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Customer Reviews (2)

Great read and insightful analysis
This book was a surprisingly enjoyable and easy read given the weightiness of the topic.The style was very fluid and the descriptive narratives helped me imagine the setting and historical characters.Most importantly, the author tackled the difficult issue of poverty, underdevelopment and historical legacies with a great deal of insight and fairness.The book really made me rethink my opinions of foreign aid to Haiti (outside the aid sent for the earthquake).

What surprised me was that the author has a rather empowering message: Haitians are smart, capable and resilient people and would benefit more from a stable political environment, economic outlets for their talents and a healthy environment than from foreign aid money that never changes the big issues.Yes, the colonial legacy set Haiti on the wrong track, but that does not predestine Haiti to a dim future.Rather, as the book argues, we need to stop assuming Haiti isn't capable of stability and prosperity and need to support real, sustainable change. What's more, as history has often shown, such change needs to come from within in order to make it real.I love that this book actually offers a final chapter with a "development plan".

For me, this is good history with a practical, meaningful contemporary application (learning from the past to improve the future).I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Haiti, foreign aid or underdevelopment.

The best history of Haiti
By far the best condensed, readable history of Haiti out there. The book takes you from the days of the Tainos and Columbus all the way to the recent earthquake in Port-au-Prince. Haiti's history is often tragic, but also eventful and even funny, so it's a great read.
The book also has a lot to say about whether foreign aid is needed to get Haiti back on the right track--an important issue given the current context.

... Read more

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In Haiti, History, and the Gods, Joan Dayan charts the cultural imagination of Haiti not only by reconstructing the island's history but by highlighting ambiguities and complexities that have been ignored. She investigates the confrontational space in which Haiti is created and recreated in fiction and fact, text and ritual, discourse and practice. Dayan's ambitious project is a research tour de force that gives human dimensions to this eighteenth-century French colony and provides a template for understanding the Haiti of today.
In examining the complex social fabric of French Saint-Domingue, which in 1804 became Haiti, Dayan uncovers a silenced, submerged past. Instead of relying on familiar sources to reconstruct Haitian history, she uses a startling diversity of voices that have previously been unheard. Many of the materials recovered here--overlooked or repressed historical texts, legal documents, religious works, secret memoirs, letters, and literary fictions--have never been translated into English. Others, such as Marie Vieux Chauvet's radical novel of vodou, Fonds des Nègres, are seldom used as historical sources.
Dayan also argues provocatively for the consideration of both vodou rituals and narrative fiction as repositories of history. Her scholarship is enriched by the insights she has gleaned from conversations and experiences during her many trips to Haiti over the past twenty years. Taken together, the material presented in Haiti, History, and the Gods not only restores a lost chapter of Haitian history but suggests necessary revisions to the accepted histories of the New World. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Classic on the Haitian Revolution
Here is an essential book on the Haitian Revolution. Its big claim to fame is its use of non-traditional sources (like Vodou foklore) to retrace Haiti's history. Some passages may be of interest solely to graduate students in history (literary analysis, postmodernist 'reading between the lines'), but others are very readable. The part on Mary Hassal, a US witness of the Leclerc expedition, is particularly interesting.

satisfactory
Upon receiving the item, it was in the best possible condition that I could hope for. The book is informative, thought-provoking, and overall a major benefit to my assignment. ... Read more

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Hegel, Haiti and Buck-Morss
Susan Buck Morss is a hero.She has said some very confrontational and painful-to-hear truths about western imperialism and dynasty and its effects on Haiti and the rest of the world.This is a must read!

An important new perspective on Hegel's master-slave dialectic
I came to this book having vigorously debated within a Hegel reading group alternate approaches to reading the Phenomenology: either by decoding the abstract language for concrete historical references (with guides such as Kojeve's) or by allowing the language to remain formal and transcendental in character. Unfortunately Hegel's style invites readers inclined to remain in theoretical abstraction to overlook and lazily avoid the investigation of concrete history (which brings philosophy truly to life). Susan Buck-Morss here seems to share my view that Hegel was hedging for metaphysical appeal, while the substantial referents of his terms are a radical array of historical circumstances more numerous than has even been supposed so far.

Buck-Morss puts forth a convincing argument that Hegel's master-slave dialectic was inspired and written not only by consideration of ancient Greek slavery (as is conventionally understood) but also by the contemporary event of the Haitian revolution, which Hegel understood to follow from colonial domination by early Western capitalism. Buck-Morss examines Hegel's critical reading of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations as particularly important for shaping his general critique of modernity in the modern economy's instrumentalizing of people.

