Humor to Jamaicans is like the sun; it covers the whole island. Audiences always welcome a good joke. Like the spicy peppers to Jerk Pork, so is humor to every conversation or speech. The politicians to the clergymen and those in between know that. The bar is the epicenter of Jamaican jokes. This is a place of absolute equality where every stratum comfortably interacts. This is made easier by the fact that White Rum and its allies have the capacity, when consumed or even inhaled by some, to make the shy, brazen, the silly wise and the dumb, orators. Like liquor products, there are Jamaican jokes 'light, ' and the majority unadulterated.

My collection straddles both disciplines as I need to cover the whole spectrum. I intermingle the Jamaican language (Patois) with English in ways that are understandable and apply euphemism and subtleties that Jamaicans and associates can decipher. The bracketed letters are open to interpretation. 'Mi noh cuss noh bad wud' (I have not used profanity). Challenge any version of my jokes and I dare you to give yours and the source. If it was the bar, extract the spirit and your watered-down version will be all that's left.

After numerous near hits, Jamaicans had become desensitized to hurricanes and as Gilbert approached, the author was not alone in that sea of denial. Unlike other hurricanes, Gilbert signaled its intent from its inception, and it did not alter course, but strengthened dramatically, as it headed straight for Jamaica. The book describes the chaotic rush for supplies, the suspension of normal daily activities, media coverage, the desertion of cities and favorite hangouts, and more wrenching; a supernatural encounter that served to confirm the worst. It depicts split-second scenes of environmental transformation and thrill, even in disaster. There was that intermittent hope of survival that had to be altered as often as the house absorbed successive, vicious jolts. There were the sounds that could not be analyzed, but some of which were even hauntingly melodious. Never to be forgotten were those feelings of loneliness and isolation, the looks of fear and the signs of sinners praying, presumably from the heart. Gratitude for survival could not outweigh the feelings of anger and dejection at the monumental loss.