Author: HOPE GREGORY
Publisher: HOPE GREGORY
ISBN: 057868618X
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 331
Book Description
The Choreo-novel, “Big Auntie’s Pearls” is my attempt to expand upon the form of dramatic expression known as “Choreopoem” which combines poetry, dance music and song with traditional African-American storytelling. My story’s implied plot uses theme elements with specific characters to hopefully create an emotional response from readers also its listeners. Nontraditional spelling and vernacular are written in the Concert format with each chapter called an Opus with three different movements as found in a Sonata or acts of an Opera or Ballet. The four Opuses are infused with Intermezzo and in Three-quarters time giving those of us with short attention spans maybe a twelve-hour read or an hour for one movement. This Google interactive version contains links to music; fashion; food and culture with also fast cars of the times to enhance the readers experience and maybe even do a little shopping. My story is Historical "Inspirational Fiction” using pseudonyms of persons and Venerable Institutions in a respectful fictitious manner to help Annamitta (Anna-mē-ta) tell her story of her Big Auntie’s whispered “High Pearls of Burden.” I invite you on this journey to my native Southwest Georgia in the “Morning Star Suite” and a debut recital in the Southern hamlet of Boston before spanning through time with stops in Washington DC, Miami until Annamitta’s “New Day” at Savannah’s College by the Sea. * Inspirational external links included for entertainment, educational and historical reference.
BIG AUNTIE’s PEARLS
Author: HOPE GREGORY
Publisher: HOPE GREGORY
ISBN: 057868618X
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 331
Book Description
The Choreo-novel, “Big Auntie’s Pearls” is my attempt to expand upon the form of dramatic expression known as “Choreopoem” which combines poetry, dance music and song with traditional African-American storytelling. My story’s implied plot uses theme elements with specific characters to hopefully create an emotional response from readers also its listeners. Nontraditional spelling and vernacular are written in the Concert format with each chapter called an Opus with three different movements as found in a Sonata or acts of an Opera or Ballet. The four Opuses are infused with Intermezzo and in Three-quarters time giving those of us with short attention spans maybe a twelve-hour read or an hour for one movement. This Google interactive version contains links to music; fashion; food and culture with also fast cars of the times to enhance the readers experience and maybe even do a little shopping. My story is Historical "Inspirational Fiction” using pseudonyms of persons and Venerable Institutions in a respectful fictitious manner to help Annamitta (Anna-mē-ta) tell her story of her Big Auntie’s whispered “High Pearls of Burden.” I invite you on this journey to my native Southwest Georgia in the “Morning Star Suite” and a debut recital in the Southern hamlet of Boston before spanning through time with stops in Washington DC, Miami until Annamitta’s “New Day” at Savannah’s College by the Sea. * Inspirational external links included for entertainment, educational and historical reference.
Publisher: HOPE GREGORY
ISBN: 057868618X
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 331
Book Description
The Choreo-novel, “Big Auntie’s Pearls” is my attempt to expand upon the form of dramatic expression known as “Choreopoem” which combines poetry, dance music and song with traditional African-American storytelling. My story’s implied plot uses theme elements with specific characters to hopefully create an emotional response from readers also its listeners. Nontraditional spelling and vernacular are written in the Concert format with each chapter called an Opus with three different movements as found in a Sonata or acts of an Opera or Ballet. The four Opuses are infused with Intermezzo and in Three-quarters time giving those of us with short attention spans maybe a twelve-hour read or an hour for one movement. This Google interactive version contains links to music; fashion; food and culture with also fast cars of the times to enhance the readers experience and maybe even do a little shopping. My story is Historical "Inspirational Fiction” using pseudonyms of persons and Venerable Institutions in a respectful fictitious manner to help Annamitta (Anna-mē-ta) tell her story of her Big Auntie’s whispered “High Pearls of Burden.” I invite you on this journey to my native Southwest Georgia in the “Morning Star Suite” and a debut recital in the Southern hamlet of Boston before spanning through time with stops in Washington DC, Miami until Annamitta’s “New Day” at Savannah’s College by the Sea. * Inspirational external links included for entertainment, educational and historical reference.
