However,half way in the book I was overcome with immense disappointment.The images are mostly badly exposed and sadly 'déjà vu'.Yes Rasta lacks overall direction and many pages are blank which in my sincere opinion could have benefitted from text-so imperative here,as the photos fail to speak for themselves!

Anyone interested in InI livity in book form,I would advise,in conclusion,to save your money and purchase instead Dreads,published by Artisan...trust me,you won't be disappointed!

My first morning in Negril I left my tourist hotel for a walk along the beach toward town. After a while of walking on the white sand and enjoying the glorious sunrise, I noticed two dread-locked men standing off to the side smoking a spliff and gazing out to sea. They were more like an apparition than flesh and blood but then they saw me staring. Smiles of incredible radiance slowly spread out upon their faces as they turned toward me and they nodded graciously. I felt their blessing like a wave of force across the beach. They had such tremendous presence, those two men. Such an aura of power.

Patrick Cariou's homage to Rastafarianism takes this mesmeric presence of the Rastaman as the focus for his deeply moving, sensationally well-executed portfolio of black and white photographs of Jamaica and of its Rasta Nation. The portraits of these men of all ages are among the best I have ever seen. Partly this results from the great technical skill Cariou brings to his work. But clearly the strength of this collection is in the way the subjects felt about their photographer. The way in which they responded to his lens emotionally.

There is one photograph of an elderly Rasta with matted locks down to the ground that is so remarkable. He stands for his portrait with his pancake-flattened dreadlock over one shoulder extending right to his feet in a sumptuous arc. His arms are extended at his sides and his stance suggests submission to fate, his attitude such a natural state of grace. But what makes this image so unforgettable is the communication you can feel between this man and his photographer. His willingness to open himself emotionally for his portrait. The unconditionality of his pose.

Aside from portraits of individuals, there are also numerous photographs of adult men with their children in this gorgeous collection. Of men working in their ganja fields, preparing ital for their meals, smoking the bounty of the marijuana harvest.

And there are photographs of Jamaica itself that capture just amazingly the dramatic mood of the mountains and of the thick, jungle-like vegetation that there abounds. And of the dwellings in which these people live and worship.

In the few inspired pages of text at the beginning of this book Perry Henzell captures the paradox of the Rasta people when he says that 'they projected the humility of the social outcast but bore the high stride of a visionary on the move..." Yes Rasta understands this essential paradox well and visually transmits a view of life informed by it with tremendous sensitivity and respect. I could not imagine a better result

I give thanks everytime for a remarkable book.