In 1957, the British colony of the Gold Coast broke free to become the independent nation of Ghana. Margaret Laurence's first novel,This Side Jordan, recreates that colour-drenched world: a place where men and women struggle with self-betrayal, self-discovery, and the dawning of political pride. This Side Jordantranscends the traditional limits of the first novel. Its powerful and compassionate characterizations and its themes of exile and community anticipate the five later novels that make up Laurence's acclaimed Manawaka series. A major work of lasting significance,This Side Jordancreates echoes in the mind of the reader as resonant as the drums of Ghana. From the Paperback edition.