From the Inside Looking Out is unlike any children's book you've read. This collection of short stories inspired by the author's own childhood growing up in rural Barbados in the 1930s is as educational as it is entertaining, promoting cultural awareness of the African diaspora through games, meals, and everyday practices.
The stories follow young Porgy as he navigates his paternal grandmother's prejudice toward his peasant mother and learns to creatively overcome the obstacles to his personal goals. The winsome boy soon becomes a town favorite, proving himself to be clever, imaginative, and kind-and his adventures are sure to encourage similar qualities in all who read his tales.
From stories illustrating the effects of colonialism to more typical coming-of-age experiences such as learning to read and getting a dog, this playful and inspirational book is great for both classroom and home. Porgy's life doesn't only teach kids about another time and culture; his experiences will also spark their creative thinking and motivate them to chase their own dreams.
About the Author: Irvine D. Weekes was born in a tiny Barbados village in the hills of St. Andrew, a place where a hundred years could pass without much change. He went on to pursue his higher education in Canada and the United States, earning a BA in economics from the University of Alberta, an MBA in finance from the University of British Columbia, and an MHA from Clayton State University. He has traveled extensively in the Caribbean, Europe, Canada, and the United States, and has held a wide variety of jobs, including working as a civil service clerk, police officer, research economist, bond portfolio manager, bank manager, business executive, and livestock farmer.
An Episcopalian and a Rotarian, Weekes lives with his wife of fifty years in Atlanta, Georgia, near their three children and three grandchildren.
