ 5y
OriginalCyn620 Thanks for sharing! 😊 5y
squirrelbrain Thanks for sharing! 👍😁 5y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Thank you!!! 💗💗 5y
44 likes5 comments
review
ElectricKatyLand
Augustown | Kei Miller
Pickpick

Loved this one. Set outside of Kingston, Jamaica, and shifting between the distant past, near past, and present, this novel captures the rhythms of downtrodden but hopeful communities. A preacher flies; a cross-class teen romance has a ripple effect; pride and oppression and opportunity are in tension.

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mreads
Augustown | Kei Miller
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This is no #dreadlockholiday. This is a story of Jamaica no tourists or beach here, it's the culture and undercurrents, it's the Rastafarian movement and it's a story about Kaia who comes home from schools one day with his dreadlocks cut off.

#wanderingjune @Cinfhen @BarbaraBB

Cinfhen I see I‘ve previously stacked this book. Can‘t remember who reviewed it. Sounds good 5y
mreads @Cinfhen there's a lot packed into this short book. 5y
BarbaraBB This has been on my tbr since it was longlisted for the Tournament of Books. It still sounds so interesting. 5y
52 likes1 stack add3 comments
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suvata
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Pickpick

I think this is the first book that I have read set in Jamaica or about a Rastafarian community. So foreign to me and yet so fascinating, this was a very enticing story. The more I learn about new cultures, the more I realize we are all the same.

Machinist I might have to read it some day. 5y
suvata @Machinist It‘s a good one. 5y
66 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
Reggie
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book. Kaia, a Rastafarian boy, has come home from school with his dreads cut off by his teacher. This starts off a chain of events that weave us back and forth in time between many well drawn characters in a fictional Jamaican town that represent the tensions between class and skin color. Miller has this real gift of showing you what makes people, people. Pick!!!

TrishB Stacked 👍🏻 great review as always. 5y
Reggie @TrishB Thanks!! I thought of you today because I helped this man from Canterbury and when I asked him who his favorite futbol team was he said he didn‘t have one and never liked the sport. Boo. Lol 5y
TheWintergarden Hey @TrishB I agree, you spoil all of us with your sensitive and insightful reviews @Reggie 😊 5y
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Reggie @TheWintergarden Thank you so much .🤗 5y
TrishB @Reggie I‘d say there is a small % of the country that don‘t like football! Unfortunately you got one. I can‘t wait for someone to say Liverpool ⚽️ 5y
CouronneDhiver LIVERPOOL! (Also, Bayern) I‘m preparing for a total mental breakdown when they face off in the Champions League this year. 😫 Great review @Reggie @TrishB (edited) 5y
TrishB We have 2 tickets for the Bayern match...me and the two kids usually go but tickets are so scarce now they‘re doing well.....so I‘ve been a good Mum and am letting the kids go....( also said kids are 17 and 23 not babies!) @CouronneDhiver 5y
CouronneDhiver Oh wow! I‘m super jealous. Should send them with a Litsy sign so I can spot them in the crowd. Lol @TrishB 5y
TrishB @CouronneDhiver I‘m just imagining their faces if I suggest that! 5y
overtheedge Nice Review Reggie! Stacked 5y
84 likes4 stack adds10 comments
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Bertha_Mason
Augustown | Kei Miller

"The great philosophical question goes: if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear, does it make a sound? But this is a troubling question, exalting one kind of being above all others. What then of the ears of snakes, or wood frogs, or mice, or bugs? Do they not count? What then of grass, of stone, of earth? Does their witness not matter? If a man flies in Jamaica, and only the poor will admit to seeing it, has he still flown?"

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Bertha_Mason
Augustown | Kei Miller

"To know a man properly, you must know the shape of his hurt--the specific wound around which his person has been formed like a scab."

5 likes1 stack add
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Bertha_Mason
Augustown | Kei Miller

"Look, this isn't magical realism. This is not another story about superstitious island people and their primitive beliefs. No. You don't get off that easy....You may as well stop to consider a more urgent question; not whether you believe in this story or not, but whether this story is about the kinds of people you have never taken the time to believe in."

batsy All of the quotes you've posted from this book are amazing. 5y
Bertha_Mason @batsy Miller has such a way with words *_* 5y
3 likes2 comments
review
Angitron
Augustown | Kei Miller
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Pickpick

I‘ve been incredibly fortunate with my latest run of reads. Augustown is a moving portrayal of this (fictional, but based on the real August Town) town in Jamaica, and the people who live there. The story weaves back and forth through time and you come to understand how the past impacts present events in characters‘ lives in profound ways. I absolutely LOVED this one!

TheNextBook Intrigued! 5y
Angitron @TheNextBook It is SO GOOD! 5y
23 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Bertha_Mason
Augustown | Kei Miller

"Some days have more roads than others, and some roads more distance, so that when a woman complains how long the day is, maybe she is counting the roads rather than its hours."