Phonographic Memories is the first book to perform a sustained analysis of the narrative and thematic influence of Caribbean popular music on the Caribbean novel. Tracing a region-wide attention to the deep connections between music and memory in the work of Lawrence Scott, Oscar Hijuelos, Colin Channer, Daniel Maximin, and Ramabai Espinet, Njelle Hamilton tunes in to each novel’s soundtrack while considering the broader listening cultures that sustain collective memory and situate Caribbean subjects in specific localities. These “musical fictions” depict Caribbean people turning to calypso, bolero, reggae, gwoka, and dub to record, retrieve, and replay personal and cultural memories. Offering a fresh perspective on musical nationalism and nostalgic memory in the era of globalization, Phonographic Memories affirms the continued importance of Caribbean music in providing contemporary novelists ethical narrative models for sounding marginalized memories and voices. Njelle W. Hamilton's Spotify playlist to accompany Phonographic Memories: https://spoti.fi/2tCQRm8

There are songs that evoke vivid memories every time we hear them. No matter where you are or what you're doing that song will bring you back to that happy or painful memory. "Phonographic Memories" uses those song triggers as the catalyst for the stories when music is as important as breath in those tumultuous teen years. This is the second in a collection of personal essays about the life of Paula Wachowiak. This book covers the years from puberty through late teens when her world was turned upside down by a troubled home life, rebellious high school years, and her desire to understand the world around her. It is a follow up to "The Polish Cleaning Lady's Daughter" which covered her childhood.