“The Caribbean” by Jacob Gelt Dekker

The Caribbean by Jacob Gelt Dekker offers an accessible and entertaining survey of a complex region that goes well beyond the usual boundaries of a history book. Rather, it is a one-of-a-kind, sharp-witted travelogue in which the author combines in-depth knowledge with historical narration and a bit of fantasy. The book is now available via Amsterdam Publishers and Amazon.

Plot

After a life-changing diagnosis, Dutch entrepreneur Jacob Gelt Dekker decides to take a step into the unknown. Setting sail from his home in Key West, he embarks on an odyssey around the Caribbean islands, navigating treacherous waters and nations forever shaped by the Age of Discovery and transatlantic slave trade. Soon he discovers that he is not alone on his boat. With him during the long days and nights at sea are Anansi the Spider, the West African trickster, and The Flying Dutchman, doomed to sail the oceans forever and harboring a terrible secret.

Together, this unlikely trio seeks to establish the truth about the history of the Caribbean. Along the way, they encounter famous pirates and unpick tales of untold riches, but also retrace the steps of the region’s slaves, finding out how events in Europe, the fledgling American colonies, and Africa sealed their fates. Informed by personal experience and the people he meets on the islands, Jacob Gelt Dekker offers an unconventional account that is key to understanding the Caribbean and its peoples today.

The history of the Caribbean is turned into an entertaining tale of piracy, battle, and superstition; current affairs alternate with enlightening anecdotes about historical figures. A dynamic chapter in history is brought to life by fascinating and moving stories of pirates, buccaneers, privateers, slavery, corruption, and witchcraft.

Jacob Gelt Dekker

The charismatic Jacob Gelt Dekker (1948), is a well-known Dutch self-made millionaire, serial entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Despite being diagnosed with cancer in his twenties he has always been living his life to the full.

A world traveler pur sang, commuting between his residences in Amsterdam, New York, Curaçao, and Key West, Dekker is the pen-ultimate Dutch entrepreneur who sees opportunities everywhere and is a most generous patron of numerous institutions.

Dekker is always involved in improving the situation for the less fortunate, whether that is in Africa, Asia or the Caribbean.