Daddy Sharpe: A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Samuel Sharpe, A West Indian Slave, Written by Himself, 1832

Daddy Sharpe is a unique work of Caribbean fiction. It is the result of five years of historical research, details of which have been used to recreate a narrative of the life of one of Jamaica’s National Heroes, Samuel Sharpe. Locked in prison, awaiting a sentence of certain execution, Samuel Sharpe retells the story of his life in the first person narrative, beginning with his boyhood days at Cooper’s Hill in St James and ending with his surrender to the authorities after his defeat in the Great Jamaican Slave Revolt of 1831. These flashbacks are interwoven with present time musings while he is in prison. The reader becomes immediately engaged in the character of the hero and his struggles for spiritual and physical freedom but is also fascinated by the descriptions and historical details of life in Jamaica in the early 19th century.

“Fabulous. Full, solid and protean…full of surprise.”

-Professor Kamau Braithwaite, Professor of Comparative Literature at New York University.

“Fred Kennedy’s “Daddy Sharpe”, extensively researched, has mastered the voices of the period and given flesh and blood and spirit to the legend of our national hero. A story of a man and an era brought vividly and convincingly to life in an irresistible read — I could not put it down — this book is not only a valuable addition to our history, but also enriches the body of Caribbean Literature…”

-Rachel Manley, Author of Slipstream: A Daughter Remembers and Drumblair

“An extensively researched work, rich in historical detail and a timely contribution to public awareness of a Jamaican freedom fighter.”

-Dr Swithin Wilmot, Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Education, University of the West Indies, Mona

Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Fred Kennedy has worked as an educator for over thirty years, teaching in Jamaica and Canada, and held the post of Principal at St George’s College in Kingston from 2004–2006. He has a great passion for Caribbean literature and history and is now researching his second novel, which deals with Spanish settlement in Jamaica in the 16th Century. He, his wife and three daughters reside in Ontario, Canada.