From Publishers Weekly
Powerful historical and social forces come together in Lib‚ration journalist Lee's extraordinarily useful book, which appeared in 1999 to acclaim. Jamaican prophet Leonard Howell's revelations in the 1920s about the symbolic portent for the African diaspora of Ras Tafari's crowning as Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia led to the birth of one of the 20th century's most enduring and influential religious awakenings. The colonial forces that ruthlessly suppressed Howell and Rastafarianism in his lifetime have also hidden much of his biography, which Lee has reconstructed through impeccable research and dogged sleuthing. Partly a record of its author's journey in search of those who knew and followed Howell, The First Rasta moves with a truth seeker's determination through the slums of Trenchtown and Jamaica's back country, revealing a dauntingly complex landscape and history in which oral history is often more reliable than the written record. Between his part in the intellectual ferment of the Harlem of Langston Hughes and Marcus Garvey, and the destruction of his religious compound in the late '50s, Howell endured lengthy stays in both prisons and mental hospitals, but emerges in these pages as confident and vindicated. Lee's passionate biography, which includes 11 b&w photos, should draw in not only for students of religion, reggae or Jamaican history but has something to offer to anyone interested in the people and ideas that continue to shape the postcolonial world.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Lee, a French journalist, draws on extensive knowledge about the Rastafarian movement made famous by Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley. Considerably less famous is Leonard Howell, the man who developed the movement, cobbling together African culture, divine adoration of Ethiopian ruler Haile Selassie, and the aspirations of African diaspora of the Americas. Lee visited the remains of the Pinnacle, the Rasta compound maintained by Howell in Jamaica in the 1940s with more than 4,000 members and an independent agricultural enterprise that produced and exported marijuana. She recaptures the history of the religion and culture, spawned from the grinding poverty and a people hungry for a god and a place of their own. Howell lived for a while in New York, crossed paths with Marcus Garvey, and eventually returned to the turbulent Jamaican political and economic environment that influenced the spread of Rastafarianism with its trademark dreadlocks, ganja, and reggae. Readers interested in Jamaican culture and the Rasta movement will appreciate this insightful look at one of the most influential mystical movements of the twentieth century. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Going far beyond the standard imagery of Rasta--ganja, reggae, and dreadlocks--this cultural history offers an uncensored vision of a movement with complex roots and the exceptional journey of a man who taught an enslaved people how to be proud and impose their culture on the world. In the 1920s Leonard Percival Howell and the First Rastas had a revelation concerning the divinity of Haile Selassie, king of Ethiopia, that established the vision for the most popular mystical movement of the 20th century, Rastafarianism. Although jailed, ridiculed, and treated as insane, Howell, also known as the Gong, established a Rasta community of 4,500 members, the first agro-industrial enterprise devoted to producing marijuana. In the late 1950s the community was dispersed, disseminating Rasta teachings throughout the ghettos of the island. A young singer named Bob Marley adopted Howell's message, and through Marley's visions, reggae made its explosion in the music world.

SYNOPSIS

Parisian music journalist Hélène Lee recounts the story of the founder of one of the most powerful spiritual movements of the 20th century. She traces Howell's story within her own search for information in the ghettos and mountains of Jamaica, including interesting observations on the music and its most important proponents. Distributed by Independent Publishers Group. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Powerful historical and social forces come together in Lib ration journalist Lee's extraordinarily useful book, which appeared in 1999 to acclaim. Jamaican prophet Leonard Howell's revelations in the 1920s about the symbolic portent for the African diaspora of Ras Tafari's crowning as Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia led to the birth of one of the 20th century's most enduring and influential religious awakenings. The colonial forces that ruthlessly suppressed Howell and Rastafarianism in his lifetime have also hidden much of his biography, which Lee has reconstructed through impeccable research and dogged sleuthing. Partly a record of its author's journey in search of those who knew and followed Howell, The First Rasta moves with a truth seeker's determination through the slums of Trenchtown and Jamaica's back country, revealing a dauntingly complex landscape and history in which oral history is often more reliable than the written record. Between his part in the intellectual ferment of the Harlem of Langston Hughes and Marcus Garvey, and the destruction of his religious compound in the late '50s, Howell endured lengthy stays in both prisons and mental hospitals, but emerges in these pages as confident and vindicated. Lee's passionate biography, which includes 11 b&w photos, should draw in not only for students of religion, reggae or Jamaican history but has something to offer to anyone interested in the people and ideas that continue to shape the postcolonial world. (July 15) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

International music journalist Lee weaves the story of Leonard Percival Howell, the forgotten prophet, leader, and founder of the Rastafarian movement, with a history of Jamaica over the last 100 years. First published in French in 1999 and now translated, corrected, and updated, this book is partially based on the oral history Lee sought out from Rastafarian elders in rural and urban Jamaica. Howell saw the return of the King of Kings in the Ethiopian King Ras Tafari and began preaching his beliefs. Although Howell, also known as Gong, was ridiculed and jailed (where he discovered ganja and Hinduism), he was able to establish a Rasta community of more than 4500 members, whose marijuana crops assisted the impoverished. During the 1950s, the crops were seized, and the community dispersed, but Rasta teachings spread through the island's ghettos. Many musicians, including Oswald William (Count Ossie) and Bob Marley, embraced Rasta teachings, and the author provides the basics for understanding the roots of the music and its meaning to the Rasta movement. While there is no comparable biography of Howell, Chanting Down Babylon: The Rasta Reader offers a good overview of the movement, while Kebra Nagast, the holy book of Rastafarians and Ethiopian Christians, provides information on the Rastafarian faith. This engaging account is recommended for popular religious collections.-L. Kriz, West Des Moines P.L., IA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Booklist

Insightful look at one of the most influential mystical movements of the twentieth century.

Dirty Linen

Absolutely fascinating . . . a compelling must read for anyone who even pretends to be a reggae or ska fan.

All About Jazz