Read Hard or Die

Very cool little piece of amateur anthropology published in Jamaica in 1976. Owens, a white Catholic priest, lived and worked in Kingston, and over time he was able to gain the trust of several Rastafarian groups throughout the city. These Rastas then began to share with him the tenets of their faith. Although he does provide a small amount of commentary about the historical and sociological background of the religion, Owens generally allows the Rastas to explain their beliefs in their own words with a minimum of authorial intrusion. Since the Rastas' language is so coded and oblique, the book sometimes becomes almost like a religious text. Although not a great source for a clear overview of Rastafarianism, the book excellently conveys the religion's blunted mysticism.