Explains how a teacher, a Belizean of African descent who immigrated to the United States, feels about having grown up reading only Western literature. Explains the costs of such limited reading in psychological and emotional terms. Gives a brief review of a few well-known Caribbean authors, including Julia Alvarez and Jamaica Kincaid. (TB)

Lists and explains some suggestions that have proven useful in teaching classical literature, including (1) letting students hear the languages, (2) finding good translations, and (3) relating the works to more recent literature.