One might suspect that this too-conveniently pulls Hegel into Left post-colonial studies, but actually a reading in good faith will prove her right: Hegel studies heretofore (especially by philosophy specialists) have been woefully neglectful of a contemporary historical event - the Haitian revolution - whose significance Hegel couldn't (nor wouldn't) have overlooked as an avid reader of all the news being published and available to him.

Also vital to the book is the author's argument aimed at Left post-colonial studies: that they should reconsider the value of a Universal History for progressive politics. The postmodernist rejection of Universal History has proven, over the last thirty years of conservative rule in the West, to be a great aid to neoconservative forces of division against progressive politics. Thus it is vital for anyone of a progressive persuasion to reconsider the value of a Universal History as argued for here by Buck-Morss. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Best reader on the Haitian Revolution
A great reader on the Haitian Revolution. It is cheap, short, and has a great summary of the revolution at the beginning, so it is perfect as a supplementary reading in classes on slavery, Atlantic History, Haitian history, etc.
The documents are well chosen and representative. John Garrigus is a thorough researcher, and it shows: the documents are taken straight from the French archives.

College Coursework
I purchased this book for college coursework in a core history class. We were assigned a paper on the book. Other people in my class did some outside research, but there was enough information between the text and all the source documents that I didn't find outside sources necessary.

Fascinating
I could not be helped but be moved by the documents in this book.The author did an incredible job of helping the reader understand the importance of San Domingue and the other French colonies by including letters, articles and transcripts. This was so important to my research about the nation that would eventually become Haiti and other colonies that found themselves in similar circumstances.These accounts tell the real truth about life in the French colonies and the resolve of the inhabitants. ... Read more

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In the late eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries, revolutions transformed the British, French, and Spanish Atlantic worlds. During this time, colonial and indigenous people rioted and rebelled against their occupiers in violent pursuit of political liberty and economic opportunity, challenging time-honored social and political structures on both sides of the Atlantic. As a result, mainland America separated from British and Spanish rule, the French monarchy toppled, and the world's wealthiest colony was emancipated. In the new sovereign states, legal equality was introduced, republicanism embraced, and the people began to question the legitimacy of slavery.

Revolutions in the Atlantic World wields a comparative lens to reveal several central themes in the field of Atlantic history, from the concept of European empire and the murky position it occupied between Old and New World to slavery and diasporas. How was the stability of the old regimes undermined? Which mechanisms of successful popular mobilization can be observed? What roles did blacks and Indians play? Drawing on both primary documents and extant secondary literature to answer these questions, Wim Klooster portrays the revolutions as parallel and connected uprisings.

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent synthesis for students
Nothing much new for anyone beyond an undergraduate history education, but there's a lot of fun facts for veterans, plus infinitely pillagable for lectures in survey courses. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

slave rebellon in Haiti
This book was informative for me in that it brought a much deeper insight and understanding of the country and its people. This little island was so ravaged by France, England and America that it is no wonder that even today it remains one of the poorest, most disadvantaged countries in the world.There is evidence of remarkable research and documentation.The characters are well developed in personalities, beliefs and motives.The most outstanding character in the book is Toussaint Loverture, the slave who rose up with intelligence, courage and military expertise to inspire the fight for freedom from slavery.The dynamics between him and other military leaders represent fascinating reading.The switching of sides for personal gain was complex and the unbelieveable treachery against Loverture was devastating. Yet, in the face of overwhelming opposition he remained strong in persevering freedom for his people until the very end.He died a noble death and his principles should live on in the hearts of not only Haitians, but all the racially disadvantaged people in the world. An excellent historical novel!

Well written, researched book on the start of the revolution
This book,originally wrtitten in Dutch,is an exciting history of the only modern slave revolution.It is not a polemic for or against the Haitian people and makes no apologies for the atrocities committed by the French, Haitians, English and others who participated in the revolution.Rather is explains the motivations and thinking that led to the horrible bloodshed that is associated with the revolution.

The book conveys the politics and values of the time in a way that makes it fasinating reading, without making Toussaint or Dessaline cult heroes, or the French devils.It does, however, succeed in bringing the main characters to life, which adds greatly to the enjoyment of the book. ... Read more

Product Description
During two centuries of independence from colonial rule, Haiti has developed into a society quite distinct from those found in the rest of the region. Hollywood-derived images of black magic and Graham Greene-inspired conceptions of a "nightmare republic" do scant justice to the reality of life for those who make up the third largest population in the Caribbean. How did the slaves of France's most prosperous colony defeat the armies of Napoleon, Spain, and Britain? Why did the U.S. occupation of 1915-34 fail to establish a plantation economy in Haiti? Haiti in Focus is an authoritative and up-to-date guide to this fascinating country. The guide explores the land, history and politics, economy, society and people, culture and environment, and includes tips on where to go and what to see. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A Great Overview of Haiti
This little book is very thorough, accurate, and informative.This book isn't meant for the causual globe-trotting tourist but for someone who really wants to understand Haiti.The book touches on several subjects (history, agriculture, politics, religion) and then links the subjects together in a simple but thorough way that makes sense.

