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Broken Gourds

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I was able to get an advance copy of this wonderful book. I enjoyed ever word of this charming Folklore. This book is a treasure, the characters are rich and powerful you will not soon forget Brother Walk and Twig. I anxiously await the next book from this unforgettable new author. You will not be disappointed in this fabulous new novel , take a chance and read a book filled with powerful messages that touch your heart in todays world yet set in a small remote Jamaican Farming village. I enjoyed reading about the diversity of the Jamaican community and humor that never faltered.

An exciting new voice in contemporary literature, McLean writes with a master's touch. The offbeat characters, and the clash of cultures entwined with the political unrest in this Caribbean paradise provides the central theme in this novel of historical Jamaica. I fell in love with the wise and loving grandmother, the wretched, deformed Twig who was so dependent on Dada, and the other assorted characters of this island Shangri-La.

The metamorphosis of Dada, a 29 year old man who is seemingly an incompetent and possibly mentally handicapped individual, into a spiritual leader; the politically powerful, articulate and charismatic Brother Walk, is a compelling story. The beliefs of the old Ashanti community's ancient culture clash
with the sophisticated, modern, non-African ideals, and the love and loyalty contrast with the jealously and animosity in the lives of these people. "The very elements that rocked this rustic Jamaican farming village a century ago are still at the core of mankind's search for a sense of self today," according to Beresford McLean.

McLean's great imagination, and eloquent prose take you on a journey through the lives of these island denizens that will long remain in your heart. The unexpected twists in the plot keep you reading long into the night. I hope there is a sequel in Mr. McLeans future....I'll sure watch for it.

Broken Gourds is a story of the people living in the mountain village of Albion, in Saint Mary's parish, Jamaica in the 1800's. The community is a mixture of the poor Ashanti, an old ancient culture, and the elite British plantation owners. The two cultures co-existed for many years. Treating the villagers as wayward children the plantation owners worked them in their banana fields, employed them as servants in their homes and preached to them in their church. But as always in an evolving society change came that shook them to their core, causing unrest and confusion.

Beresford Mclean's novel has been described as "Inspirational Folklore" written in the tradition of Steinbeck's Cannery Row. Victor Rawlings is the narrator of the story.Wealthy landowners and highly paid professionals who work in Port Maria but live in Albion have petitoned the city to modernize the road making the remote Jamacian village more acsessible to tourists and commercial development. Victor, as spokesman for the villagers, petitions the Port Maria City Council to reconsider the placement of the new road. Citing the destruction of historical buildings he negotiates a meeting with the engineers and Project Manager. He leads them up the quaint dirt road to an old area known as The Balm Yard ( a place of meditation and healing to anyone of African ancestry.) They enter a run down building called The Mission House and stare in disbelief at it's disrepair and wonder why anyone would want to save it. Victor tells them the story of the early days of Albion, how life was, how it changed and of a healer called Brother Walk. He wants them to recognize the significance of the Mission House and it's historical value to the village.

The leaders in Albion were the wealthy plantation owners and members of the church. The women had their afternoon teas, luncheons and book club meetings while the men spent their time hunting birds or wild pigs. They would meet for drinks and play billiards at a social club in Port Maria while discussing politics. They also held meetings at a tavern in Albion to discuss local buisness. Pastor Hamilton acted as the social engineer of Albion. As head of The First Baptist Church he was powerful and influential. He would make the corrections needed for any buisness or social changes with the absolute backing of his congregation. Life for them was peacful and content and the villagers accepted this as the way it should be.

DaDa is a social outcast, the lowly son of a farming family.Unclean, overweight and lazy he spends his time gorging on food and daydreaming. His feet are covered with oozing sores and his nose runs constantly. Everyone believes he is backward and makes fun of him. His grandmother (Granny) is the only one who shows DaDa love. Granny is immersed in the traditions and superstitions of the ancient culture. She senses a spirituality in DaDa that no one else can see. DaDa has one friend called Twig who is crippled from polio. Twig is bent so badly he walks hunched over seeing nothing but the ground.One day DaDa visits Granny who is ill and feeling her old age weakening her body. When he leaves he hears the sound of drums beating. The music is so enchanting that he follows the sound and finds himself high in the hills standing before a shimmering pool of water. He suddenly feels himself pushed from behind into the pool. The water is so warm and relaxing that he lies there and lets the water splash over him. Getting out of the water he sees that all his sores are healed and is amazed at how clear headed he feels. He sees a young girl dressed in African robes holding a highly decorated gourd which she gives to him before she disappears. He fills the gourd with the magical water and starts home to tell Granny what has happened. When he arrives home and hugs Granny she suddenly feels better. She tells him he has been visited by the people from the past and has been chosen to be a healer.