Big Auntie's Pearls
Author: Hope Gregory
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 302
Book Description
The Choreo-novel, "Big Auntie's Pearls" is my attempt to expand upon form of dramatic expression known as "Choreopoem" which combines poetry, dance, music and song. This term was first coined by the Great Ntozake Shange in her usage of traditional African-American storytelling in entertaining and for teaching. My story with its implied plot uses theme elements with specific characters to hopefully create an emotional response from readers or from its listeners. My story uses nontraditional spelling and vernacular written in Concert format with each chapter called an Opus with three different movements as found in a Sonata or acts of an opera or a ballet. The four Opuses are infused with Intermezzo written in three-quarters time giving those of us with short attention spans maybe a twelve-hour read or only an hour for a movement.The characters are mostly of imagination fused with a matriarchal surname in a fictitious manner in helping Annamitta (Anna-mē-ta) tell her story of Big Auntie's whispered "High Pearls of Burden" as combined with pseudonyms of persons and venerable Institutions so not to disparage. I invite you to join this journey leading into the early 1900s in my native Southwest Georgia in the "Morning Star Suite" with Big Auntie's debut piano recital in the Southern hamlet of Boston before heading to college in Washington DC. Annamitta enters the story as a six-year old as her "Sonatina" begins with a Polonaise North with her Mama Minnie Lou where she learns dignified protest and discovers a talent for sewing.Annamitta's adult dance kicks-off in what I like to call the "Honey Pot Suite" where a visit with her big sister Suzie Mae in Miami leads to an altercation with Trixie Dupree causing concern over Mr. Buddy J.Big Auntie's Pearls journey into a "New Day" of late 1959 when Annamitta's skills help secure her admittance into Savannah's College by the Sea where after their rocky start she and her roommate W. Joan from New York find shared dismay over Institutional formalities. Though disagreeing over some "Politics of Fashion" the roommates form coalition to combine academics with having a good time while easing pressures of taking on more traditional roles amongst "Precious Pearls of the Sea!"
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 302
Book Description
The Choreo-novel, "Big Auntie's Pearls" is my attempt to expand upon form of dramatic expression known as "Choreopoem" which combines poetry, dance, music and song. This term was first coined by the Great Ntozake Shange in her usage of traditional African-American storytelling in entertaining and for teaching. My story with its implied plot uses theme elements with specific characters to hopefully create an emotional response from readers or from its listeners. My story uses nontraditional spelling and vernacular written in Concert format with each chapter called an Opus with three different movements as found in a Sonata or acts of an opera or a ballet. The four Opuses are infused with Intermezzo written in three-quarters time giving those of us with short attention spans maybe a twelve-hour read or only an hour for a movement.The characters are mostly of imagination fused with a matriarchal surname in a fictitious manner in helping Annamitta (Anna-mē-ta) tell her story of Big Auntie's whispered "High Pearls of Burden" as combined with pseudonyms of persons and venerable Institutions so not to disparage. I invite you to join this journey leading into the early 1900s in my native Southwest Georgia in the "Morning Star Suite" with Big Auntie's debut piano recital in the Southern hamlet of Boston before heading to college in Washington DC. Annamitta enters the story as a six-year old as her "Sonatina" begins with a Polonaise North with her Mama Minnie Lou where she learns dignified protest and discovers a talent for sewing.Annamitta's adult dance kicks-off in what I like to call the "Honey Pot Suite" where a visit with her big sister Suzie Mae in Miami leads to an altercation with Trixie Dupree causing concern over Mr. Buddy J.Big Auntie's Pearls journey into a "New Day" of late 1959 when Annamitta's skills help secure her admittance into Savannah's College by the Sea where after their rocky start she and her roommate W. Joan from New York find shared dismay over Institutional formalities. Though disagreeing over some "Politics of Fashion" the roommates form coalition to combine academics with having a good time while easing pressures of taking on more traditional roles amongst "Precious Pearls of the Sea!"
