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Godfrey Smith’s first book, the biography, “George Price, A Life Revealedâ€￾ was a runaway success, emerging as the definitive work on the man known as “the Father of The Nation.â€￾

And in his new book, Smith tells the story of another great Caribbean leader, Michael Manley. This Biography – the first authorized by the Manley family tackles the life of the charismatic Jamaican Prime Minister, who, in the 70’s emerged as one of the true icons of this regions, second only to Field Castro. 

The book was launched yesterday at the Image Factory in Belize City, and we got to hear about what we can expect to read in the book from Jamaican, Chief Magistrate Anne Marie Smith and the author, Godfrey Smith:

Godfrey Smith - Author, Michael Manley: The Biography
"I consider Michael Manley to be the most gifted, charismatic, articulate, elegant, brilliant, statesman and politician the Caribbean has known and whose likeness shall never be seen again. Why is that important? Because we’re surrounded by politics everyday whether you’re involved with a party or not. And I think it’s good to have somebody to measure against."

Anne Marie Smith- Chief Magistrate
"The book takes us from the marriage and courtship of Edna and Norman, to the birth of their two sons. Their idealist childhood at Drumblair, to his days at a Canadian fighter pilot, to wandering somewhat aimlessly around London. His school days at Jamaica College underscored his membership of the political elite of Jamaica, where he asserted himself early as competitive, somewhat rebellious and strong willed. He would have been expelled from JC if his influential father had not intervened. We are introduced to his potent appetite for beautiful women, as well as the scheming of his parents in taking away their first grandchild Rachel."

Smith also told us a little about the inspiration behind the book, and just how much he had to do to get his hands on that crucial, and controversial information.

Godfrey Smith - Author, Michael Manley: The Biography"
The research involved interviews with Manley family members, children, wives, colleagues, Ministers, politicians; in a number of countries from Cuba to Jamaica to Barbados to Trinidad to Canada to The United Kingdom. It involves newspaper work, looking up newspapers in the archives. It involves subscribing to websites that provides you with newspapers from all over the world who might have carried reports and stories about Michael Manley. Magazines, YouTube documentaries, everything because I hadn’t met the man, I had to immerse myself in hours and hours of anything that was available video wise so I could study him, how he sounded how he talked how he walked, what were his mannerisms, inflections etc. So those are some of the sources of research."

Alex Courtenay
"So going off a previous question, you mentioned that your daughter was very indifferent about the subject of Michael Manley. So why should people in the 21st century, especially younger people, who are in their early 20s and college age, why should they care?"

Godfrey Smith - Author, Michael Manley: The Biography
"I think the best answer I could possibly give is that even though you may not be involved in party politics, politics goes on around you every day. And you have a view about party leaders. Young people in the US gravitated towards Bernie Sanders because they thought he really represented reform and change. And similarly in the UK to Jeremy Corbin, the leader of the Labour Party, and my point is that Manley, all those things that they preached, the platform that they stand on, is what Manley stood on. So in a sense, he was ahead of his time. And what young Belizeans might learn is that, look I the Caribbean, even though we’re small and poor, there once was a time when we had great leadership that was represented all over the world, because the man really was respected all over the world; from Europe, to Asia to Africa to Australia."

The book will also launch in Manley’s home country of Jamaica, as well as in Canada, where his daughter Rachel currently resides.