Ralph Thompson’s memoir is a fascinating record of a long and full life lived jointly in the worlds of art, literature and business. From a pre-war childhood in colonial Jamaica, Take My Word For It is full of rich insights into both the personal and Jamaica emerging into difficult modernity.
Along with the businessman who conveys the excitement of commercial strategy and take-over bids, there is also the artist and poet who has explored the inner life, not least the position of a white man in a Jamaica whose decolonisation has been in part about discovering its black identity.
Amply illustrated with photographs, images of Thompson’s paintings and extracts from
his poetry, Take My Word For It is a beautifully and frankly written record of a significant Jamaican life.