It also touches on important but obscure subjects like why the well-intentioned eradication of the poor farmers' "Creole Pigs" in the 1980s led to much of the rural problems today.Or why 5 Gourdes (Haiti money) is called "one dollar", which is something that confuses new visitors.

This isn't a deep, complex book either.It's easy to read.And it doesn't seem to have any particular political bias.

If you want a good book on Haiti, this is it!

Not much depth but good approach
Too bad the book is too short and doe not go into the details of the pre- and post- independence periods of Haiti, whiwh are crucial for the country's future to come then. Otherwise a good 1st approach to the global situation of Haiti.

Good overview of Haiti
Don't purchase this book if you're looking for an in-depth travel book, an economic or cultural primer. Do purchase this book if you would like to get a general overview of Haiti, that includes a brief mention of the voodoo religion (spelled voodou in the book). It's a good starter book to learn more about the unspoken half of island of Hispanola. A quick read.

Haiti - a short introduction
This is a thin booklet providing a nice overview of Haitian culure, politics and history: it contains a little bit of everything, illustrated by photographs. The scope of the book is limited, however, and considering political conflicts and agenda, it has aged a bit since 2002 edition. I like the fact that the booklet invites you to further reading, including online resources. At times, I found the language a bit twisted and information a bit insufficient (which is to be expected). If you feel you're missing some general knowledge on Haiti, this is an excellent book to start with (and easy to take with you anywhere), but make sure you update yourself with the latest political issues, before making a decision to travel there. In the time of writing this review, most Western countries advise their citizens not to travel to Haiti. That being said, I think the front page photo provides a great insight ...

great info on Haiti
really comprehensive view of politics and life in haiti. useful tips for the traveler to Haiti including where to buy condoms! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

I've read it twice!!
I just finished reading "Paradise Lost" for the second time.Now I am going through and making notes! This is an excellent, fair and balanced account of Haiti's birth to nearly the present day.Those who are blind believers in Paul Farmer's "Uses of Haiti" will rankle at the idea that endemic racism and Haiti's plethora of predatory leaders might be responsible for the curent plight of this country.I tire of the xenophobic attitude that has held Haiti captive.The author presents a concise and very readable account from start to finish.He is not afraid to recount history without "spin" and I find this very refreshing.He does not present Duvalier and Aristide "in the same basket" but he does clearly define why both leaders were despots.Liberals will not agree with the presented facts but that only lends this excellent book more credence.The author offers a concise synopsis of why Haiti has failed and how they can succeed.I have recommended this book to many others.I GIVE "PARADISE LOST"THE HIGHEST RATING!!!

Reiew for Paradise Lost
After reading this book I went to Haiti as a missionary.Girard's historical references are very helpful and there was nothing in the book that didn't ring true.This book helped prepare me intelectually for what I saw.But... The French slave masters may have left in 1804 but literally, the slavery, the whips and the depervation of the human spirit, the complete lack of respect for human life by the have's against the have not's still remains as strong as ever.

Tragic, heartbreaking history. . . .
Philippe Girard's book about the chaos and utter hopelessness of Haiti makes for mesmerizing but disheartening reading.It seems that for 200 years, Haiti has been plagued by voodoo-like bad luck. Haiti's slaves may have staged the first and only successful uprising against one of the most brutal (French) occupations, but this did nothing to improve their lot. But as Girard makes clear, international racism is NOT the cause of Haiti's never-ending troubles!Haiti's problems are directly due to the unspeakable ineptitude and corruption of political leaders who expressed utmost contempt for the very people they were elected to Govern. Papa Doc Duvalier may have been one of the most vicious dictators, but he was in fact just one in a very long line of political leaders who have systematically stripped Haiti of whatever potential it once had.Sadly, Haiti now seems forever destined to retain its status as the poorest, most desolate nation in the western hemisphere.

Girard splendidly details Haiti's history from colonial to present-day.He writes of Haiti's entangled and complicated racial history, the abdication of the French, the contempt that the remaining ruling class of mulattoes (of mixed race and lighter skin) had for their illiterate and ill-informed darker-skinned countrymen; the US occupations; the unrelenting exploitation, pollution and pillaging of land, resources and foreign aid; the brutal repression, violence and callous indifference of politicians to building an infrastructure that would allow the country to advance from an antiquated rural-based economy to one more modern and service-oriented.

