A Small Place was published in 1988, almost 30 years ago. Since then, Antigua has remained constant in some ways, but it has changed in others. This section provides an account of some of the changes that Antigua has undergone in the last three decades.
In 1993, Lester B. Bird, son of longstanding prime minister V.C. Bird, succeeded his father as head of Antigua's government, fulfilling Kincaid's prediction of a family dynasty. He remained in power until 2004, when Baldwin Spencer's opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) achieved victory and Spencer became prime minister. Spencer pushed to ensure that all Antiguans had exposure to opposing political views during elections and advocated for electoral reform. In office, he also enacted various government reforms such as a nationwide school meals program, a higher minimum wage, and fair pay for all civil servants. Spencer was recognized by many for his leadership, including by the United Nations.
In 2014, Spencer's UPP government was defeated by the Antiguan Labour Party (ALP), which is the party that the Bird family founded and led. The leader of the ALP, Gaston Browne, became prime minister of Antigua and remains in office today. He had a rough childhood growing up in impoverished parts of the island, but he climbed his way up through education and was a businessman prior to being elected prime minister. A recent challenge during Browne's administration was Hurricane Irma in September 2017, which nearly destroyed the island of Barbuda and prompted a full-scale evacuation of Barbuda's inhabitants to Antigua. Rebuilding homes and infrastructure would cost the government millions of dollars.
In the last two decades, Antigua has established a number of teaching hospitals and off-shore, for-profit medical schools in an attempt to become the preeminent provider of medical services in the Caribbean. It operates the Mount St. John Medical Center, which is the most technologically advanced hospital in the Caribbean. These efforts have brought international attention to the island.
