Join local educator, cultural historian and author Roy Bodden at Books & Books in Camana Bay on Thursday, July 26 at 7pm when he shares his latest book, A Gathering of Old Men (Ian Randle, 2012).

This free event will include an author presentation, group discussion and book signing.

About the Book

In this collection of short stories, Roy Bodden delves into his boyhood memories of listening in on conversations by the old men who gathered at his ancestral home, the Guard House, as they talked about everyday life and the issues facing an evolving Cayman Islands.

Expanding on the themes explored in an earlier collection—Stories My Grandfather Never Told Me (CNCF, 2007)—the stories in this new collection explore how the forces of colonialism and imperialism, globalization, racism, greed corruption, a toxic expatriacy and the search for identity, helped to define the Caymanian personality.

The central and recurring theme of these and the earlier stories is the duality of Caymanian society and the relationship between native born or established Caymanians and the growing number of expatriate workers and immigrants who have come to the Islands from various parts of the world.  Like the old men and griots of the past who are characterized in these stories, today’s Caymanian faces the challenge of fashioning a resolution to the complex interrelationship between these two separate but related groups – the ‘established’ Caymanian and the expatriate.  The absence of any accommodation between these two elements continues to breed resentment and has resulted in established Caymanians resorting to a self-destructive culture of entitlement.

Bodden aims in these embellished accounts of the old men’s conversations to enlighten, edify and inform the reader and to promote a spirit of dialogue between the various groups in the society and in the process promote pride in Caymanians and their way of life.  In so doing, he not only tries to capture the substance of the old men’s conversations, but also the colourful and compelling language, colloquialisms and borrowed expressions that were and remain a part of the unique Caymanian expression.

Select titles by Roy Bodden are now available at Books & Books.

About the Author

J. A. Roy Bodden J.P. is an educator, cultural historian and author. He is President of the University College of the Cayman Islands, a former Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) of the Cayman Islands and he served in the Cayman Islands Government as Minister of Education, Human Resources and Culture from 2000 to 2005. His published works include The Caymanian Islands in Transition: The Politics, History and Sociology of a Changing Society (Ian Randle, 2007); Stories My Grandfather Never Told Me (CNCF, 2007); and Patronage; Personalities and Parties: Caymanian Politics from 1950-2000 (Ian Randle, 2010).

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• • Books & Books in Grand Cayman is located at the Town Centre of Camana Bay, at 45 Market Street, where it is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00am to 9:00pm. The store number is 345-640-2665.