Are you looking to connect with the people and culture of Haiti in a more personal way? Here are a few recommended titles.
Oprah’s book club e-letter suggests reading Breath, Eyes, Memoryby Edwidge Danticat.
Set in the island’s impoverished villages and in New York’s Haitian community, this is the story of Sophie Caco, who was conceived in an act of violence, abandoned by her mother and then summoned to America. In New York, Sophie discovers that Haiti imposes harsh rules on its own.
Edwidge Daniticut, one of Haiti’s most acclaimed writers, put together a reading and listening list of her own for the Wall Street Journal. She includes this reminder:
In this time of tragedy for Haiti, it’s worth noting that the country’s culture is far deeper than the bleak reports currently blanketing the news.
Tracey Kidder’s marvelous book Mountains Beyond Mountains tops The Daily Beast’s The Best Books On Haiti . Kidder’s book has long been a favorite with book clubs.
Tracy Kidder’s profoundly moving and inspiring account, Mountains Beyond Mountains, of Farmer’s work in the country is necessary reading for anyone wanting to understand what the Haitians have already faced and what one brave man was doing there before the world was galvanized into action.
Forbes Ten Best Books On Haiti is a commentary by Amy Wielentz, journalism professor at UC Irvine. She writes:
Books are what drew me to Haiti, along with the exile newspapers put out by the New York and Miami refugees from Papa Doc and Baby Doc’s regimes. In the old days you couldn’t arrive in Haiti with a copy of The Comedians in your bag; it would be confiscated and you would be interrogated. Papa Doc was known to have his thugs wield scissors and cut out articles that offended him. Words matter in Haiti.
