The Dutty Bookman revolution

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

It takes one man to start a revolution, and 29-year-old writer Dutty Bookman hopes to be that one. The writer has taken up his pen as his weapon and his debut novel, Tried & True: Revelations of a Rebellious Youth, as part of his message.

Gavin Hutchinson is known to many as the ex-tours coordinator for Tuff Gong International, ex-communications coordinator for the Bob Marley Group of Companies, and ex-radio host at NewsTalk 93FM. Dutty Bookman, talented writer and revolutionary, is the man he has now become.

Bookman borrowed his pseudonym from a Jamaican slave, Dutty Boukman, who played an integral role in the Haitian Revolution. Like his mentor, Bookman hopes to start a revolution through his writing via his first novel, blog - duttyism.com, and future work.

Tried & True was launched on November 22 at Bookophilia on Hope Road, and is an autobiographical work that outlines four years that have changed Bookman's life forever. Speaking with The Sunday Gleaner recently, Bookman disclosed, "Tried & True is a memoir that recounts four important years in my life. Between 2006 and 2010, I experienced a profound shift in thinking and my mode of existence shifted with it."

During that time, Hutchinson had just graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, having studied Aerospace Engineering, Software Engineering as well as minors in communication, international relations and information technology. He hosted a radio talk show called 'Reasoning' on NewsTalk for two years before going to Canada to work on a project in collaboration with the Organisation of American States. "I interacted with some influential people in Jamaican society, I worked for the Marley family, and I helped to start the non-profit organisation Manifesto Jamaica, among other things. These experiences and how they affected me are explained in the book," he said.

Ready to start

What took four years to accomplish in his life took the writer one month to put into words. Having drawn on journals and memoirs throughout the time frame, Bookman was ready to start his revolution. Taking matters into his own hands, the writer started his Bookman Express, which officially released the novel last month.

He said, "I knew from the start that I didn't want to pitch my story to any publisher, big or small. I never heard of a revolutionary who asked anybody else to carry out his or her revolution. They all just did it, and so I decided to start my own publishing company and learn the industry along the way."

With that done, Bookman, who now lives in Washington, returned home to release his novel, selling approximately 64 copies at the launch. For him, it has been an overwhelming experience, as he said, "It's interesting to see the reaction from the young revolutionary spirits who express how much they are inspired by my work, even though they are the ones who generally inspire me. It is also humbling to get words of encouragement from elders who seem pleasantly surprised to see a young person thinking and expressing in this way. One Chicago bookstore owner called and texted me repeatedly to tell me the extent to which the book touched her. All this from simply telling my story."

He continued, "I want the book to stand as a testament to the psychology of a young, black male who exists in the neocolonial Caribbean society. It is also a warning to all that the Jamaican Revival is at hand."

Bookman has already begun his next work, which he hopes to release by next year.