DaDa tries to keep what has happened secret unsure of this remarkable gift. When his father dies DaDa is overcome by grief. He hugs his friend Twig who is suddenly able to stand upright. Twig is so joyous that he runs into the village shouting that DaDa has cured him. The villagers are stunned to see Twig walking upright and begin to go to DaDa for healing and guidance. Because of his ability to heal and his new charasmatic way of speaking DaDa decides to become a preacher and build a Mission House and Balm Yard for the people. DaDa changes his name to Brother Walk and becomes known far and wide as the healer. He does not charge them for his healing but the money and gifts keep flowing in making him a very rich and powerful man. He remembers his youthful dreams of owning Albion and he succumbs to the temptations of greed and lust.

As Brother Walk's ministry and fortune grows the village clinic and The First Baptist Church are going bankrupt. The former leaders of the village are now faced with the loss of their money and power.They devise a plan to rid themselves of Brother Walk and gain back their positions of power and influence.Their devious schemes go awry and in the process of trying to bring Brother Walk down he realizes his mistakes and decides to live out his life as a worthy spirtual leader.

Although Mr. Mclean's novel is written about a remote village in Jamaica long ago in another time frame the issues of human faults and the corruption that too much power and wealth can cause is still very true today in our society. He brings the full plate of human failings to the table, greed, corruption, adultery, the act of judging others for the way they look or their social status, and even murder. He also gives the readers love, forgivness and redemption. And in the end he shows the full circle of life and how God, or destiny as some would say, puts us in the place we are supposed to be in at the time we are meant to be there.

Pat Hayworth
The Compulsive Reader, ...

In present-day Jamaica, the government wants to build a road that will greatly help the small town of Albion. The problem is that the route will force the demolishing of an old, decrepit building with a sign that says "Balm Yard and House of God". Victor Rawlings, the village representative, sits down the government people, and the local children, and tells them the story of Dada.

Dada was a young man who could not complete the simplest of tasks. Today, he might be called "slow" or "learning disabled," one person called him an idiot savant (each Sunday at church, Dada shows off his amazing singing voice). Prince, his father, is at his wit's end. One day, in his early twenties, Dada has a very strange dream. When he wakes up, his disability is gone. He is convinced that his purpose on Earth is to spread peace and brotherhood. He decides to take the name Brother Walk.

He also has the power to heal the sick, so Brother Walk's fame spreads like wildfire. His followers build the Balm Yard, which becomes his church and residence. Attendance at Albion's First Baptist Church plummets to only a handful, which leads Albion's leading citizens to consider ways to get rid of Brother Walk, once and for all.

Brother Walk has the ability to see directly into a person's soul, and tell them exactly what is bothering them. With the women, that usually leads to ending up in bed with him. If a person is having financial problems, and is about to lose their farm, Brother Walk gives them the money to pay the bill. The only stipulation is that they must sign over the deed of their land to Brother Walk. In later years, Brother Walk has a dream which he interprets as a command to circumcize everyone in the village, starting with a young woman named Ruth, who Brother Walk tells that they are getting married. He does not ask Ruth, he tells her that they are getting married.

This is quite a story of humanity, temptation and modern religion combined with old religious practices. It's about a place alien to most people, and it is very much worth checking out.

