The Ackee Trees

"The Ackee Trees" is a poignant account of a young girl's struggle to overcome the emotional debilitation of a physically abusive upbringing. The opening of the story is set in a third world nation, on a tumultuous island paradise, where little regard is given to human rights, particularly those of women and children. The protagonist is the fifth child in a family that is dominated by a stern military father, and sons who easily adopt his despotic ways. Apart from the author's personal revelations, she tells of the intricate network of influential people and beguiling events in her life. As the story unfolds, one cannot help but be swept by the tide of sex and violence that so blatantly infects the family; a family that after some time is devoid of a maternal presence.

The young protagonist and her siblings eventually immigrate to America to join the parents who in due course, preceded them there. It is then that she realizes the gross anomaly of her childhood, all of which becomes an unspoken subject. She also recognizes a difference in herself that goes beyond the morals she acquires, despite her many challenges. She encounters a new struggle as she confronts a sexual identity that is taboo by most standards, and copes with the rejection it effects. The story provokes a gamut of emotions; you'll laugh, cry, and be titillated by the events. But undoubtedly, you will not come away unmoved!