by Barbara Makeda Blake Hannah

Joseph is a reggae superstar, admired wherever he goes. But Joseph is also a devout, herb-smoking Rastafarian who dreams of a new life in Ethiopia. Sister Ashanti chronicles Josephs rise to international stardom, his stormy relationship with the beautiful and passionate Zuleika, his uneasy truce with the press, and in particular, the intrusive American journalist Sam Bergman. But for all his peaceable Rasta way of life, in certain quarters Joseph is seen as a threat. The concert intended to seal the Peaceending gang warfare in Kingstonends terribly when Joseph is shot in the back on stage. Ashanti and her husband Peter are spirited away to Miami and Cuba, not knowing if Joseph is alive or dead. After many adventures, the friends find themselves reunited in Shashemane and the mystical Emmanuel.