Other top reggae personalities agree: Stir It Up, a novel by David Dusty Cupples, is not to be missed. “Leaves one breathless and astounded,” raves beloved Bay Area DJ Doug Wendt. “More truth than has been told before,” adds Jim Marshall of the Ethiopian and Reggae Archives in Los Angeles.
A novel much steeped in history, roots and culture, Stir It Up: The CIA Targets Jamaica, Bob Marley and the Progressive Manley Government tells the story of the mid-1970s CIA destabilization program intended to drive Michael Manley from office and bring “America’s man” Edward Seaga to power. The plotline focuses on the experiences of Scott, a young American lad who comes to Jamaica with his father, whom Scott comes to suspect is CIA chief of station in Kingston; their relationship envelops Scott’s personal journey to find himself and invites allusions to Jungian psychology. Meanwhile, Scott hangs around the Hope Road house and comes to idolize Bob Marley as Bob and the Wailers work on their new Rastaman Vibration album. The denouement draws us ineluctably toward the attempted assassination of Bob at his Hope Road home two days before the historic Smile Jamaica concert as “tribal war” rages in the yards and the national election looms like a dark ominous cloud. Along the way we get a taste of Jamaica’s incredibly rich and vibrant culture—the life, the music, the hardships and struggles as well as the joys.
I, David, the author, hope that my love for Bob, the music and Jamaica shines through the pages and invokes the dream of a better tomorrow. Stir It Up currently has higher average reader review ratings on Amazon and Amazon-UK than Tim White’s Catch A Fire and Marlon James’ recent A Brief History of Seven Killings and costs less than both these outstanding works.
A video trailer for Stir It Up features cool roots music from reggae artists EN Young, Ishi Dube and Donovan Kingjay. Watch and listen here. To follow Stir It Up on Facebook.
Stir It Up is available in print and most ebook editions through Amazon and other online retailers. “Buy links” to most of these are conveniently found on the Stir It Up website which also has reviews (including Roger Steffens’ full review for Riddim Magazine), photos and David’s published essays. Signed copies of Stir It Up can be obtained from the author.
Stir It Up is an indie, self-published project and lacks the promotional opportunities of books traditionally published within the Babylon system. It is not in bookstores. Readers who believe Stir It Up tells an important story of the struggle for equal rights and justice and/or is simply an engrossing read are asked to help spread the word by posting their review online at Amazon and Goodreads and other social media sites; without this support from the reggae community the massive may never come to know that Stir It Up even exists. Bredd’ a help bredda—sistren too!
I David am available for radio and TV interviews (and personal appearances if they can be arranged). Watch for Jamaica trips and seminars with David. Bookshops, music stores and other retailers wishing to have Stir It Up on their shelves, please contact me!
Bless up now and may we together battle the forces of downpression that threaten humanity at every turn.