Hélène LeeThe First Rasta: Leonard Howell and the Rise of Rastafarianism

I love finding out more info about Mr. Howell , all the story's an legends about him I learned some of which I read in the book

Great read! Love it a lot of detail and information that I’ve never know before. Recommend this book for all those looking for insight on what RasTafari is.

I found this book to be very informative and detailed. It was also easy to r w ad and understand. Overall a very nice book.

THIS BOOK IS NOT ABOUT BOB MARLEY BUT ABOUT MY DEAR UNCLE--LEONARD PERCIVAL HOWELL-- THE FIRST RASTA AND THE FOUNDING FATHER OF RASTAFARI.THE FRENCH WRITER--HELENE LEE IS A PERSONAL FRIEND OF MINE AND OF THE HOWELL FAMILY. THE BOOK IS WELL WRITTEN AND VERY FACTUAL. EVERY RASTAFARIAN, FOLLOWER, BELIEVER AND ESPECIALLY THE HOWELL'S SHOULD READ THIS BOOK AND VISIT PINNACLE IN JAMAICA W. I.

Good read on Rasta Hero . info hard to find!

I expected more from someone with Helen Lee's experience in Journalism. The book gives little actual information, and focuses instead on rambling conjecture. Though I respect the intent and agree with many of the sentiments, the structure of the book is poor and unfocused. I would recommend this book only as the most basic of introductions to rastafarianism; for anyone who knows even a little, I would suggest you look elsewhere to enhance your knowledge base.

Very good book, I learn a lot things I didn't know from this book.

The first Rasta! The subject promises readers a thrilling ride, and Lee does not disappoint. Other major figures associated with Rastafari (Haile Selassie, Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley) are well-known and documented, but Lee had to dig deep into Jamaican communities and memories for a full biography. Frequent personal anecdotes are quite relevant to research founded on oral history and the trust of informants. Lee describes Howell's path to Rastafarianism, along with plenty of Jamaican social and political history. Interestingly, Howell spent many years as a Hindu, and many more womanizing, both signaling his marked charisma. Perhaps not all details are reliable (e.g. England captured Jamaica in 1655, not 1665), but the overall patterns are clear. Rastafari responds to Afro-Jamaicans' sense of oppression and marginalization, founded in slavery and sustained through emancipation and independence. This is apparent in mainstream disapproval and longstanding conflicts with authorities, not least because marijuana use is a key sacrament. Despite parallels with other religions of the oppressed (cf. V. Lanternari, The Religions of the Oppressed on this subject), Rastafari earns a higher profile and wider appeal -- not always from the devout, but often among hedonist lovers of ganja and reggae. All the more reason to recommend this lively book.

true, this is an excellent book, ambitiously and crucially putting bones on the legend of leonard howell, one of the first to champion ras tafari and founder of the pinnacle community. a figure from the periphery of my interest and knowledge, given flesh, meticulously researched and entertainingly written about. this is a great piece of work, as it brings together all aspects of the man before the information became, as they say, lost in legend. even at the time of writing, though, some avenues of research are ended abruptly by lost or destroyed records, causing a little conjecture as to actual happenings, and it would appear some elements of a darker nature were in progress. i did find this a little frustrating, as i find it strange that the man who was as a counselor/leader of the rasta community, also kept an office in kingston, and wore a three piece suit to carry out business there. we are not aware, though, completely of what he dealt with therein, and in not knowing are perhaps left to assume some of his dealings were contrary to the movement's aims and goals. this of course adds deeper mystery to an already, almost mythical, individual.considering that the author had no access to howell's papers and books (lost and likely destroyed), and had limited, but valuable, assistance from his sons, this is a bit of a triumph of research. and to have left me hanging in suspense over several issues, is entirely no fault of her's, as i am sure that every piece of evidence, to be found in this book, is included within. an excellent piece of work.

I had always wondered when and how rastafarianism had originated but it seemed impossible to find any serious accounts until I found this excellent book. Apart from a couple of minor typos (it's Millie Small not Minnie Small and World War 1 did not start in 1915) it is very well written and a real page turner. There are plenty of interesting snippets on how dreadlocks originated and the reggae connection - this is a book I will be rereading I'm sure.

This is a beautiful book that shines light onto a shadow of crucially important jamaican and religious history. not only is it meticulously researched and fierily intelligent, it is stupendously well written (and this is reading it in translation). I came away from reading it thinking that Helene Lee is a bit of a genius. The future of the rastafari religion is assured: it will join the great world religions as an equal, but its past has yet to be written, and this book is as important as The Act of The Apostles is to Christianity, though it's a much better informed work. Hail to Helene Lee.

Learnt so much about the history of both jamaica, ethiopia and the rastafarian movement. Just phenomenal. Leonard Howell, a true legend

this book is well written and researched. it takes you through every stage and the people involved you feel like you know. I found it hard to put the book down. It gave you a great insight to the harshness of our ancestors.....to the point I was embarrassed to be white.