Born Fi' Dead: A Journey Through the Jamaican Posse Underworld

This is a fascinating story, told with great skill, about a very complex situation that is difficult if not impossible to examine objectively. I lived in Jamaica from 1975-76, doing research for my doctoral dissertation, and I have been back many times since. It was an unforgettable, tragic, and fateful period. Prime Minister Manley and his party the PNP engaged in a radical experiment to create a more just society that unfortunately divided the country into two warring camps. The opposition JLP under Edward Seaga took on the mission of saving the country (or at least the privileged) from what they said was communism, and naturally received strong support from Washington. Money flowed into the country and a lot of it went into arming political gangs to intimidate voters and disrupt political rallies. Your party affiliation could easily get you killed, particularly in 1980. Seaga and the JLP came to power and the socialist experiment was over, but the guns, gangs, and culture of violence remained. Today, Jamaica leads the world in homicides per capita, particularly in Kingston, and this gang culture spread to the U.S. and to the U.K. in the 1980s. The main problem today is drugs, not politics, though, as Jamaica became the major supplier of marijuana to the U.S. in the 80s and the major transshipment point for cocaine traveling from Colombia to the U.S. in the 90s. Seaga takes most of the blame for starting this violent spiral in this book. I lived in a Labor district, where Manley was portrayed as the anti-Christ and Seaga a deliverer. Jamaicans are still divided on the issue of who was at fault, but most are sick and tired of the violence and fed up with politics as well. I think Gunst has given as balanced an account as possible, given her informants and experiences. Another person, with different informants, would probably provide a different perspective. No one is going to find the "truth" to everyone's satisfaction.

This book displayed a harsh reality of what life was like for many Jamaicans during this period. It clearly showed why so many Jamaicans migrated to get away from the somewhat savage-like environment that the politicians created for the less-educated lower income Kingston residents. I enjoyed reading a book full of harsh realities. This should show people, either PNP or JLP that the goverment is to blame for the condition of this beautiful country now and then.

What author Laurie Gunst has written has been well researched and documented. However we will have some Jamaicans up in arms at the hidden truths of our gun crazy society. The book is consise and gives the reader a factural history ride from British Rule to Independence. What she has exposed is the ruthless politicians who are now more worried about the monster they have created.From Kingston/New York/Miami/Dallas and now England Gunst has a book that moves at a exceptional speed I could not put it down and had to tell others. In reality she has written about facts that do exist sadly to the detriment of Jamaica.If you read one book on Yardies/Possee's it has to be this one. It hits hard and for those of us around at the times of these horrific crimes it opens up old wounds.

Although there were few things in the book which were new to me, I found it refreshing to read from an objective-thinking author. The book is also supposedly banned in Jamaica due to its political content, but is becoming a popular read for many Jamaicans in the US.I enjoyed it tremendously.

Riveting and aggressively reported, this is the finest study available on the Jamaican drug posses. It also gives a revealing look at their origins. But most of all, unlike lesser U.K. and West Indies-derived texts, it's exceptionally well written.