Nostalgia From a City Set Upon a Hill


Non-Fiction - Biography
138 Pages
Reviewed on 02/16/2016
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Author Biography

Garfield Whyte, after graduating from Munro College in Jamaica, attended the University of the West Indies, Mona Campus in Jamaica, where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in geography and social sciences. He also obtained a master’s degree in business administration from the Nova Southeastern University in Florida, USA. Still not satisfied with his academic achievements, he went on to complete a law degree from the University of London, then on to the Norman Manley Law School.
Prior to his legal career, he worked in the banking sector with leading Jamaican commercial banks, including Workers Bank (now defunct), CIBC Jamaica Limited (now FirstCaribbean Bank), and Scotiabank, with his final banking position being senior marketing manager.
Now a practicing lawyer, he limits his practice to real estate, probates, and contract law.
Garfield is also the author of; Feelings an environmental photography and poetry book as the recently completed Nostalgia from: A City Set Upon a Hill, his memoir about life at Munro College, his all- boys boarding high school, one of Jamaica’s most prestigious citadels of learning. Also recently completed is his coming of age novel entitled: TJ’s Last Summer in Cape Cod (sub titled, Don’t Cry for me Cape Cod).

    Book Review

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Nostalgia From a City Set Upon a Hill is a non-fiction memoir written by Garfield Whyte. The author knew that he had to do well enough in the Common Entrance Examinations to be accepted into Munro College, a prestigious boarding high school. His mother had made it clear for some time that she would not pay for him to attend any other high school. Munro was the only one she considered, and she had good cause for her conviction. Many Munro graduates, who came from a variety of backgrounds and economic situations, became diplomats, academics, high-ranking government officials, Fulbright Scholars and professionals, and Munro is highly regarded for its academic excellence. Located in a remote part of Jamaica on a peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the college comprised some 150 acres of pristine land overlooking the Caribbean and commanding vast panoramas. Many of the buildings are of historic importance. It was an awesome place for the author to study and live in, and the Munro College experience continues to influence his life to this day.

Garfield Whyte's non-fiction memoir brings to life the author's seven years spent in an elite boarding school. If you've even wondered, as I have, what boarding school might have been like, this memoir is as close to living that experience as you are likely to get. Whyte includes marvelous pictures of Munro College's buildings, panoramas and the infamous Barbecue, a stretch of cracked concrete that was the focal point of student life. I loved hearing his stories about his interactions with other students and the pranks they played, and his humorous looks at some of the teachers he had during his time there are brilliant. I marveled at the thought that the college was so isolated in the rural countryside and that the students there had none of the social outlets that most take for granted today. In a way, I envied the closeness and camaraderie that could not help but become engrained in him and his fellow students as they spent their free time having bull sessions and playing padda. Nostalgia From a City Set Upon a Hill is well-written, and the reader can't help but feel a connection with this author as he shares the stories of his youthful experiences at a most remarkable academic institution. It's highly recommended.