To Shoot Hard Labour: The Life and Times of Samuel Smith, an Antiguan Workingman 1877-1982 Paperback – November 30, 2015

Mr. Smith's recollections opened a window on the inhumanities suffered by the blacks at the hands of the white land owners not only during but after slavery. Very upsetting.

Accounts such as this one should be part of the history curriculum starting in Grade 5. Other accounts of similar genre that may be out there somewhere should then be included in all subsequent years.Essential.

A moving shocking book. Everybody should read it to understand what happened in the last two centuries in the backyard of world history.

Excellent book, A must read for all Caribbean people.

The overall content of this book is great: it provides historical context and a perspective that is rarely documented. However, I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on the poor printing quality I experienced in the latter part of the book. The ink on several pages were faded; words along the left margin was cut-off. Again, this does not speak to the content, but I can't read what I can't see. Shame on the publisher for allowing such a product to make it through quality control. For an expensive, brand-new book, this is unacceptable.

What a rich read, nicely written with well assisted footnotes. I was made aware of the book by a family friend. No disappointment here as the authors were able to capture the lifestyle and despair of Nega people. These people (true forefathers of Antigua) were the main subjects while Papa Smith (Samuel Smith) gave his experience for his people to write down. I have a better understanding of very early Antigua. Why so many after slavery still had children without fathers' involvement? The way things were, men had no say and this book takes one through the day-to-day life of Nega people. Surnames they used were of the estate owners. Homes were whatever they could put together and used whereby the wattle and daub became plentiful. Villages were created out of desperation as Nega people left the plantations. Liberta and Freemans were the first two villages after abolition of slavery. Medical care was conducted by women only and their wealth of remedies/cures were unmatched by any others on the island. Lots of wickedness perpetrated by plantation owners, governors, and the church. Yes, the church was not of help to the Nega people in those early days. The old Nega people did not adopt the church easily since they did not build Anglican church(Big Church), Methodist church and Moravian (Spring Garden) for them. Rather, they were built for the estate owners and other bakkra (white people). It was only in recent history that the church began doing something for the people because they was an uprising and the estate owners needed more control. Religion was the answer, so the religious type started to visit the people in their villages and recruited them to become members of their churches. Some preachers and church types were estate owners and those who weren't were of the same mindset.The accuracy of the words used were gently warming and proudly written. I shed some tears at the end, rest peacefully Nega people. For your words are still spoken today and your genes are spread far and wide throughout The United State, England, Scotland, Canada, Europe, India, and East Asia. Live on.Interpreting and looking at events solely from memory can have viewpoints of underlining biases, inaccuracies and influenced by the collectors of information. Nonetheless, the experience of one man is more helpful than not having any experience recalled.

I'm currently reading it and it's so eye-opening. You learn about slavery in school but not like this.. :-o. This book just brings it alive and immerses you into the horror that it was. Many of the stories are so upsetting but they help you to see what our people went through. It was such a good idea to record the experiences of Mr.Smith -so much history!! Living history. Why wasn't this done more in other islands? I'm from St.Kitts-Nevis and I don't know of any book like this. I so agree that it should be part of thr curriculum of primary and high schools. Fascinating and enriching read.

Written in the words of the man who experienced it all. That is the true history and not any bakkra "his-story". I agree that this book should be part of the educational system in Antigua. I was born in Dominica and this book just blew me away. On my next visit to Antigua I plan to visit Devil's Bridge and the spot where the first Mahogany Tree was planted, among others.Only the fittest of the fittest will survive and Samuel Smith was the fittest, living to 105. Wow! Thanks Papa Sammy for the health advice. Yes, when you keep your internal organs clean, then everything works well. I love this book.

Where is volume 2? We need to hear the next part of the story!After completing this book I could not get up from my seat for a good hour.A remarkable account.

A brilliant insight to the the life & treatment of Antiguans ...Whilst disturbing it was most informative!Highly recommend ...

Very good seller, very good book.

Unfortunately the wrapping was not quite big enough and there was a strip where the sticky tape was touching the book. As I opened it, a strip the top paper layer of the cover came away with the tape. The book was obviously in excellent condition apart from this. I was lent a copy of this book, which is precious to the owner, so I wanted this second copy to actually read and so maintain the condition of the borrowed one. Therefore,luckily, the fact that this one is less than perfect doesn't matter too much.