First published 2022
John Arnold opens his life story with memories of growing up in Tobago, then moves through his years shaping young minds at Signal Hill Secondary School. He recalls launching a children's talent television program that became a cultural touchstone for an entire generation. As musical director of the Signal Hill Alumni Choir, Arnold pushed Caribbean choral music into new territory, setting performance standards that others would follow. He takes readers behind the scenes of Tobago's major cultural festivals, from the chaotic failure of Ringbang to the celebrated successes of Blue Food and Tobago Jazz. Arnold speaks candidly about his work as an educator, event planner, and community leader, roles that earned him the Hummingbird Medal Gold. He also confronts his diagnosis and treatment for prostate cancer with the same directness he brings to describing his professional triumphs and setbacks. Told to journalist Lisa Allen-Agostini, this memoir captures the voice of a man whose life became inseparable from Tobago's cultural identity.
Genres: autobiography, biography-memoir, 21st-century, cultural-studies
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: memoir, non-fiction
Setting: Tobago
Period: 21st-century
124 pages · Kindle Edition · Nibbles & Nooks