The Marvellous Equations of the Dread: A Novel in Bass Riddim Paperback – October 24, 2016

I love the Jamaican manipulation of words to make their meanings clearer. This is one of the few people I have seen who can capture multi level reasoning so well on paper. I feel like I’m walking with my old friend in rural Jamaica learning wisdom from his sayings when I read. I am savoring it chapter by chapter to prolong the enjoyment.

Absolutely loved this book! The connection to Jamaica and it's people, it's culture, it's history, it's music is really deep. And the way Marcia weaves all the stories together is a truly magical experience. Extremely poetic and lyrical, felt the bass riddim constantly as I read through the the pages and chapters, the various tracks and dubsides. I could feel the streets, hear the sounds, smell the rain and feel the heat of so many of the places Douglas talks about. Superb!

In my opinion, the best novel about Jamaica and its people. It has all the twists and turns of great suspense, but is written in such a magical and quirky way, that in the end it is not suspense that matters the most but the cultural experience you get from reading the book.

absolutely compelling story

In my opinion, the best novel about Jamaica and its people. It has all the twists and turns of great suspense, but is done in such a fantastical and quirky way, that in the end it is not suspense that matters the most but the cultural experience you get from reading the book.

I read Marvellous Equations of the Dread because I opened it and was pulled into Leenah's story. I wanted to find out what happened to the deaf girl and her lover, Bob Marley. That storyline would've been enough for me; it's quite beautiful! But along the way, I learned about Jamaica's history, it's struggles, and it's African roots. I learned about Marcus Garvey, and of Rastafarian tradition, and of love. This book is a compendium of the esoteric Jamaican experience; it is dancehall music, and geography, poetry, and reefer smoking. I cannot give a succinct account of this book, except to say that I am better for having read it. Marvellous Equations of the Dread is a lyrical and moving portrait of the Jamaican experience, from slavery to liberation. This book is a must-read for every black adult or young adult. I warn you, it is heart-rending! But the ride is well worth it!

Truly a life-changing novel.The prose is the most musical and lyrical I've ever encountered. The language and the story sweep you away entirely into a world of magic that is unique to the Jamaican experience. I especially appreciate the strengths of the female characters in the novel who speak in poetry, commune with the dead, and pass their strengths onto their daughters (who also assert their own inner strengths).Featuring real-life giants such as Bob Marley, Marcus Garvey, Haile Selassie I, the Queen of Sheba, Queen Nanny and so many others, the novel is a must-read for anyone interested in Jamaican history, Black resistance, pan-Africanism, feminism, reggae music, Rastafar-i, and/or (dis)ability studies (as one of the primary characters is deaf, and yet has a profoundly deep relationship with music).The spiritual, political, and sensorial breadth of the novel is unlike anything I've ever encountered. This novel has also transformed my relationship, not only with reggae, but with all music and with the act of listening.I can't recommend this novel enough!

This book was a wonderful journey, one that I didn't expect to take! As you follow Leenah through the novel you feel as though you are being transported into Rastafari culture. There is amazing use of literary techniques throughout, which help the book stay engaging and quite hard to put down! Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. Marcia Douglas and her incredible writing are simply the best!