Ian Randle Publishers Unveils Five New Books in London

Five new books, including the Manley Memoirs, by Beverley Manley and Roving with Lalah, by Robert Lalah published by Ian Randle Publishers, were unveiled at a special launch in London England, at the Jamaican High Commission, last Friday.
The other books are: ‘Daddy Sharpe, a Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Samuel Sharpe’, by Fred Kennedy; ‘Freedom and Constraint in Caribbean Migration and Diaspora’ by Elizabeth Thomas Hope; and ‘The World’s Finest, Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee’ by Norma Benghiat.
Founder of Ian Randle Publishers, Ian Randle, told the large audience that the publications were a triumph on several levels and a celebration of the achievements of Jamaicans. “All together it’s the triumph of an entire country and people who have shown that they are the intellectual and creative equal anywhere in the world. This evening we are truly demonstrating the case of the empire writes back,” Mr. Randle said.
Ms. Anderson Manley said she wrote the Manley Memoirs, because she had a story to tell. The book retraced her life growing up with her parents and sisters and her rise to prominence as wife of Prime Minister, the late Michael Manley. “I wrote the book because for a long time there were people who felt that I had a story to tell …young people like Robert Lalah’s age group came to me and said that you must write,” she said.
Lalah writes the popular newspaper column, ‘Roving with Lalah’, that looks at the eccentricities and down-to-earth charm of Jamaicans. He said the book was the fulfillment of his father’s dream to have the stories compiled.
Deputy High Commissioner, Sharon Saunders, commended Ian Randle Publishers for championing the best writings from Jamaica and the Caribbean. She also commended the sponsors, Jamaica National, for its corporate citizenship and for its support and promotion of the arts.
Meanwhile, Jamaica National’s General Manager, Emil Spence, said the work of Ian Randle Publishers was a unique response to satisfy a need to develop the Jamaican literary art form. “The launch is a unique response to a growing demand from Jamaicans, in particular Jamaicans overseas, for material that reflects aspects of Jamaican lives from a Jamaican perspective,” he said.