Thursday night, November 16, in Hartford Connecticut, Dr. Reynolds concluded his sixth city stop, and what may be his final stop of Part One of his international book tour. Part Two of the tour is scheduled for next year and will include additional North American and European cities, and stops at CARICOM countries.
Dr. Reynolds had said that London was the most receptive and appreciative audience he has come across. Well, in that regard, the author said that Connecticut gave London a run for their money. The audience was so keyed about the author and his books, that they didn’t wait for the book signing segment to acquire their books. As they waited for the event to start, they came up and purchased the books, such that during the book reading they requested the page number where the author was reading, and followed along with him, much like in church when the pastor calls the chapter and verses of the scriptures that he/she is deciphering.
After Dr. Reynolds read a several-page passage from The Stall Keeper, characterizing the American World War II occupation of the town, an eleven-year-old in the audience insisted that he reads another passage. Of course, Dr. Reynolds was happy to oblige, the child reminding him of his readings earlier in the year at the nation’s primary and secondary schools.
The question and answer session that followed Dr. Reynolds’ readings, raise several interesting discussion points. For example, one person in the audience said that St. Lucians have never fully recovered from the French abandonment of the island to the British, for the French was always thought of as taking better care of its colonies than the British, the contrast between St. Lucia and Martinique telling the whole story. So this abandonment has damaged the psyche of St. Lucians, not unlike the way the American World War II occupation of Vieux Fort, and their subsequent withdrawal impacted Vieux Fortians.
A reading of Dr. Jolien Harmsen’s A History of St. Lucia, which to date represents the most comprehensive history book on St. Lucia, suggests that while the French interest in St. Lucia was to settle, established plantations, and generally develop the island, the British interest in St. Lucia had been for strategic reasons and to preclude the French from inhabiting the island. Furthermore, while the French was interested in establishing roots on the island, for the most part, the British were absentee owners. And those who did settle preferred to send their offspring to England for their education instead of establishing schools on the island and developing its educational system.
So the Connecticut audience may be onto something when they suggested that St. Lucia may have been better served under the French as opposed to the British.
Dr. Reynolds said he was delighted to share the Connecticut stage with former St. Lucian diplomat, Micoud South Parliamentary Representative, and Minister for Agriculture, Mr. Cas Elias, who now resides in Connecticut. Mr. Elias introduced his recently published collection of parliamentary speeches and alerted the audience of his soon to be published autobiography, tracking his political and business sojourns, and in general rendering his life story.
Earlier in the year, as part of the official launching of The Stall Keeper, the Dr. Reynolds held highly successful book reading and signing events in Vieux Fort and Soufriere. However, many readers up north in the Castries/Rodney Bay have been asking, when will the author stage the Castries leg of his national tour? So on the heels of his international tour, Dr. Reynolds is hoping to conduct a book reading and signing event up north during the first week of December. The date, time, and venue to be arranged.
Dr. Reynolds said that he is extremely grateful to Urania Petit, originally from Saltibus, who single-handedly promoted, publicized and staged the Hartford, Connecticut event.
For Reviews of Dr. Reynolds books and other books published by Jako Books, and online stores where the books can be purchased please visit: https://www.jakoproductions.com/jako-books-2/