Under the supervision of the author's widow and with the collaboration of a Marley expert, this fourth edition contains a wealth of new material on the Jamaican singer, songwriter and musician , including many revisions made by the author before his untimely death. An appendix to the new edition chronicles Marley's legacy in recent years, as well as the ongoing controversy over the possibility that Marley's remains might be exhumed from Nine Mile, Jamaica, and reburied in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where hundreds of Rastafarians live. The new edition also contains an expanded discography and is factually updated throughout. Jamaica at the time was also a bit homophobic as a whole, and in this novel there are a few homosexual male sex scenes, as well as denial of the main gay character about his feelings, which makes the story way more vivid. This book weaves an extraordinary fabric of Marley's life as a boy born of a white man who had the decency to marryh is mother, but then disappeared for most of Bob's life. It then follows him through the emergence of his music, the struggle to have his music heard beyond local audiences, the mess that became the production of his albums, including everyone who was taking advantage of him. The underbelly of the music business in Jamaica paralleled the underbelly of the island's politics, a combination that was full of deceit and violence, often felt directly by Marley, his family, band, and hangers on. The fact that Marley was able to emerge to become a global musical figure, to attain significant financial success, and to survive the challenges of the industry was a monumental accomplishment. I began by listening to the HighBridge audio production of this novel, performed with enormous skill by an exceptional actor ensemble, but soon found I wanted to see the text. James had me in such awe of what he was doing that I wanted to see the overall structure, introduction, dedication, every little thing. It is a game-changing piece of work. It won’t change most novelists work—James is in the master class—he changes how novels function.

The group became quite popular in Jamaica, but they had difficulty making it financially. Braithewaite, Kelso and Smith left the group. The remaining members drifted apart for a time. Marley went to the United States where his mother was now living. However, before he left, he married Rita Anderson on February 10, 1966. the challenging part - for me - was getting situated. at first, the chapters just come at you hard, without context of who these characters are in relation to each other. there is a very handy "cast of characters" section in the beginning but even then, i was lost for quite some time before i managed to understand the connective threads. and you might not have this problem - when i started this i was still on my delicious post-op percocet, so i admit there was some blurriness and some dulling to my cognitive capabilities. but the first chapter is narrated by a ghost for goodness' sake, and then goes right into the voice of a fourteen year old jamaican boy witnessing extreme violence and mentioning characters named, among others, "shotta sherrif," "josey wales," and "doctor love," before the next chapter swerves you into the story of a middle-aged white american man in a fast food restaurant in jamaica and by now your head is spinning with "what have i gotten myself into???" Arriving in Kingston in the late 1950s, Marley lived in Trench Town, one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. He struggled in poverty, but he found inspiration in the music around him. Trench Town had a number of successful local performers and was considered the Motown of Jamaica. Sounds from the United States also drifted in over the radio and through jukeboxes. Marley liked such artists as Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino and the Drifters.Decades after his passing, Marley's music remains widely acclaimed. His musical legacy has also continued through his family and longtime bandmates; Rita continues to perform with the I-Threes, the Wailers and some of the Marley children. (Marley reportedly fathered nine children, though reports vary.) Marley's sons, David "Ziggy" and Stephen, and daughters Cedella and Sharon (Rita's daughter from a previous relationship who was adopted by Marley) played for years as Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers, later performing as the Melody Makers. (Ziggy and Stephen have also had solo successes.) Sons Damian "Gong Jr." Ky-Mani and Julian are also talented recording artists. Other Marley children are involved in family-related businesses, including the Tuff Gong record label, founded by Marley in the mid-1960s.

But I found it extremely rewarding and the truth is, I would like to read it again someday (maybe when I retire). It is that rare combination of an interesting tale, based on fact, that actually teaches you something. Aside from the locales, there is of course the setting of gang wars. Here I must warn the faint of heart: this book is not for you. This book gets extremely violent at times. Rape and murder are described in sometimes excruciating detail. Not just the violence gets this very detailistic treatment. There is a lot of sweet man-on-man lovin' in the fourth chapter that has forever changed my views on flowers blossoming in spring. Marlon James actually warns his mother not to read that fourth chapter. It is extemely explicit.

