The metamorphosis of Dada, a 29 year old man who is seemingly an incompetent and possibly mentally handicapped individual, into a spiritual leader; the politically powerful, articulate and charismatic Brother Walk, is a compelling story. The beliefs of the old Ashanti community's ancient culture clash
with the sophisticated, modern, non-African ideals, and the love and loyalty contrast with the jealously and animosity in the lives of these people. "The very elements that rocked this rustic Jamaican farming village a century ago are still at the core of mankind's search for a sense of self today," according to Beresford McLean.

McLean's great imagination, and eloquent prose take you on a journey through the lives of these island denizens that will long remain in your heart. The unexpected twists in the plot keep you reading long into the night. I hope there is a sequel in Mr. McLeans future....I'll sure watch for it.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

the full plate of human failings  May 21, 2003

Broken Gourds is a story of the people living in the mountain village of Albion, in Saint Mary's parish, Jamaica in the 1800's. The community is a mixture of the poor Ashanti, an old ancient culture, and the elite British plantation owners. The two cultures co-existed for many years. Treating the villagers as wayward children the plantation owners worked them in their banana fields, employed them as servants in their homes and preached to them in their church. But as always in an evolving society change came that shook them to their core, causing unrest and confusion.

Beresford Mclean's novel has been described as "Inspirational Folklore" written in the tradition of Steinbeck's Cannery Row. Victor Rawlings is the narrator of the story.Wealthy landowners and highly paid professionals who work in Port Maria but live in Albion have petitoned the city to modernize the road making the remote Jamacian village more acsessible to tourists and commercial development. Victor, as spokesman for the villagers, petitions the Port Maria City Council to reconsider the placement of the new road. Citing the destruction of historical buildings he negotiates a meeting with the engineers and Project Manager. He leads them up the quaint dirt road to an old area known as The Balm Yard ( a place of meditation and healing to anyone of African ancestry.) They enter a run down building called The Mission House and stare in disbelief at it's disrepair and wonder why anyone would want to save it. Victor tells them the story of the early days of Albion, how life was, how it changed and of a healer called Brother Walk. He wants them to recognize the significance of the Mission House and it's historical value to the village.

The leaders in Albion were the wealthy plantation owners and members of the church. The women had their afternoon teas, luncheons and book club meetings while the men spent their time hunting birds or wild pigs. They would meet for drinks and play billiards at a social club in Port Maria while discussing politics. They also held meetings at a tavern in Albion to discuss local buisness. Pastor Hamilton acted as the social engineer of Albion. As head of The First Baptist Church he was powerful and influential. He would make the corrections needed for any buisness or social changes with the absolute backing of his congregation. Life for them was peacful and content and the villagers accepted this as the way it should be.

DaDa is a social outcast, the lowly son of a farming family.Unclean, overweight and lazy he spends his time gorging on food and daydreaming. His feet are covered with oozing sores and his nose runs constantly. Everyone believes he is backward and makes fun of him. His grandmother (Granny) is the only one who shows DaDa love. Granny is immersed in the traditions and superstitions of the ancient culture. She senses a spirituality in DaDa that no one else can see. DaDa has one friend called Twig who is crippled from polio. Twig is bent so badly he walks hunched over seeing nothing but the ground.One day DaDa visits Granny who is ill and feeling her old age weakening her body. When he leaves he hears the sound of drums beating. The music is so enchanting that he follows the sound and finds himself high in the hills standing before a shimmering pool of water. He suddenly feels himself pushed from behind into the pool. The water is so warm and relaxing that he lies there and lets the water splash over him. Getting out of the water he sees that all his sores are healed and is amazed at how clear headed he feels. He sees a young girl dressed in African robes holding a highly decorated gourd which she gives to him before she disappears. He fills the gourd with the magical water and starts home to tell Granny what has happened. When he arrives home and hugs Granny she suddenly feels better. She tells him he has been visited by the people from the past and has been chosen to be a healer.

DaDa tries to keep what has happened secret unsure of this remarkable gift. When his father dies DaDa is overcome by grief. He hugs his friend Twig who is suddenly able to stand upright. Twig is so joyous that he runs into the village shouting that DaDa has cured him. The villagers are stunned to see Twig walking upright and begin to go to DaDa for healing and guidance. Because of his ability to heal and his new charasmatic way of speaking DaDa decides to become a preacher and build a Mission House and Balm Yard for the people. DaDa changes his name to Brother Walk and becomes known far and wide as the healer. He does not charge them for his healing but the money and gifts keep flowing in making him a very rich and powerful man. He remembers his youthful dreams of owning Albion and he succumbs to the temptations of greed and lust.

