A Pearl from the House on Queen Street

Pearline Raphelita Rance

Description

Overcoming obstacles. The American Dream from island poverty to multimillionaire; A Jamaican story of success and envy.
Pearl rises from poverty to become a multimillionaire in Washington DC real estate – at the same time earning her MFA from the American University. In Acknowledgements for her first book published in 2006, Little Back Room, Pearl thanks her second husband for his support. She accepted the burden of his alcoholism – but one day she discovers he and others conspired to alter official documents to steal her company, wealth, and identity. A Pearl from the House on Queen Street serves as a metaphor for life and is evocative of the author’s journey from a dusty dry seaside town in Jamaica to America, the land where dreams are made, and everything is possible.

Sujets

• Personal Memoirs
• Biography
• Daily Gleaner
• Betrayal
• Jamaica
• The Daily Gleaner
• Autobiography
• Family Life
• Divorce
• Kingston

Informations

• Publié par: iUniverse
• Date de parution: 19 juin 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781663238542
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

A Pearl from the House on Queen Street
 
 
PEARLINE RAPHELITA RANCE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
A PEARL FROM THE HOUSE ON QUEEN STREET
 
 
Copyright © 2022 Pearline Raphelita Rance.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
 
 
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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
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The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6632-3855-9 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6632-3854-2 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022906971
 
 
iUniverse rev. date: 09/26/2022
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgement
Author’s Acknowledgment
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
 
Reviews of A Pearl from the House on Queen Street (4/06/22)
1. This book will be of particular interest to those with links to Jamaica where the first 18 years are set. It will also be of interest as a perceptive study of a young girl and woman overcoming the harsh obstacles only to succeed beyond her wildest dreams in America.
This book is highly readable: sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hilariously funny, and at times blunt. What gives it authenticity is the author’s prodigious memory of places and people over the 80 years the book covers.” Barbara Turnham, Environmental Scien tist
2. Pearl grew up in her paternal grandmother’s home in Sav. She was little more than a year old when her father, a skilled tailor, left for the United States, where he became a farm worker, replacing the American boys who had departed to fight in World War II.
Pearl’s mother lived in a remote village high in the mountains. Each year Pearl traveled to see her maternal relatives. Though not endowed with material wealth, they were warm, hard-working and happy. Pearl’s first marriage to a fellow Jamaican ended in divorce.
Pearl found her calling in the real estate industry. By age thirty-four she established Pearl Properties, Ltd., a multi-million dollar company based in Maryland. At forty, She married a smooth-talking executive, who unbeknownst to her, was on the verge of losing his job. She soon learned that he was a chronic alcoholic. But it took decades for her to realize that he was systematically stealing millions from her and her company.
While building a successful real estate business, Pearl also managed to complete college, become a published author and playwright, and an elected delegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
R. Randle Edwards, Walter Gellhorn Professor Emeritus of Law, Columbia Univer sity.
3. You will see her spunkiness as she grows up in poverty and is faced with abuse as an adolescent. Pearl finds ways to succeed in Jamaican culture and as an immigrant in the United States. She tells her story with humor and insights. A Pearl from the House on Queen Street is a good read. Carolyn Hill
Preface
A PEARL FROM THE HOUSE ON QUEEN ST REET
To be truthful to this story, I went back to my roots; the symbol of my birth: my name, and what it means: Pearline Raphaelita Rance. As I grew older I shortened my first name to Pearl and never mentioned my middle name which I thought was quite unu sual.
Pearline is of medieval origin, taken from the Latin name, Perla, a gem of a girl associated with beauty. It is a gemstone of organic creation, formed in a mollusk, and prized for its exceptional qualities. Raphael is the Spanish and Portuguese version of the Hebrew Raphaela, the feminine version of Raphael.
Both as a shortened form of Pearline and as a symbolism of ownership, Pearl connotes a desire for success and financial accumulation. The name inspires the person with confidence and drives them to pursue their ambitions, regardless of obstacles. I am tolerant and like to help humanity. The name Raphael also has biblical connotations meaning “God has healed.” From humble beginnings, Pearl rose to become a multimillionaire in the real estate sales and management company she established in the Washington Metropolitan Area.
Whatever label is attached to this book – autobiography, memoir, or the airing of family laundry and grievances, I have tried to write a truthful account of my life experiences. I spent many sleepless nights thinking of how best to avoid seeming vindictive or hateful. Instead, I try to show how success can be achieved through planning, hard work, perseverance, and a desire to leave this world a better place for generations to come. If something good comes out of my rags to riches story, that will be my re ward.
Born in Savannah-La-Mar, a Jamaican seaside town, little Pearline imagines herself in a government job with a swivel chair and ice water served by an office maid.
As a teen, she traveled to Puerto Rico, New York, and Washington DC. As a young bride, she suffered from the most unbalanced mother-in-law ever. By the time she was divorced, she had two children and a well-paying job.
In 1986, sponsored by the International Real Estate Federation - FIABCI, Pearl participated in the Caribbean Basin Initiative Planning Conference held in Bridgetown, Barbados, and the Ireland International Real Estate Symposium in Boston, Massachusetts.
In 1992, Pearl was one of three real estate brokers, and the only female owner of a company asked to serve on the Department of Housing and Urban Development Advisory Committee.
In February 1994, Pearl served as a panelist for the Adult and Non-degree Orientation at American University along with the late Peter Jennings. Pearl was asked to speak on “Adjustment Strategies: Balancing Home and School.” Her booklet – Strategies for Success – was included in the folder for each prospective stu dent.
With the deinstitutionalization of the Forest Haven, a home for the mentally retarded, Pearl became one of the leading Realtors in the acquisition and conversion of housing for this special requirement population group. Pearl has extensive cross-cultural experience in housing and international development. She was a participant at the 1986 Caribbean Real Estate Congress that was involved in designing a program to develop low-cost housing in Westmoreland, Jamaica. She was a founding member of REINET, the first computer-based international real estate net work.
In the summer of 1996, Pearl took part in the Caribbean Writers Conference hosted by the University of Miami in Florida. Among the panelists was the dean of Caribbean literature, George Lamming, author of “In the Castle of My Skin,” the late Trinidadian novelist, Earl Lovelace, Jamaican Poet, Lorna Goodison, and other distinguished writers from the Caribbean. Pearl also participated in the 9 th Annual Ploughshares International Writing seminar at Emerson College European Center, Kasteel Weil, The Netherlands ( 1998)
Pearl was a Senior Consultant for Illtop Magazine, sponsored by Chris Rock in 2000, and also taught a class in the History of African American Humor in the Department of Radio, Television, and Film at Howard University. She was also selected to serve as an Advisory Panelist for the grants selection of the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and as a nominator for the Helen Hayes Aw ards.
In 2001, Pearl served as Moderator for the State of Maryland Multicultural Statewide Summit, Black FilmMakers: Building a Film Community. In August 2021, Pearl was among the limited number of guests invited to preview the screening in Harlem, New York, of a documentary entitled: African Redemption: The Life and Legacy of Marcus Garvey. The movie premiered in London in February 2022.
In 1968, Pearl was the first secretary of the Jamaican Nationals Association, founded by Howard University students without jobs or money. Pearl invested in the first trans international flight to send Jamaicans home for Christmas. She and the late Pauline Knight borrowed money from their respective credit unions to enable the take-off with several non-paying passengers and some who had paid only a deposit. The two working spouses were then responsible for the repayment of the debt. Pearl received the sum of $100.00. It was a nice gesture, but nowhere close to covering the substantial loss inc