About the Book
A story of poverty, injustice and revenge in Jamaica, SOMETIMES THERE’S A WINNER tells the story of a poor black gardener, Byron Reid, and his sister Nadia, who work for a wealthy white Lebanese-Jamaican family in Kingston. Byron Reid surpasses his work ambitions and achieves success in a variety of jobs with Abraham Faroud, and is driven to bankruptcy by his employer’s son Fabian who exploits Nadia’s innocence and vulnerability when she worked as a servant in the Faroud home. Byron uses incriminating information about his employer which he has secretly collected as the basis for demands for himself and his sister. SOMETIMES THERE’S A WINNER tells of the plight and frustrations of the poor in class-conscious Jamaica.
Reviews
GREAT book! So authentic… I believe there is no other language so descriptive as Jamaican patois. I really liked the style of writing (easy to read) and I loved the story and the ending. I was born and raised in Jamaica and the story, though fictional, runs very true. I remember being disturbed at times about the inequalities I observed when I was growing up, although I later realized prejudice here was worse, though more color than class like it was in Jamaica. I look forward to reading your next book. – Beverly Parker, Poquoson,Virginia
“An entertaining, intriguing, exciting and a nostalgic account of Jamaica of yesteryear.” – Oliver H. Jobson, author of “Expanding The Boundaries Of Self Beyond The Limit Of Traditional Thought”.
“Lucid and taunting presentation of the complex interpersonal behavior associated with the evolution of cultural changes many years ago in Jamaica”– Frank Verley PhD, Professor Emeritus, Northern Michigan University
“As a Canadian who lived and taught at a high school in Jamaica in the 1970s, I found “Sometimes There’s a Winner” to be a stroll down memory lane. It was fun to revisit the people, culture and places.The story itself is timeless. It reads like a fable but it’s the interaction between different classes, which I saw first hand, that makes it compelling. The use of patois was unavoidable as it is part of class distinction in Jamaica. Paul Foreman uses a light touch to convey the colorful language of the common folk and it adds authenticity to the tale. This book should appeal to not only to Jamaicans and those who have visited Jamaica but to anyone who enjoys a good yarn.” Allan Lane, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
“I enjoyed reading “Sometimes There’s A Winner” immensely. The writing style is compelling, and the short chapters make the book an easy and pleasurable read. As a Jamaican who has been away from home for a while, the book brought back fond memories of our beautiful country with its colourful language. The use of patois lent authenticity to the story.” ~ Karol Smith, Atlanta, Georgia
About the Author
Paul Foreman was born in Jamaica, and graduated from St. George’s College in Kingston. He received his BS, MS and PhD degrees in the biological sciences from the University of Illinois. After completing his studies, Paul served on the faculty of Life Sciences at Eastern Illinois University for five years, following which he worked in private industry for thirty years.
Paul was a member of the St. George’s College Manning Cup and Oliver Shield championship soccer team in 1956. As a sixth former, Paul won the high jump and long jump at Jamaica’s Inter-Secondary schools athletics championships (“Champs”) in 1957, and set a Jamaican schoolboy record in the high jump that year. He broke the Jamaican record in the long jump formerly held by Arthur Wint in 1957, and in 1958 he won the gold medal for Jamaica in the long jump at the British Empire & Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales. In 1960, Paul represented the West Indies at the Olympic Games in Rome where he finished 12th in the long jump event. He was the silver medalist in the long jump at the West African Games in Lagos, Nigeria in 1960. Paul was the captain of the University of Illinois Track & Field team in 1960, and was a three-time gold medalist in the long jump at the Big Ten Universities Athletic Conference championships.
Paul has been a keen observer of the social conditions in Jamaica for much of his life, and his interest in the lifestyles of the rich and poor in Jamaica and other Caribbean islands prompted him to write “Sometimes There’s A Winner”, a fictional family saga inspired by some events which occurred in Jamaica in the 1990s.
Paul holds both Jamaican and US citizenship, and lives with his wife in Louisville, Kentucky.
Where to buy the book:
Buy Sometimes There’s A Winner at Amazon.com