Photographs by Kate Simon

I've finally made it through my re-read! This was my first Marlon James book I read when I got an advance copy before it's release. I was a bit lukewarm on it but after it became a big award winner and I later fell in love with his writing in his other books, I decided to try this one again. Unfortunately, I had a similar experience. The book is just a little too tedious and not as compelling as his other novels. I did really appreciate the Josey Wales, Weeper, Alex, and Eubie characters much more this time, so I wanted to give it an extra star. But once the narrative moves to New York City, once again my interest plummeted and reading became a chore. It's just not as interesting as the Jamaican-set part of the book. And the "Nina Burgess" character and the constant reinvention of herself is still the most fascinating part of the novel. The young Jamaican woman goes by the name of Nina Burgess--her real name---here---but changes her name--several times--later in the book. But that only becomes clear as one reads on, as we aren't directly told about her name changes; the reader has to figure it out

It's a really fascinating story, well-researched and well-conceived by brave up-and-coming Jamaican author Marlon James. It's actually one of the most interesting stories I've read in a long time, told over a span of decades, and combining politics, gang violence, drug wars, journalism, and the CIA. The characters are interesting and detailed, the star of the show being Nina Burgess, who starts in the story as a lost young woman who once had a one-night stand with the singer and at the beginning is now lingering outside of his Jamaican mansion hoping to confront him about her unborn baby and possibly get some child support. But by the end of the book she will have evolved numerous times in a grand character arc. The conflict, centered upon the animosity between the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) provides a glimpse of a Jamaica that tourists don’t see…along with CIA paranoia about the advent of communism (and other “isms”). One of his finest character creations is Nina – who had a one-night stand with the Singer – and who consistently reinvents herself four times in the novel, displaying the impossibility of fully escaping the violence of the past. They were sitting in a tree one day, and Bob started to talk about Christ. He said that Christ’s mission began at age thirty-three. “Me gwan die at t’irty-six,” he said quietly, “jus’ like Christ.” “Stop it, Bob!” said Dion, who had been his first buddy in Wilmington when he arrived from Kingston in 1966. “What are you talkin’ about? You got a good career, you makin’ good money. Why you want to die that young?” This was a book for which the full cast audio definitely leant color to the experience and brought it to life. The cast was, for the most part, terrific, except for Chapter Ten in the last section, "Sound Boy Killing", in which Josey Wales' Jamaican accent didn't sound right. I mean, you’ve just got to see where it goes from there! If I could make a cross-media comparison: this is the Jamaican-literary version of The Wire.

Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical

This book is probably not for you. I know that seems an odd way to begin a book review, especially a book that you’ve given 4 stars. But allow me to explain. And now, in Zimbabwe, all his illusions were ebbing away. His ulcerated, nailless right toe ached horribly. He had repeatedly told the press that the bandages he wore concealed a soccer injury, but the throbbing pain was a constant reminder of what doctors had been telling him over the past two years: have the toe amputated or make his peace with life; if he wouldn’t undergo radical treatment for this cancer, he would fly away home to his heavenly reward in Zion a lot sooner than he had planned. Although a Jamaican character makes fun of a white character who says something similar, I've got to say that the language the Jamaicans use--even when they "chat bad" or speak crudely, is pure poetry. It's not just the lilting Jamaican accent, but also their distinctive use of words that makes it so. Book now for a “a tribute so infectious it defies an audience not to sing and sway along” (The Guardian) and move yourself to the rhythms of 'Exodus', 'No Woman No Cry', 'Waiting in Vain', 'Three Little Birds', ‘I Shot the Sheriff’, 'Could You Be Loved', 'Redemption Song' and other classics, “music that still feels of and for our times.” (The i).