A delightful tale by Oakland author Beresford McLean, Broken Gourds examines the social fabric in Albion, an imaginary Jamaican farming village, in the latter part of the 19th century. At the beginning of the tale, the village is divided into two classes: the few white (or whiter) folks who run the community's major institutions, and the farmers and other folk, relatively recently freed from slavery, and not so distant from their African roots. By the end of the story, this order has been mightily disturbed.
Central to this shift in power is Dada, one of the "broken gourds." His father, Prince, is the highest of the lowly, a farmer who owns a fair amount of the land in Albion, and who actually gets to approach the table of the upper class when the whole community gathers for lunch after church on Sunday.
Dada is no credit to Prince at all, as far as his father can see. Although seemingly not lacking in intelligence, Dada has yet to find his groove in life, and is content doing simple chores, sometimes even forgetting them, and keeping company with his friend, the other "broken gourd," Twig.
This aimlessness goes on, to Prince's consternation, until Dada is nearly 30, and showing no desire to move out of Prince's home, or otherwise distinguish himself. Dada himself is puzzled by his lack of purpose. The only one who seems to see who Dada is and where he might be going is Granny, Prince's mother, who holds to the traditions of her Ghanaian culture, much maligned among the "proper" folk. Granny sees that Dada has a great gift that he'll one day contribute to his community.
That day comes, and Dada is called upon by an angel in a visionary dream. He's so transformed, even his name goes, and he renames himself Brother Walk. He has become a healer, who will walk about caring for whoever needs his touch. Ultimately, his work brings about a surprising harmony in the community. The power of the village comes to rest in his hands, even as he once dreamed it would, without ever knowing how.
But all this is not without its upsets. For all the good that Dada does - and some of it very unconventionally, he's not without his detractors.
The tenor of the book is lilting and poetic, rich in unusual plot turns and endearing characters. The reader can become very fond of the community of Albion and its denizens - even the troublemakers. In his dedication, the author credits his parents with his "knack of storytelling [he] stole when they were not looking." He stole well; Broken Gourds is a transporting and heart-lifting tale of healing and redemption.

When we think of countries and civilizations we think of the cities that define them, the Great Zimbabwe, ancient Athens, and ancient Rome. We seldom think of a village, but it is the village that first nurtures the population and shapes its character, laws, and political structure. These eventually lead to the building of cities. "Broken Gourds" is the tale of one such village, Albion.

Albion is a small hilly village in Jamaica. There is a dirt path that goes from the plantations to the seaport in Port Maria. Many of the landowners and highly paid professionals that lived in Albion petitioned the city to widen the road and improve it for cars and trucks.

Victor Rawlings, the unofficial village representative, attempts to stop the construction of the road. He does this by telling the story of the village to the team of engineers sent to see the path and make recommendations to the city. Rawlings explains to the project manager, Margaret Duncan, that if the city builds the road where planned, it would destroy a historical plot of land and one building in particular. This broken down shack, called the Balm Yard and House of God is an important part of village history and symbolizes the community's soul.

The story of the Balm Yard begins with Dada a son of a prosperous village farmer, Prince, a well-respected community leader. Prince worries about Dada because he is both uninterested in and unfit for manly work. He is physically repulsive, his feet covered with oozing sores, and he constantly suffers from a head cold. The only one who understands Dada and suspects that he is blessed with more than a beautiful signing voice is his grandmother. Granny lives above the village in the mountains and still practices the ancient African religion of her ancestors.

As he grows to manhood, it becomes apparent that Dada lives in a dream world populated with spirits, duppys, who communicate with him. This gift further alienates him from his peers but renders him an ideal vessel for the spirits, and they soon make use of their vessel.

On the first day of August the spirit people lead Dada to a magical pool where he is cured of his afflictions. He in turn cures his gravely ill grandmother and his friend Twig, the village cripple.

Soon Dada becomes a priest and healer in the traditional African sense. He builds the Balm house as his counsel house and church and begins to take over the spiritual guidance of Albion. However, Dada's greed and carnal lust, especially his desire for one young woman he cannot have, leads to his moral and spiritual breakdown. Finally, his redemption leads to self -discovery, and he becomes a true spiritual leader.

As the story of the Balm Yard ends the present day storyteller and listeners learn of their connection to the past and come to understand the importance of the Yard's restoration

The story's narrative flows elegantly and the prose is a lyrical. However, the dialogue is forced and stilted in parts. Those looking for a novel with well-developed three-dimensional characters will be disappointed. This book is a narrative told by a village storyteller. It is more important what the characters represent, authority, friendship, and compassion, than who they are. Although Dada's character is more developed, even he represents different virtues and vices at different times.

