Paradise Once

Paradise Onceis a sweeping historical novel that brings to life the resiliency of the indigenous Taino people of the Caribbean, whose culture was virtually destroyed within two generations of their "discovery" by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

In 1513 in Cuba, an entire village is wiped out by Spanish forces for no discernible reason. Had the villagers offended their spiritual guides-the cemies-as one faction claimed, by incorporating foreign practices?

Four youthful survivors escape the massacre-three indigenous and one African runaway. They start off on separate perilous paths, not knowing they have been chosen by the cemies to carry out a sacred mission-to ensure the survival of a Sacred Bundle that will enable a Taino revival in future generations. But first, an epic spiritual battle must be played out.

In this love song to the Caribbean, Olive Senior authentically evokes the physical and spiritual worlds of its First Peoples and the survivors-indigenous and African-who will become the resistance fighters known in history as Cimarrones or Maroons.