Caribbean Chemistry (edition 2010)

A fascinating memoir of growing up in a loving family on a peaceful, beautiful, but ultimately suffocating island. Vanier clearly loved his homeland but in the end he saw the wisdom in getting away. This book covers his life up to age 19, at which time he set off for Cambridge University. You learn about mountain climbing in St. Kitts, the perils of owning a pet monkey, the cold atmosphere of Anglo-Caribbean boarding schools, the fierce competition for scholarships, and the deep limitations that (back then at least) were part and parcel with colonial life. Vanier's book (which, at around 400 pages of tiny print, may be a bit longer than necessary) is ultimately a love letter to St. Kitts, but you understand why he made the decision to leave. ( )