"Broken Gourds" is a colorful tale of Jamaica's African roots and portrays well the world of magical realism that surrounds most Caribbean and Latin American cultures. Although I would have liked some of the characters to be more fleshed out, I appreciated the beauty of the narrative and found the story well told and interesting.

As an avid reader, I'm always excited when I come across such a fantastic book as Broken Gourds. Told in the warm vibrant style of story tellers from long ago, Broken Gourds is one of the best books I've read in a while. Set in a small village in Jamaica, its a story about traditions, religion, superstitions, and change as carried down through the generations of the village's residents. From the moment I picked it up, I became instantly transported to this little village in Jamaica. I simply could not put it down. Beresford McLean is a Master Story Teller



Laura Wandrie - NewAge Journal

Reviewed by: Tyrone Vincent Banks of Betsie's Literary Page.

A spiritual combination of "Flowers for Algernon" and "Phenomenon"


Broken Gourds is an intriguing story about a "simpleton" named Dada. Throughout most of his life he existed as an outsider, scorned by his family and laughed at by children and adults alike. What he lacked in social grace, common sense and intelligence was compensated for by his beautiful singing voice, peaceful demeanor and compassion. He was an outcast suffering from a disease that left gaping sores about his face that would never heal. His father Prince was afraid that he would never leave his home and therefore stifle his own search for a bride to replace Dada's deceased mother. Prince embarked on a campaign to build a life for his son and make him comply with his vision of success.

Dada saw no harm in the way that he lived. As long as there was food, a way to care for his crippled friend Twig and his grandmother - he was content. One day, he failed his father for the last time by setting Prince's livestock free and letting the water supply run dry. As Dada ran for his life with his father at wit's end threatening to kill him, his life changed. He was given a vision and a magical gourd that could fill a well as if an endless supply of water was enclosed within the small container. He was changing and he rushed to the side of his dying grandmother - and healed her with an embrace. The wounds that covered his face - disappeared. Dada's eyes opened and he was no longer an uninterested observer, he was now an instrument of change.

Dada became an instrument of God, much like the gourd that contained the endless supply of water; he was filled with the power of God. He established a place of worship called The Balm Yard and the miracles continued. All that he touched were healed and he took on a new name - Brother Walk. He would travel throughout Albion, Jamaica preaching and healing all within reach. Brother Walk was reborn and in this new form he learns about love, sensuality, self-sacrifice and temptation. He is given an endless amount of power and his followers hang on every word that leaves his mouth. However, we all know what happens with absolute power. This book has an ending that is both surprising and expected.

Read this book and take part in this journey reminiscent of Daniel Keyes' "Flowers for Algernon" and the motion picture "Phenomenon" told with the classic flair of Steinbeck. The journey is mystical and enjoyable and Beresford McLean's style is similar to that of a revered storyteller. His words and images will capture you and you will carry this story in your heart.

Inside each of us there dwells a person, unlovely and unloved,who wants desparately for us to be more than we are. Mr. McLean speaks to that soul in the person of Dada, the main character in this delightfully universal Jamaican myth. Through Granny, Dada, who later comes to be Brother Walk, and the other members of the community of Albion, we meet all the complexities of humanity and the many faces of god. We come face to face with the man and woman in each of us, the greedy child, the bully, the submissive and the dominant, the hopeful and the hopeless, the liar and the cheat, the angel and the devil, the listener to voices, the beater of drums and the dreamer of dreams.

I loved this story of change, resolution, justice, mercy, humility, magic and "Old Time Something come back again". I appreciated the author's themes and use of imagery, language, personification and local colour. I think you too will be unable to resist it for a gentle read or a headliner for your local public library book club! I highly recommend it! Happy reading!

Albion is a lush rural district in the parish of Saint Mary where descendants of ex-slaves live beside the progeny of former slaver masters & modern plantation owners. Change however is in the air as too the week long national holiday, August the First, when the ending of slavery is celebrated.

Into this quiet village of farmers & families comes a team of city surveyors & bureaucrats, eager to determine over what land their new road to the future will run, & therein lies the rub. One section will destroy an ancient sacred site where the lowly & defective Dada ministered his healing a century before.

Beresford McLean knows of what he has written as he was born in rural Jamaica. BROKEN GOURDS is lyrically written in a language that dances & darts, creating images & memories which make the reader stop & linger, fascinated by the telling.