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World » Americas » Latin America » Caribbean

Browse book recommendations:

Caribbean

  • Cuba
  • Haiti

Latin America

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  • Mexico

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The diversity and cultural mix of the 700 islands of the Caribbean is mirrored in the books and writing from the region. Our reading lists cover the best literature, history and culture of many of the Caribbean islands. Among the region's most famous writers is V.S. Naipaul, who won the Nobel Prize for literature in 2001 and whose books have been recommended a number of times on Five Books.

In terms of Caribbean history books, the Haitian Revolution looms large, as the first and only successful slave revolt. It led to independence for Haiti in 1803 and became a beacon around the world for others seeking liberty, inspiring Frederick Douglass and others opposing slavery in the United States and Irish republicans seeking independence from Britain. A biography of the leader of the slave revolt, Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture, won the world's most prestigious history prize in 2021.

    The Best Caribbean Fiction, recommended by Alexia Arthurs

  • Read
    The Best Caribbean Fiction - Miguel Street by V.S. Naipaul

    1

    Miguel Street
    by V.S. Naipaul

  • Read
    The Best Caribbean Fiction - Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid

    2

    Lucy
    by Jamaica Kincaid

  • Read
    The Best Caribbean Fiction - Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn

    3

    Here Comes the Sun
    by Nicole Dennis-Benn

  • Read
    The Best Caribbean Fiction - The Star Side of Bird Hill by Naomi Jackson

    4

    The Star Side of Bird Hill
    by Naomi Jackson

  • Read
    The Best Caribbean Fiction - Team Seven by Marcus Burke

    5

    Team Seven
    by Marcus Burke

  • From the humorous and dark stories of a young V. S. Naipaul to recent coming-of-age novels, set in a cut-throat Jamaican holiday resort or American's urban battlefields, Alexia Arthurs explores the myriad expressions of Caribbean identity in fiction

  • The Best Caribbean Fiction - Miguel Street by V.S. Naipaul
  • The Best Caribbean Fiction - Lucy by Jamaica Kincaid
  • The Best Caribbean Fiction - Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn
  • The Best Caribbean Fiction - The Star Side of Bird Hill by Naomi Jackson
  • The Best Caribbean Fiction - Team Seven by Marcus Burke

The Best Caribbean Fiction, recommended by Alexia Arthurs

From the humorous and dark stories of a young V. S. Naipaul to recent coming-of-age novels, set in a cut-throat Jamaican holiday resort or American’s urban battlefields, Alexia Arthurs explores the myriad expressions of Caribbean identity in fiction

The Best Caribbean Fiction, recommended by Alexia Arthurs

    The best books on Jamaica, recommended by Ian Thomson

  • Read
    The best books on Jamaica - Lady Nugent’s Journal of Her Residence in Jamaica from 1801-1805 by Maria Nugent

    1

    Lady Nugent’s Journal of Her Residence in Jamaica from 1801-1805
    by Maria Nugent

  • Read
    The best books on Jamaica - Journey to an Illusion by Donald Hinds

    2

    Journey to an Illusion
    by Donald Hinds

  • Read
    The best books on Jamaica - Stone Haven by Evan Jones

    3

    Stone Haven
    by Evan Jones

  • Read
    The best books on Jamaica - Journal of a Residence Among the Negroes of the West Indies by Matthew Lewis

    4

    Journal of a Residence Among the Negroes of the West Indies
    by Matthew Lewis

  • Read
    The best books on Jamaica - Bass Culture by Lloyd Bradley

    5

    Bass Culture
    by Lloyd Bradley

  • From two 19th century journals, to historical fiction, to reportage on Jamaicans living in London in the 1950s to the island's music, British travel writer Ian Thomson, author of The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica, recommends a broad range of books that shed light on Jamaica.

  • The best books on Jamaica - Lady Nugent’s Journal of Her Residence in Jamaica from 1801-1805 by Maria Nugent
  • The best books on Jamaica - Journey to an Illusion by Donald Hinds
  • The best books on Jamaica - Stone Haven by Evan Jones
  • The best books on Jamaica - Journal of a Residence Among the Negroes of the West Indies by Matthew Lewis
  • The best books on Jamaica - Bass Culture by Lloyd Bradley

The best books on Jamaica, recommended by Ian Thomson

From two 19th century journals, to historical fiction, to reportage on Jamaicans living in London in the 1950s to the island’s music, British travel writer Ian Thomson, author of The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica, recommends a broad range of books that shed light on Jamaica.

The best books on Jamaica, recommended by Ian Thomson

    The best books on Pirates, recommended by Adrian Tinniswood

  • Read
    The best books on Pirates - The Invisible Hook by Peter Leeson

    1

    The Invisible Hook
    by Peter Leeson

  • Read
    The best books on Pirates - Buccaneers of the Caribbean by Jon Latimer

    2

    Buccaneers of the Caribbean
    by Jon Latimer

  • Read
    The best books on Pirates - Barbary Legend: War, Trade, and Piracy in North Africa, 1415-1830 by Godfrey Fisher

    3

    Barbary Legend: War, Trade, and Piracy in North Africa, 1415-1830
    by Godfrey Fisher

  • Read
    The best books on Pirates - Britain and Barbary, 1589-1689 by Nabil Matar

    4

    Britain and Barbary, 1589-1689
    by Nabil Matar

  • Read
    The best books on Pirates - The Stolen Village by Des Ekin

    5

    The Stolen Village
    by Des Ekin

  • People see in pirates what they want to see, says historian and author Adrian Tinniswood. He recommends five fascinating books about pirates.

  • The best books on Pirates - The Invisible Hook by Peter Leeson
  • The best books on Pirates - Buccaneers of the Caribbean by Jon Latimer
  • The best books on Pirates - Barbary Legend: War, Trade, and Piracy in North Africa, 1415-1830 by Godfrey Fisher
  • The best books on Pirates - Britain and Barbary, 1589-1689 by Nabil Matar
  • The best books on Pirates - The Stolen Village by Des Ekin

The best books on Pirates, recommended by Adrian Tinniswood

People see in pirates what they want to see, says historian and author Adrian Tinniswood. He recommends five fascinating books about pirates.

The best books on Pirates, recommended by Adrian Tinniswood

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