The Coloured Girl in the Ring: A Guyanese Woman Remembers [Paperback]

Brenda Chester DoHarris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1997

The Coloured Girl in the Ring: A Guyanese Woman Remembers is a fictional exploration of a young Black woman's coming of age in British Guiana of the late fifties and early sixties. Told against the backdrop of political and racial turbulence, the novel employs a first-person narrative format and proffers a well defined portrait of the main character's recollection of her family life, her oppressive school teachers, her friends' doomed inter-racial romance and her thoughts on race and identity. As the central character matures, she faces painful choices about her future and her need to explore the world around her. Colourful local characters, careful twists, and vivid descriptions of British Guianese life combine to render an original portrayal of the Caribbean woman's transition into adulthood.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Brenda DoHarris was born in British Guiana, now the independent territory of Guyana, where she grew up. She is a professor of English at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland and a graduate of Columbia University and Howard University where she received the PhD in English. The first Guyanese woman to run in Guyana for office of presidency of a trades union, she became actively involved in the Guyanese political movement for democracy during the seventies. She has travelled widely in Africa, the Caribbean and China where she attended the U.S.\China Joint Conference on Women's Issues. Her area of scholarly interest is post-colonial women's literature.

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: Tantaria Pr (November 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965944409
• ISBN-13: 978-0965944403
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #397,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, April 22, 2002

By 

Jacqueline Cholmondeley (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Coloured Girl in the Ring: A Guyanese Woman Remembers (Paperback)

Accolades to Brenda DoHarris for this excellent account of Guyanese memories and traditions. A must read for all Guyanese, and parties who are interested in different cultures, and their customs.
Being a fellow Guyanese, this book brought back many fond memories. It also recaptured forgotten experiences, that might otherwise, have been left to fade to obscurity in the recesses of my mind.
Hopefully, we see more works from this author sometime soon.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, January 10, 2007

By 

Diva-Babe (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Coloured Girl in the Ring: A Guyanese Woman Remembers (Paperback)

Product arrived promptly and in excellent condition. This is a great fictional book re: life in Guyana...growing up etc. So glad I purchased it.

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique and Original, October 9, 2005

By 

Lorraine E. Fraser "GT Binnie" (Arlington, Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Coloured Girl in the Ring: A Guyanese Woman Remembers (Paperback)

I have read this book 5 times, and each time I give more kudos to Ms. Doharris - a true Guyanese. She has captured the true essence of the "happenings" during that era in Guyana, one I can whole heartedly relate to, especially of Kitty the city I was born and grew up around. Her dialogue brought back so many funny and sad childhood memories; it was however a great place to grow up. As you read this story, an image appears coupled with our "tantalizing" speaking dialogue and island music. This should be made into a Guyanese movie. I have encouraged many of my Guyanese Friends to read this book, and given it to several of my "American generation family" of children to help them understand the atmosphere that we of the 40's, 50's, 60's and early 70's grew up in. They will never know the "Beautiful Guyana" of that era. Congrats to Ms. Doharris. I eagerly await her next novel.