iPromise challenges Jamaica to live up to its pledge

• Title: iPromise - Inspiration from Jamaica's National Pledge
• Author: John C. Keane
• Publisher: Pear Tree Press
• Reviewer: Ruth Howard

There are many people across the nation who would readily say that Jamaica is 'losing her soul'. Not many, however, would go further to write a whole book dedicated to diagnosing the root causes of this state of decay and presenting a blueprint for the revival of the island. Fewer still would argue for the actualisation of the National Pledge as a key to this revival.

John Keane is no ordinary author. In his book, iPromise: Inspiration from Jamaica's National Pledge, he takes an in-depth look at Jamaica's National Pledge, breaking it down into bite-size segments and examining the role that these words ought to play in nation-building.

Keane presents strong arguments for why greater appreciation for the uniqueness of Jamaica's pledge ought to be encouraged in society, emphasising the potent sacredness of words which, in his view, represent a solemn vow made by the Jamaican people to God and their fellow men.

He laments the depreciation in the standard of life in Jamaica, linking this slide to an abandonment of the words of our pledge. "How does a nation with such a rich religious heritage, such a sacred pledge, come to be referred to as the 'murder capital of the world'?" he asks in the first segment of his book. "Is there a way back from the moral decadence into which Jamaicans have sunk?"

And it is this question that Keane sets out to answer throughout the remainder of his book. He writes to the Church, the nation's Government, business leaders, and ordinary citizens, suggesting ways in which the National Pledge can be used as 'a catalyst for renewal'.

Scholars and those in theological circles will find this literary work especially interesting as it delves into the heart of the matter from a moral standpoint, taking an appreciative inquiry approach to its topic. The book is also divided into seven parts, with clearly outlined subsections in each, making the author's progression from one point to the next very easy to understand and follow.

Keane adds many special personal touches
to his book as well - a self-authored poem, A Fresh
Wind, and a whole chapter dedicated to giving an
autobiographical look at his 'journey of faith'. This helps the reader
to understand Keane's passion for his nation, and his deep desire for
Jamaica to return to winning ways.

iPromise:
Inspiration from Jamaica's National Pledge is an ambitious
work. It is one of those books that wants to do more than inform,
educate or entertain. Every line makes it obvious that the author's
heart is that his work will help to heal his
nation:

"What if Jamaicans at every level of society
began to take seriously the National Pledge? What if those promises made
before God and all mankind were fulfilled in the political arena, in
the Jamaican Church, in families,and in
business?"

Indeed, the reader is left wondering, what
if?