July had never seen a thing so white.
Andrea Levy – The Long Song
Whiteness Observed
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Andrea Levy was a British author known for her exploration of the Caribbean-British experience, particularly focusing on the lives of Jamaican immigrants in post-World War II Britain. Born on March 7, 1956, in London to Jamaican parents, Levy drew on her own heritage and family history in her writing. Her novels often tackled themes of identity, race, and the struggle for belonging. Levy gained widespread acclaim with her novel “Small Island” (2004), which won the Orange Prize for Fiction and the Whitbread Book of the Year. “The Long Song” (2010), another notable work, portrays the final days of slavery in Jamaica through the eyes of July, a spirited slave girl who becomes entangled in the island’s tumultuous history. Levy’s writing is celebrated for its authenticity, compassion, and insightful portrayal of marginalized voices. She passed away in 2019, leaving behind a legacy of powerful storytelling that continues to resonate with readers worldwide.