Finding Samuel Lowe: China, Jamaica, Harlem
As a child in Jamaica in the mid-20th century, Nell Vera Lowe always wanted to belong to a large family like her friends. Nell had a Jamaican mother and a Chinese father but she never knew the latter, who returned to China and was not missed by her mother. This memoir is the author’s quest to explore her familial identity, a painful gap lurking in spite of her successful education, work and marriage. It’s a delightful journey, sometimes a bit confusing with the onslaught of family names and familial connections, but Paula Madison eventually finds her family in Jamaica and China. She also learns about the difficult but unique history of both countries that is inextricably bound to her extended family. Her description of that history and the welcome she receives are so lovingly and honestly described that the reader feels the warm enfoldment that transcends the earlier separation. Racial difference is suspended in the reunions and reminiscences that follow this memorable search for Nell and Samuel Lowe’s immediate and extended family. Fascinating historical memoir!
