Double Passage: The Lives of Caribbean Migrants Abroad and Back Home

Based mainly on oral histories of 13 Barbadians who migrated to Britain and North America, this book argues cogently that the experiences of these migrants and the forces influencing them are more diverse than most studies assume. Gmelch ( The Irish Tinkers: Urbanization of an Itinerant People ) writes smoothly, first explaining the history and culture of Barbados, then analyzing patterns of West Indian migration. Clearly a sensitive interviewer, Gmelch has elicited insightful stories: one migrant to England found Africans more prejudiced than whites; another returned with a newfound sense of her black identity, and a student in Canada made a lifelong friend of a classmate. Particularly interesting are the thoughts of leading Barbadian journalist John Wickham, who returned to decry his country's ``rampant nationalism,'' and of calypso musician The Mighty Gabby, who gained his political education in Manhattan's garment district and returned home a protest singer. Gmelch concludes by exploring trends in his subjects' experiences; unlike most social scientists, he concludes that return migrants do contribute new ideas to their home society. Photos not seen by PW. (Jan.)