As Brother Walk's ministry and fortune grows the village clinic and The First Baptist Church are going bankrupt. The former leaders of the village are now faced with the loss of their money and power.They devise a plan to rid themselves of Brother Walk and gain back their positions of power and influence.Their devious schemes go awry and in the process of trying to bring Brother Walk down he realizes his mistakes and decides to live out his life as a worthy spirtual leader.

Although Mr. Mclean's novel is written about a remote village in Jamaica long ago in another time frame the issues of human faults and the corruption that too much power and wealth can cause is still very true today in our society. He brings the full plate of human failings to the table, greed, corruption, adultery, the act of judging others for the way they look or their social status, and even murder. He also gives the readers love, forgivness and redemption. And in the end he shows the full circle of life and how God, or destiny as some would say, puts us in the place we are supposed to be in at the time we are meant to be there.

Pat Hayworth
The Compulsive Reader, ...

Quite a story of humanity and temptation  Nov 03, 2009
By Paul Lappen
In present-day Jamaica, the government wants to build a road that will greatly help the small town of Albion. The problem is that the route will force the demolishing of an old, decrepit building with a sign that says "Balm Yard and House of God". Victor Rawlings, the village representative, sits down the government people, and the local children, and tells them the story of Dada.

Dada was a young man who could not complete the simplest of tasks. Today, he might be called "slow" or "learning disabled," one person called him an idiot savant (each Sunday at church, Dada shows off his amazing singing voice). Prince, his father, is at his wit's end. One day, in his early twenties, Dada has a very strange dream. When he wakes up, his disability is gone. He is convinced that his purpose on Earth is to spread peace and brotherhood. He decides to take the name Brother Walk.

He also has the power to heal the sick, so Brother Walk's fame spreads like wildfire. His followers build the Balm Yard, which becomes his church and residence. Attendance at Albion's First Baptist Church plummets to only a handful, which leads Albion's leading citizens to consider ways to get rid of Brother Walk, once and for all.

Brother Walk has the ability to see directly into a person's soul, and tell them exactly what is bothering them. With the women, that usually leads to ending up in bed with him. If a person is having financial problems, and is about to lose their farm, Brother Walk gives them the money to pay the bill. The only stipulation is that they must sign over the deed of their land to Brother Walk. In later years, Brother Walk has a dream which he interprets as a command to circumcize everyone in the village, starting with a young woman named Ruth, who Brother Walk tells that they are getting married. He does not ask Ruth, he tells her that they are getting married.

This is quite a story of humanity, temptation and modern religion combined with old religious practices. It's about a place alien to most people, and it is very much worth checking out.

A Delightful Tale  Dec 11, 2004
By marlowe rafelle
A delightful tale by Oakland author Beresford McLean, Broken Gourds examines the social fabric in Albion, an imaginary Jamaican farming village, in the latter part of the 19th century. At the beginning of the tale, the village is divided into two classes: the few white (or whiter) folks who run the community's major institutions, and the farmers and other folk, relatively recently freed from slavery, and not so distant from their African roots. By the end of the story, this order has been mightily disturbed.

Central to this shift in power is Dada, one of the "broken gourds." His father, Prince, is the highest of the lowly, a farmer who owns a fair amount of the land in Albion, and who actually gets to approach the table of the upper class when the whole community gathers for lunch after church on Sunday.

Dada is no credit to Prince at all, as far as his father can see. Although seemingly not lacking in intelligence, Dada has yet to find his groove in life, and is content doing simple chores, sometimes even forgetting them, and keeping company with his friend, the other "broken gourd," Twig.

This aimlessness goes on, to Prince's consternation, until Dada is nearly 30, and showing no desire to move out of Prince's home, or otherwise distinguish himself. Dada himself is puzzled by his lack of purpose. The only one who seems to see who Dada is and where he might be going is Granny, Prince's mother, who holds to the traditions of her Ghanaian culture, much maligned among the "proper" folk. Granny sees that Dada has a great gift that he'll one day contribute to his community.

That day comes, and Dada is called upon by an angel in a visionary dream. He's so transformed, even his name goes, and he renames himself Brother Walk. He has become a healer, who will walk about caring for whoever needs his touch. Ultimately, his work brings about a surprising harmony in the community. The power of the village comes to rest in his hands, even as he once dreamed it would, without ever knowing how.

But all this is not without its upsets. For all the good that Dada does - and some of it very unconventionally, he's not without his detractors.

The tenor of the book is lilting and poetic, rich in unusual plot turns and endearing characters. The reader can become very fond of the community of Albion and its denizens - even the troublemakers. In his dedication, the author credits his parents with his "knack of storytelling [he] stole when they were not looking." He stole well; Broken Gourds is a transporting and heart-lifting tale of healing and redemption.

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