Book Review: ‘Storytelling, Storytellers & Information Systems: with Emphasis on the Virgin Islands’

Storytelling, Storytellers & Information Systems: with Emphasis on the Virgin Islands is an insightful and practical anthology of biographical stories and historical accounts in seven chapters.

The title reflects the book’s focus on the role of storytelling in the Virgin Islands and its connection to information systems. It is based on the doctoral dissertation of Cipriani A. Phillip Jr., a native of Frederiksted, and was released in 2021 by BTB Publishing. Chapter One comprises the historical development of storytelling followed by the preservation of stories and storytelling, Chapter Three introduces information systems, and Chapter Four showcases the Caribbean Geographical settings where Phillip can weave language into a concrete narrative as early as the 1800s, starting with the works and travels of Hans Jonathan who was born into slavery on St. Croix, Danish Virgin Islands in 1784 and took his freedom and escaped to Iceland at Djúpivogur where he worked as a trader, thus becoming Iceland’s first Black settler.

The book continues with Virgin Islands storytellers and information brokers like Enid Maria Baa, Leona Brady Watson, Gilbert Sprauve, June Alexa Vance Lindqvist, Richard A. Schrader, Sr., Ruth Beagles, Maurice M. Thomas, Karen Thurland, Gene Emmanuel, Ruth Moolenaar, Barbara Christian, Lois Hassell-Habtes, Mario Moorhead, and Gail Watson Chiang all of whom shared their knowledge with the community to increase pertinent historical information for intellectual, social, traditional, and cultural survival.