The history of the Grenada Revolution comes alive on the pages of this book. On March 13th 1979, Grenada and the rest of the Caribbean woke up to the news that the Gairy Regime had been overthrown in a coup orchestrated by Maurice Bishop's New Jewel Movement and the National Liberation Army (the military arm of the NJM). Four and a half years later, on October 19th 1983, mayhem descended, Bishop and 7 other high ranking members of the NJM were assassinated. The revolutionary ideals were hijacked and the dreams and aspirations of the Grenadian people lay in shambles.
Written by Joseph Ewart Layne, one of the Grenada 17, the book offers a deeply moving account of the Grenada Revolution.The book details the socio-economic and political conditions which made Grenada ripe for revolution. Layne leads readers on a journey from his induction into the National Liberation Army to the overthrow of Eric Gairy on that fateful day. He chronicles the frustrations of the people under the oppressive Gairy Regime well as the progress and the hopes and aspirations of the Grenadian people during the revolutionary period. As a key member of the NLA, he offers intimate accounts of his interaction with Maurice Bishop and Bernard Coard. He manages to capture the passion and revolutionary fervour of the Grenadian Freedom Fighters and gives a compelling account of the plans and strategies which eventually resulted in the successful coup.
This book is so beautifully written and so engaging that you easily forget that you are reading a historical account of the events. My only disappointment was that the author did not elucidate on his role as one of the Grenada 17 or on the demise of the revolution. However, to be fair, the book delivers exactly what its title promises : "The making of the Grenada Revolution". Notwithstanding it is a wonderful book which should be compulsory reading for every Grenadian child and every Caribbean citizen. It is impossible to come away from this book without mourning for what could have been, not only in Grenada but also in the wider Caribbean.
