Waves: An Anthology of Caribbean Literature provides students with a curated, multi-disciplinary selection of works ranging from classic to contemporary readings. Featured authors include Nobel laureates Derek Walcott and V. S. Naipaul; seminal works utilizing Caribbean or creole language from Sam Selvon; classics from authors and poets, such as George Lamming, Claude McKay, and Kamau Brathwaite; and women authors, as they came into their own, exemplified in Jamaica Kincaid, Paule Marshall, and Edwidge Danticat, among others.

The anthology is organized into three units: Slavery and Colonialism; Language, Culture and Community; and Migration and Identity. Entries are followed with ideas and prompts labeled Connecting, Exploring, and Linking, which encourage readers to think critically and further engage with the characters and concepts within the readings. When possible, author biographies and photos provide students with further background and insight into their ideologies and personal stories.

Selections are explored through a variety of themes, including the loss and recovery of history, the evolution of language use, exigencies relating to the metropole, and considerations of migration, belonging, racism, family relationships, coming of age, and more. The topics are universal and familiar but presented through a uniquely Caribbean lens.

Designed to help students expand their knowledge of themselves and others, Waves is an ideal textbook for courses and programs in literature.