“A son of one of the founders of the Rastafarian movement tells the inside story of the utopian village his father founded and the colonial forces that ultimately destroyed it. Born and raised at Pinnacle, Howell had the unique opportunity to witness the events surrounding this first-ever Rasta community’s rise and fall. Working alongside his father’s biographer, Lee, the author offers insights into Leonard Howell (1898-1981), the man who founded the commune, and the troubled history of Pinnacle itself . . . Illustrated throughout with black-and-white photographs, this loving tribute will appeal to historians of Jamaica and the Caribbean, as well as anyone with an interest in the origins of Rastafarian culture. An instructive and enlightening book.”
—Kirkus Reviews

“Interwoven with the story of the commune is valuable background on Rastafarianism’s origins in Marcus Garvey’s movement for African independence, from which it broke in the early 1930s when Howell designated Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I as ‘the Living God.’”
—Publishers Weekly

“Pinnacle: The Lost Paradise of Rasta forces us to quickly turn the page to find out what happened next. For the story of Leonard P. Howell and Pinnacle is still one of Jamaica’s greatest mysteries, shrouded in misinformation, silence, or confusion. This insider’s version gains its power from the author’s measured voice that speaks with love and longing of the child who saw Pinnacle as Paradise before its destruction, but also as someone now capable of sharing a mature assessment of Pinnacle’s history and the Rasta movement over the years. Pinnacle is an invaluable contribution to the reclamation of a Jamaican history seen through the eyes of those who, like Bill Howell, can assert, ‘I was there.’”
—Olive Senior, Poet Laureate of Jamaica, author of The Encyclopedia of Jamaican Heritage
 
“An incredibly fascinating read. For anyone interested in Rastafari and its origins, this is a must-read, as told by the only person who could possibly tell it—because he lived it!”
—Doctor Dread, reggae producer and author of The Half That’s Never Been Told
 
“Finally—the unwritten history appears! Replete with visual images of documents and old photographs, Bill Howell’s personal recreation of the historical time line is vivid and engaging. More than eighty years ago, his father’s moment of (self)realization and then the emerging movement of Rastafari changed life as we know it, and in ways we’re only now beginning to fully overstand.”
—Bobby Sullivan, author of Revolutionary Threads: Rastafari, Social Justice, and Cooperative Economics

“Pinnacle: The Lost Paradise of Rasta transformed my understanding of Rastafari, a faith and culture I have known all my life. My first thought on completing it was, Finally, an intimate, insider’s recollection and interrogation of one of the world’s great mysteries—where did Rasta come from and who or what is the source of this magnificent power, this tender but insistent force that continues to reach with open arms from Jamaica to bring unity across languages, religions, and borders, revolutionizing while one-loving the world?”
—Colin Channer, author of Console: Poem

“Part historical text and part personal memoir, Bill Howell’s gripping account of life growing up in Pinnacle underscores the value of land in the creation of the Rastafari ethos of freedom and independence in colonial Jamaica. Supported by previously unpublished colonial records, his book documents the relentless campaign of harassment and extortion by authorities directed against his father, Leonard Howell, and his followers, as well as the remarkable collective solidarity and resilience demonstrated by community members in the face of these trials. This is a must-read for both specialists and general audiences interested in the origins and history of what is today a global spiritual movement.”
—Jake Homiak, International Rastafari Archives Project (IRAP), National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution