The book, Blooming with the Pouis: Critical Thinking, Reading and Writing across the Curriculum, is a compilation of different articles spanning a wide range of subject areas which are arranged by co-authors Paulette A. Ramsay (a Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor in the Faculty of Humanities and Education at The University of the West Indies, Mona), Vivienne A. Harding and Ingrid A. McLaren (Lecturers in the Department of Language, Linguistics and Philosophy at The University of the West Indies, Mona) and Janice A.

“One should never judge a book by its cover,” is an adage that I believe is appropriate for this book, Six Jamaican Educators, written by the illustrious author and renowned qualitative researcher, Professor Hyacinth Evans formerly of the Institute of Education, the University of the West Indies, Mona.

Despite the fact that mathematics is compulsory at the secondary level in Jamaica and is required for entry into tertiary institutions and certain jobs, many of our students are overwhelmed by their perception of the impenetrability of the complex world of mathematics. Furthermore, the fundamental value of learning mathematics as a means of developing the higher order skills of reasoning and critical thinking escapes many. 

The World is a High Hill: Stories about Jamaican Women, penned by the reputable author Erna Brodber (a Jamaican sociologist, novelist and former lecturer of the University of the West Indies' Mona Campus and other universities overseas), is an intriguing collection of fictional short stories depicting the multiple lifestyles of twelve distinct females straddling the social and economic gamut of Jamaican society. These women grapple with the gender, racial and social barriers that they encounter in their quest for survival, upward mobility, and success.