Island Memories

About the Book

This book is about a young girl growing up in the country of the island of Trinidad. Christopher Columbus discovered the island in 1498 and gave the name “Trinidad”—the island with three hills.

There is a diversity of religions in Trinidad which includes Christian churches; Hindu Temples and Muslim Mosques. The majority of the people on the island are Christians and about twenty-five percent other religions.

In Trinidad, there are two seasons. Rainy season and Dry Season. Dry season is called “Crop Time” by the locals. Rainy Season starts with a holiday on the island which is Corpus Christi, a time when the catholic church celebrates the Body of Christ. Rainy season is from around June to December and is also a time when farmers begin to plant their crops.

The book tells about Carnival, which is one of the island’s greatest celebrations. The steelband music is one of the main attractions of the carnival. The calypso is also a special event, when children and adults compete for prizes by entering in different competition. The last two days of carnival is the greatest and the next day is ASH Wednesday, when mot of the people who are Christians go to get ashes on their forehead, “to wash away their sins”.

The book also tells a brief history of the Author growing up with her older siblings, getting involved in sports and helping her father, who was a farmer in the cane fields and assisting with the animals.

Phyllis T. Nash-Lewis

About the Author

The author was born in the Southern part of the Island of Trinidad & Tobago. She is the fourth child of nine children. Phyllis grew up with her nine siblings and her parents in their country home in a little village. Her father was a farmer and her mother, a housewife. Her aged grandmother lived with another daughter and her children next door. In the late sixties, Phyllis migrated to the United States of America to further her studies and to get better opportunities. Phyllis was the first in her family and close relatives and friends to migrate overseas. She left behind her aged grandmother; her parents and her five brother; three sisters, many Aunts and several close relatives. The telephone was not popular then, so the author had to communicate by writing to everyone of her siblings and some of her close cousins. Although the author was encouraged to write a book by some of her relatives, she never got serious until she started to work in the History department, at Howard University. Ms. Phyllis T. Nash-Lewis was inspired by the Professors and students in the department and became haunted by her past. She then decided to write about her childhood days, growing up on the Island of Trinidad. Phyllis T. Nash-Lewis is now a Citizen of the United States of American and resided here permanently with her children; grandchildren and some of her siblings; nieces and a lot of cousins.