From The Publisher
Colonized and coerced, raped and silenced-this has been the position of Haitian women within their own society, as well as how they have been served, however unwillingly, as a politicized site of contestation between opposing forces.In this first book-length study in English devoted exclusively to Haitian women's literature, Myriam Chancy finds that Haitian women have their own history, traditions, and stories to tell, tales that they are unwilling to suppress or subordinate to narratives of national autonomy. Issues of race, class, color, caste, nationality, and sexuality are all central to their fiction-as is an urgent sense to the historical place of women between the two U.S. occupations of the country. Their novels interrogate women's social and political stances in Haiti from an explicitly female point of view, forcefully responding to overt sexual and political violence within the nation's ambivalent political climate. Through daring and sensitive readings, simultaneously historical, fictional, and autobiographical, chancy explores this literature, seeking to uncover answers to the current crisis facing these women today, both within their country and in exile. The writers surveyed include Anne-Christine d'Adesky, Ghislaine Charlier, Marie Chauvet, Jan J. Dominique, Nadine Magliore, and Edwidge Danticat.

Synopsis
Combining history, autobiography, and ethnography, George Woke Up laughing provides a portrait of the Haitian experience of migration to the United States that illuminates the phenomenon of long-distance nationalism, the voicelessness of many citizens, and the impotency of government in an increasingly globalized world. By presenting lively ruminations on his life as a Haitian immigrant, Georges Eugene Fouron

From Edwidge Danticat
This book brings to you the voices of women... who everyday scramble to conquer the scars of dictatorial repression, unshakable poverty, continuing illiteracy, crippling domestic abuse and political rape. But who at the same time maintain an enviable fighting spirit, akin to watchful guardians constantly rescuing young ones from beneath the rails of a hundred speeding trains. What remains most with me is the level of assurance and hope expressed in their voices.

From Library Journal
Since her poor childhood in Haiti, where a voodoo priest told her that she would become a physician and a surgeon, Toussaint struggled to achieve that goal. Guided by faith in herself and her destiny, she survived bouts of self-doubt, tenuous finances, indifferent or hostile classmates and professors, career setbacks, and personal losses. While sometimes shaken by circumstances, her belief was reconfirmed by both everyday and extraordinary miracles. How the little girl who was supposed to become a nun became a transplant surgeon instead is an inspiring story of hard work and dedication and a reminder of the difference every individual can make in others' lives. Recommended for larger public libraries and health collections. Anne C. Tomlin, Auburn Memorial Hosp., N.Y

From The Publisher
A massive wave of immigration is currently sweeping across the US How do new immigrants, specifically Haitians, assimilate? This book describes the struggle of Haitains in the US, the strain between pride in their Haitian roots and prejudice against Haitians, and its causes and consequences for approximately 500,000 Haitians in the US. The book examines the problems of prejudice , economics and immigration Haitians confront, along with their pride and resources of family, community and culture. Sociologists and anthropologists.

From the Publisher
African slaves in Haiti emancipated themselves from French rule in 1804 and created the first independent black republic in the Western Hemisphere. But they reinstituted slavery for the most vulnerable members of Haitian society - the children of the poor - by using them as unpaid servants to the wealthy. These children were - and still are - restavecs, a French term whose literal meaning of "staying with" disguises the unremitting labor, abuse, and denial of education that characterizes the children's lives. In this memoir, Jean Robert Cadet recounts the harrowing story of his youth as a restavec, as well as his inspiring climb to middle-class American life. He vividly describes what it was like to be an unwanted illegitimate child "staying with" a well-to-do family whose physical and emotional abuse was sanctioned by Haitian society. He also details his subsequent life in the United States, where, despite American racism, he put himself through college and found success in the Army, in business, and finally in teaching.

From School Library Journal  
Gr 5-8Ashabranner and Conklin present a positive picture of the Haitian-American community in the U.S. They point out that many of the half-million Haitian Americans are not the boat people of the last 15 years but are legal immigrants who came in the late 1950s and 1960s to escape the heavy-handed Duvalier regime. Profiles, complete with black-and-white photographs, are given of select individualsa doctor, a teacher, a minister, a business leaderalmost all from the first wave of immigration. Their professional and personal lives are often centered around helping others from their homeland with health care or teaching classes about Haitian heritage. While these sketches of individuals make the book memorable, Ashabranner has also included a fine chapter on Haitian history, a description of the Little Haiti section of Miami, and a chapter on Haitian art and artists. Books, as well as magazine and newspaper articles, are found in the up-to-date bibliography. A necessary purchase for localities with Haitian-American populations and a valuable addition to collections about immigration.Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA

Song of Haiti is the story of Larry and Gwen Mellon and of the passion that inspired them to leave behind a world of luxury and instead devote their lives to the practice of medicine among the poorest of the poor. It is a book about the exotic and haunting cultural landscape of Haiti. And it is a book that explores how people choose to live their lives. Song of Haiti bridges the worlds of the super-rich and the very poor and finds in a remote valley in Haiti a mystery, a love story, and an inspiration.

From Library Journal
Most people know that Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, but what that means for the Haitian people is usually lost in a morass of statistical data. In this moving book on opposing tyranny and degradation, activist Bell, who is the founder and director of the Center for Economic Justice in Albuquerque, NM, gives face to the numbers by providing a forum for indigenous women to speak about their lives. Some of the 38 oral histories here come from illiterate farmers and market women. Other informants are well schooled, earning far more than subsistence wages as teachers and writers. Nonetheless, all of Bell's sources are dedicated to the alleviation of poverty and believe that food, housing, and education are entitlements and that gender equity is inseparable from economic justice. Their articulate views make for exciting reading. Likewise, their resistance to the status quo is inspiring. An antidote to cynicism, the book not only introduces American readers to an array of courageous role models but also proves that change is possible. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.
Eleanor J. Bader, Brooklyn, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.