Nullarbor Pearl
Author: Sarah Rossetti
Publisher: Interactive Publications
ISBN: 1922830658
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 195
Book Description
Impulsive, budding artist, Pearl, jumps on a bus headed for the driest place she knows, Australia’s Nullarbor Plain, to escape a terrifying undersea curse, only to find it waiting for her in a fish tank when she arrives. In her Aunty’s derelict roadhouse, she amuses and outrages the local misfits by seeing their hidden traumas in watery visions – which she paints. Eddie, a hot, young windmill repairer, shows interest, but soon must vie for this amazing artist’s attention with Italian cave diver, Massimo. Tempting as they may be, Pearl can’t go there, not while this family-seeing curse is ruining her life . . . unless it’s a gift? Just in case it is, Pearl risks her life to solve the mystery that has plagued all the women in her line, starting with her long-dead Great-Grandma Pearl.
Publisher: Interactive Publications
ISBN: 1922830658
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 195
Book Description
Impulsive, budding artist, Pearl, jumps on a bus headed for the driest place she knows, Australia’s Nullarbor Plain, to escape a terrifying undersea curse, only to find it waiting for her in a fish tank when she arrives. In her Aunty’s derelict roadhouse, she amuses and outrages the local misfits by seeing their hidden traumas in watery visions – which she paints. Eddie, a hot, young windmill repairer, shows interest, but soon must vie for this amazing artist’s attention with Italian cave diver, Massimo. Tempting as they may be, Pearl can’t go there, not while this family-seeing curse is ruining her life . . . unless it’s a gift? Just in case it is, Pearl risks her life to solve the mystery that has plagued all the women in her line, starting with her long-dead Great-Grandma Pearl.
Pearl, of the Orient
Author: Julian Ng
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 129196939X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 229
Book Description
Pearl returns to her native Penang and her parents after nearly ten years in Sydney, Australia. She brings with her a son from a hasty marriage, and a suitcase of repressed emotions. However, the skeletons in her family's closet far outnumber hers, and as her family implodes upon itself, it becomes a race against time to save the family business, and ultimately, her family.
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 129196939X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 229
Book Description
Pearl returns to her native Penang and her parents after nearly ten years in Sydney, Australia. She brings with her a son from a hasty marriage, and a suitcase of repressed emotions. However, the skeletons in her family's closet far outnumber hers, and as her family implodes upon itself, it becomes a race against time to save the family business, and ultimately, her family.
Blue Skin of the Sea
Author: Graham Salisbury
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
ISBN: 0307514692
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 226
Book Description
Eleven interlinked stories tell the tale of a boy coming of age in Kailua-Kona, a Hawaiian fishing village. Sonny Mendoza is a little different from the rest of the men in his family. Salisbury explores characters like Aunty Pearl, a full-blooded Hawaiian as regal as the queens of old; cool Jack, from L.A., who starts a gang and dares Sonny to be brave enough, cruel enough, to join; mysterious Melanie, who steals his heart; and Deeps, the shark hunter. But the most memorable character is the sea itself: inviting, unpredictable, deadly. Mendoza men are brave men, but Sonny's courage is of a different kind. Why can't he love and trust the water as the men of his family are meant to do?
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
ISBN: 0307514692
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 226
Book Description
Eleven interlinked stories tell the tale of a boy coming of age in Kailua-Kona, a Hawaiian fishing village. Sonny Mendoza is a little different from the rest of the men in his family. Salisbury explores characters like Aunty Pearl, a full-blooded Hawaiian as regal as the queens of old; cool Jack, from L.A., who starts a gang and dares Sonny to be brave enough, cruel enough, to join; mysterious Melanie, who steals his heart; and Deeps, the shark hunter. But the most memorable character is the sea itself: inviting, unpredictable, deadly. Mendoza men are brave men, but Sonny's courage is of a different kind. Why can't he love and trust the water as the men of his family are meant to do?
