THE AUTHORS
Dembe is an original work of Historical Fiction, written and created for middle-grade readers
By bestselling Author Jennifer Barrette, and her real life Caribbean husband, John Bazely.
MY CARIBBEAN HERITAGE -
The inspiration behind this story
For close to four hundred years, ships crossed the vast and restless Atlantic, carrying millions of African men, women, and children away from their homes and into bondage. This brutal system, known as the Transatlantic Slave Trade, brought an estimated 6.5 million enslaved Africans to the Caribbean. Among them, approximately 44,000 were taken to the island of Trinidad in the West Indies, the very island where I was born and raised.
That long and harrowing journey across the ocean came to be known as the Middle Passage. Those who survived it did not arrive in freedom, but in a world that demanded their labor while attempting to erase their names, their families, and their stories. Even after Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807, slavery itself continued, and so did the suffering, sustained by those who chose profit over humanity.
This story, though a work of fiction, is rooted in that history, and intertwined with my own. It is shaped by the land I come from, the truths I carry, and the legacy I have inherited. I am also a descendant of Admiral John Bazely, a historical figure whom I have woven into these pages.
Dembe, created and written by my wife, Jennifer Barrette, and myself, is dedicated to those who endured, those who resisted, and those whose voices were never given the chance to be heard. Because stories, like people, deserve to be remembered.
John Bazely
Co-Author of Dembe
JENNIFER BARRETTE: A LIFE OF CREATIVITY, CURIOSITY, AND GETTING DELIGHTFULLY REAL
Jennifer wears many hats—artist, children’s author, nonfiction author, Vice President of Transmedia Entertainment, award-winning screenwriter, bestselling author, mom of four, daughter, wife, and friend. She is a prolific creator who somehow manages to write about grief and grandmas, mental health and Leprechauns, divorce and dogs, Santa Claus, slavery, and bug-obsessed villains...
often all in the same day. She is also the creator & author of the Get Real About book series, Get Real About Grief acquired by Blackstone Publishing, with a first look deal for the entire series in 2025.
Jennifer and John have spent over twenty years creating stories together. Stories that don’t just sit on the page, they jump, run, and stay with you long after the last word.
They live in Northern California with their fourth and final child still at home, along with a lively cast of pets who seem to think they’re part of the writing process