This is just to share a little information about me. I was born in the exotic country of St.Vincent and the Grenadines in the West Indies. Trish St.Hill is my pen name. I began writing Beneath The Golden Mango Tree in 1984 and it has taken many trials and challenges to come to its conclusion. As an English speaking West Indian immigrant attending college, I have found that there was limited literature depicting the life and culture of English speaking West Indians who settled in the United States. West Indians are still a misunderstood and silent immigrant group. This primarily black immigrant group is still to this day not thought of as true immigrants. That image is mainly reserved for European immigrants. West Indians, instead, are relegated to caricatures that they work six jobs, say “Ok man” and “yeah man”, and wear dreadlocks. Sadly this has not changed much over the years. I wanted to debunk the myths that surround the culture and I vowed to make a difference by writing this book. However, life got in the way and it has taken me 25 years to publish it. After finding out about my Garifuna ancestry, I decided to integrate the story of the Garifuna people of Central America in this book. Their HELL-O-CAST and subsequent exile to Central America from their homeland of St.Vincent (Yurumein), is woven into the fabric of this immigrant tale. I believe there is a reason for everything and everything happens at the right time. I hope my readers enjoy this book and I look forward to an enlightened and productive relationship with them.
Trish St.Hill 