Mother of Pearl
Author: Angela Savage
Publisher: Transit Lounge
ISBN: 1925760383
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
A luminous and courageous story about the hopes and dreams we all have for our lives and relationships, and the often fraught and unexpected ways they may be realised. Angela Savage draws us masterfully into the lives of Anna, an aid worker trying to settle back into life in Australia after more than a decade in Southeast Asia; Meg, Anna’s sister, who holds out hope for a child despite seven fruitless years of IVF; Meg's husband Nate, and Mukda, a single mother in provincial Thailand who wants to do the right thing by her son and parents. The women and their families' lives become intimately intertwined in the unsettling and extraordinary process of trying to bring a child into the world across borders of class, culture and nationality. Rich in characterisation and feeling, Mother of Pearl, and the timely issues it raises, will generate discussion amongst readers everywhere. ‘This is a story of family and motherhood, and also a story of culture and exploitation that asks us to think through the costs of our insatiable desire in the West to have everything. What I find remarkable about this novel is how it refuses easy and lazy judgement, how it takes seriously questions of loss, longing, and our human need to connect with each other.’ — Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap
Publisher: Transit Lounge
ISBN: 1925760383
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
A luminous and courageous story about the hopes and dreams we all have for our lives and relationships, and the often fraught and unexpected ways they may be realised. Angela Savage draws us masterfully into the lives of Anna, an aid worker trying to settle back into life in Australia after more than a decade in Southeast Asia; Meg, Anna’s sister, who holds out hope for a child despite seven fruitless years of IVF; Meg's husband Nate, and Mukda, a single mother in provincial Thailand who wants to do the right thing by her son and parents. The women and their families' lives become intimately intertwined in the unsettling and extraordinary process of trying to bring a child into the world across borders of class, culture and nationality. Rich in characterisation and feeling, Mother of Pearl, and the timely issues it raises, will generate discussion amongst readers everywhere. ‘This is a story of family and motherhood, and also a story of culture and exploitation that asks us to think through the costs of our insatiable desire in the West to have everything. What I find remarkable about this novel is how it refuses easy and lazy judgement, how it takes seriously questions of loss, longing, and our human need to connect with each other.’ — Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap
Flowing with the Pearl River: Memoir of a Red China Girl
Author: Amy Chan Zhou
Publisher: Santa Monica Press
ISBN: 1595807829
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 185
Book Description
Amy Chan Zhou’s searing memoir about growing up in rural Communist China features descriptions of pastoral beauty and tales of the simple joys of raising farm animals or catching fish in a local river. However, her childhood is scarred by the primitive conditions, her family’s everyday struggle to obtain food, and the horror of witnessing relatives being tortured on a stage during “public denouncing” meetings. As the Communists take control of China in 1949, we follow the harrowing experiences of Chan Zhou’s great-grandparents, grandparents, father, and mother during the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s when landlords, business owners, artists, and scholars were branded as “bad elements” and “class enemies.” As a teenager in the 1970s, while selling vegetables on the black market, Chan Zhou is accused of being a “little capitalist trader.” The death of Mao ultimately saves Chan Zhou from being sent to a detention center, and her family’s destiny is forever altered by Deng Xiaoping’s reform that allows her family to reunite in Hong Kong, and subsequently emigrate to the United States. A blend of Wild Swans and The Red Scarf Girl, Flowing with the Pearl River is a vividly accurate portrayal of one family’s painful experiences during Communism and the Cultural Revolution in China, and their eventual escape to freedom.
Publisher: Santa Monica Press
ISBN: 1595807829
Category : Young Adult Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 185
Book Description
Amy Chan Zhou’s searing memoir about growing up in rural Communist China features descriptions of pastoral beauty and tales of the simple joys of raising farm animals or catching fish in a local river. However, her childhood is scarred by the primitive conditions, her family’s everyday struggle to obtain food, and the horror of witnessing relatives being tortured on a stage during “public denouncing” meetings. As the Communists take control of China in 1949, we follow the harrowing experiences of Chan Zhou’s great-grandparents, grandparents, father, and mother during the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s when landlords, business owners, artists, and scholars were branded as “bad elements” and “class enemies.” As a teenager in the 1970s, while selling vegetables on the black market, Chan Zhou is accused of being a “little capitalist trader.” The death of Mao ultimately saves Chan Zhou from being sent to a detention center, and her family’s destiny is forever altered by Deng Xiaoping’s reform that allows her family to reunite in Hong Kong, and subsequently emigrate to the United States. A blend of Wild Swans and The Red Scarf Girl, Flowing with the Pearl River is a vividly accurate portrayal of one family’s painful experiences during Communism and the Cultural Revolution in China, and their eventual escape to freedom.
The Pearl Jacket and Other Stories
Author: Shouhua Qi
Publisher: Stone Bridge Press, Inc.
