When you travel to Antigua as a tourist, this is what you will see. Thus begins Jamaica Kincaid's powerful portrait of the damaged paradise that was her childhood home. The island of Antigua is a magical place of breathtaking beauty, with cloudless skies, radiant blue waters, and majestic sunsets. But it is also a place of dramatic contrasts. What you do not see when visiting this ten-by-twelve-mile island in the British West Indies is the widespread corruption, the dilapidated schools, hospitals, and homes, as well as the shameful legacy of its colonial past. In "A Small Place," Jamaica Kincaid candidly reflects on where she grew up, making the impacts of European colonization and tourism palpable. The book is a letter to the traveler, whether American or European, who wishes to escape the banality and corruption of a great place. Kincaid, eloquent and determined, reminds us that the Antiguans, once British subjects, are unable to escape the same disadvantages of their own little empire—that behind the benevolent Caribbean backdrop lie human lives that are always complex and often marked by injustice.