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. 

"Words need love too." 1
"We create ourselves by words. Before we are business people or lawyers or engineers or teachers, we are human beings. Our growth as human beings depends on our capacity to understand and to use language. Writing is a way of growing. No one would argue that being able to write will make you morally better. But it will make you more complex and more interesting-in a word, more human."? 2
"Since written discourse is central to a University Education, the responsibility for the quality of student writing is university-wide." 3 

The idea of using literature in the English language classroom is certainly not a novel one. Indeed, as early as the nineteenth century, English literature was taught in Europe mainly for the purpose of teaching English language skills, by placing emphasis on the ways in which writers expressed their ideas and articulated their thoughts (Milner and Milner 2003). This was because the teaching of literature, which was mainly done in Greek and Latin, focused on grammar analyses, rhetoric and, to a lesser extent, philosophy (Rosenblatt 1991).

This book’s strength lies in part in the fact that two genres are studied from different geographical areas and in three different linguistic forms — English, Spanish, and Portuguese. The structural design of being divided into four solid chapters which work together to present a comprehensive study of the theme is also a very useful one. This book is a good study of the representation of African diasporic religions in the creative works of several woman writers.