ISBN: 1611725046
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 349
Book Description
China's hottest literary genre brings together the traditional, the experimental, and the avant-garde. Hugely popular in China, flash fiction is poised to be the most exciting new development in contemporary Chinese literature in a decade. Integrating both vernacular and contemporary styles while embracing new technologies such as text messaging (SMS) and blogging, contemporary Chinese flash fiction represents the voice of a civilization at the brink of a startling and unprecedented transformation. This collection features 120 short-short stories (from 100 to 300 words each), written by some of China's most dynamic and versatile authors. Dong Rui's The Pearl Jacket offers a glimpse of the real and surreal in human evolution, Chen Qiyou's Butterfly Forever brings an ancient Chinese literary motif into a startling modern context, while Liu Jianchao's Concerned Departments mocks the staggering complexity of life in the new urban China. Traditional, experimental, and avant-garde, The Pearl Jacket and Other Stories will reinvigorate the position of young Chinese writers as a major presence in contemporary literature. Their voices breathe new energy into modern Chinese literature, leaving the literary and societal stagnation of the Cultural Revolution behind as a distant memory.
Publisher: Stone Bridge Press, Inc.
ISBN: 1611725046
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 349
Book Description
China's hottest literary genre brings together the traditional, the experimental, and the avant-garde. Hugely popular in China, flash fiction is poised to be the most exciting new development in contemporary Chinese literature in a decade. Integrating both vernacular and contemporary styles while embracing new technologies such as text messaging (SMS) and blogging, contemporary Chinese flash fiction represents the voice of a civilization at the brink of a startling and unprecedented transformation. This collection features 120 short-short stories (from 100 to 300 words each), written by some of China's most dynamic and versatile authors. Dong Rui's The Pearl Jacket offers a glimpse of the real and surreal in human evolution, Chen Qiyou's Butterfly Forever brings an ancient Chinese literary motif into a startling modern context, while Liu Jianchao's Concerned Departments mocks the staggering complexity of life in the new urban China. Traditional, experimental, and avant-garde, The Pearl Jacket and Other Stories will reinvigorate the position of young Chinese writers as a major presence in contemporary literature. Their voices breathe new energy into modern Chinese literature, leaving the literary and societal stagnation of the Cultural Revolution behind as a distant memory.
Our Family Had Big Dreams
Author: Jennifer Murphy
Publisher: FriesenPress
ISBN: 1525594923
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 226
Book Description
Our Family Had Big Dreams is a multi-generational story about working towards goals while living and learning along the way. Written with honesty, humility, and humour, author Jennifer Murphy’s memoir starts with the story of her parents in England and their dreams, and then follows her life in Canada as a scientist in a field dominated by men. She reflects on how both journeys have also affected the next generation in her family. Jenny’s inspirational story is about breaking traditional moulds and following one’s dreams in two different countries. Her story also provides an interesting insight into the hardships experienced in Britain after the Second World War, into lifestyles in England in the ’50’s and the “swinging ’60’s”, and the differences between cultures and educational systems in England and Canada. It is a story that also shines a light on attitudes towards women in the last 75 years. Jenny uniquely shares her latest adventure in life—returning to university in her seventies—as she continues her lifelong pursuit of knowledge and embracing whatever’s next.
Publisher: FriesenPress
ISBN: 1525594923
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 226
Book Description
Our Family Had Big Dreams is a multi-generational story about working towards goals while living and learning along the way. Written with honesty, humility, and humour, author Jennifer Murphy’s memoir starts with the story of her parents in England and their dreams, and then follows her life in Canada as a scientist in a field dominated by men. She reflects on how both journeys have also affected the next generation in her family. Jenny’s inspirational story is about breaking traditional moulds and following one’s dreams in two different countries. Her story also provides an interesting insight into the hardships experienced in Britain after the Second World War, into lifestyles in England in the ’50’s and the “swinging ’60’s”, and the differences between cultures and educational systems in England and Canada. It is a story that also shines a light on attitudes towards women in the last 75 years. Jenny uniquely shares her latest adventure in life—returning to university in her seventies—as she continues her lifelong pursuit of knowledge and embracing whatever’s next.
The Life Story of a Caribbean Pearl and Her Journey to America
Author: Brenda V. Peek
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 146911349X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 105
Book Description
A child is born in the West Indies. She is sweet, inquisitive, bright, sensitive and caring all qualities that she will maintain for many, many years to come. The sister islands of Trinidad and Tobago are among her earliest homes. She lives and learns in the most beautiful and popular areas of all the Caribbean, where rich legacies and history precede her: Once ruled by both Spain and Britain, today Trinidad and Tobago are governed by their own proud people, whove kept the traditions and culture of their ancestors since long before the islands found independence in 1962. Located just off the coast of South America, these small territories have developed an identity throughout the years that is completely their own. Dr. Eric Williams, the legendary Caribbean scholar, became the first prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, which is one of the most diversely populated ethnic regions in the world. People of African, Native West Indian, Asian, and European descent live, love and mingle together on these lovely islands in the sunshine. English is mainly spoken among residents, but one will often hear traces of Creole, African and other language dialects in the colorful words and rhythmic accents of those who reside there. And when it comes to rhythm its hard to mention the islands without mentioning the lively calypso sounds that have entertained countless music lovers throughout the western world. Hearing them, the child one day becomes a woman who is told she naturally walks to a calypso beat. As far back as 1498, explorer Christopher Columbus named Trinidad in honor of the Holy Trinity, and it remains a place where worshipers, many of whom are Catholic, give praise and thanks to the Creator. With more than one million people on both islands, the majority of inhabitants live in Trinidad, while about four percent of the population calls Tobago home. Trinidads major event is the Carnival, a week-long festival of live music, costumes and parades through the street. The event attracts people from throughout the world. In fact, both islands are visited by travelers from around the globe, who enjoy pleasant weather, beaches more beautiful than postcards, tropical trees and delicious home-grown fruits. With generations of people tracing roots to the area, Trinidad and Tobago have become not only a visitors destination, but a cradle to which great scholars, entertainers and athletes in America and elsewhere often return. This cradle in the Caribbean has given birth to the Gittens family. It has provided the earliest sights, sounds and sensibilities that influenced that special little child born into the family, a daughter who will become known as Black Pearl.
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 146911349X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 105
Book Description
A child is born in the West Indies. She is sweet, inquisitive, bright, sensitive and caring all qualities that she will maintain for many, many years to come. The sister islands of Trinidad and Tobago are among her earliest homes. She lives and learns in the most beautiful and popular areas of all the Caribbean, where rich legacies and history precede her: Once ruled by both Spain and Britain, today Trinidad and Tobago are governed by their own proud people, whove kept the traditions and culture of their ancestors since long before the islands found independence in 1962. Located just off the coast of South America, these small territories have developed an identity throughout the years that is completely their own. Dr. Eric Williams, the legendary Caribbean scholar, became the first prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, which is one of the most diversely populated ethnic regions in the world. People of African, Native West Indian, Asian, and European descent live, love and mingle together on these lovely islands in the sunshine. English is mainly spoken among residents, but one will often hear traces of Creole, African and other language dialects in the colorful words and rhythmic accents of those who reside there. And when it comes to rhythm its hard to mention the islands without mentioning the lively calypso sounds that have entertained countless music lovers throughout the western world. Hearing them, the child one day becomes a woman who is told she naturally walks to a calypso beat. As far back as 1498, explorer Christopher Columbus named Trinidad in honor of the Holy Trinity, and it remains a place where worshipers, many of whom are Catholic, give praise and thanks to the Creator. With more than one million people on both islands, the majority of inhabitants live in Trinidad, while about four percent of the population calls Tobago home. Trinidads major event is the Carnival, a week-long festival of live music, costumes and parades through the street. The event attracts people from throughout the world. In fact, both islands are visited by travelers from around the globe, who enjoy pleasant weather, beaches more beautiful than postcards, tropical trees and delicious home-grown fruits. With generations of people tracing roots to the area, Trinidad and Tobago have become not only a visitors destination, but a cradle to which great scholars, entertainers and athletes in America and elsewhere often return. This cradle in the Caribbean has given birth to the Gittens family. It has provided the earliest sights, sounds and sensibilities that influenced that special little child born into the family, a daughter who will become known as Black Pearl.