I was expecting to receive a thick, heavy history book--one that is usually issued in high school or college, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is a very SLIM volume and a very quick read, the better to showcase Mr. Girard's beautifully concise and lively writing style.I highly recommend this book to anyone remotely curious (as I was) about why Haiti continues to be the pariah of the carribean."Paradise Lost" is a real page-turner, worth every penny and more!

Provocative and informative
This is likely to be the most ground-breaking book on Haitian (or even Third World) history in a long time. Refuting the tired "this is the white imperialist's fault" that is still the Haitian mantra 200 years after independence, Girard shows that the disastrous rule of Haitian dictators like Duvalier and Aristide is the main reason why Haiti is such a mess today. One might expect a racist diatribe with such a premise, but the book is well documented, surprisingly civil, and often funny as well. ... Read more

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On February 29, 2004, the first democratically elected president of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was forced to leave his country. The president was kidnapped, along with his Haitian-American wife, by American soldiers and flown to the isolated Central African Republic.

In An Unbroken Agony, best-selling author and social justice advocate Randall Robinson chronicles his own cross-Atlantic journey to rescue the Haitian president from captivity in Africa while also connecting the fate of Aristide's presidency to the Haitian people's century-long quest for self-determination. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Informative
Purchased copies for every READING Mother that I know for Mother's Day.

A must read for those following TV evangelists claiming to know the source of Haiti's calamities.

If anyone has a list of other great books about Haiti please list.

Thanks for sharing Mr Robinson.

An Unbroken Agony
I read An Unbroken Agony: Haiti from Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President and found it interesting reading.

I also found it disturbing in two ways:First, I was troubled by the strong anti-US and anti-France approach.I was troubled by his strong emotions. Second, it disturbed me to realize that his anger at the US and France for kidnapping Aristidemay be justified. The difficulty I had was in determining whether what he said was based on fact or emotion.I was forced to decide that while the account is very emotional and therefore likely to be slanted, it is also probably accurate.

The author was an eye witness in the Central African Republic and he did hear from those who talked with the President of that country about Aristide and his house arrest.

I had to conclude that the US and France were culpable of kidnapping a president of a sovereign nation because he posed some kind of a threat to the US? To France? Or was the threat to the elite of Haiti who didn't like his attempted reforms of a very corrupt society and government?

unbelievable
Its world known that America always involve in shady deal,mingling in other countries affairs.This book clearly demonstrated how America involvement in Haiti politic when it doesnt fit the criteria of the establishment.What a shame they never forgive Haiti for what Haiti did two hundred years ago. That country could be a better place by now if they had never interfere on his social agenda.

The Shame of our Time
The book was well written but perhaps a bit biased.Nevertheless, the racismthat exists within Haiti itselfand from the wealthy "friendly" countries that surround it comes through like a blast of cold air.A must read for those who are serious students of history.

An Unbroken Agony for the Serious Scholar
Voilà some of Robinson's features in the first pages of his book:

Haiti was called "Saint Domingue" while it was still a French colony.However, Robinson uses some new interpretations of the spelling of this name; which is, after all, not some obscure appellation but the very subject of his book.On page 6 he spells it "St. Dominigue" [sic] with an extra "i" and then "San Dominigue" [sic].For the rest of the chapter he persists in his misspellings, although he occasionally uses the correct spelling, especially when he is copying and pasting a quote from another source.

On page 13, Robinson is trying to back up his assertions about the brutality of the French colonists.He pastes onto the page a large block quote from the 1990 fictional Caribbean: A Novel by James Michener.Of course, he doesn't mention that his source is nothing more than a recent novel; he employs it as if it were a first-hand eyewitness account from the 1700's.Here, Robinson is either revealing what he really thinks of the reader's intelligence, or he's redefining the term "primary source", which is, after all, the only type of source a serious historian should use.Without surprise, Robinson also doesn't bother with in-text citations of his sources, so you'd never know where he gets most of his "information".

Honestly, I couldn't continue past that gem on page 13, but "Courage!" to those who dare The Agony.

I nominate this work for the Jayson Blair Award for Phony Sources. ... Read more

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Encountering Revolution looks afresh at the profound impact of the Haitian Revolution on the early United States. The first book on the subject in more than two decades, it redefines our understanding of the relationship between republicanism and slavery at a foundational moment in American history.

For postrevolutionary Americans, the Haitian uprising laid bare the contradiction between democratic principles and the practice of slavery. For thirteen years, between 1791 and 1804, slaves and free people of color in Saint-Domingue battled for equal rights in the manner of the French Revolution. As white and mixed-race refugees escaped to the safety of U.S. cities, Americans were forced to confront the paradox of being a slaveholding republic, recognizing their own possible destiny in the predicament of the Haitian slaveholders.

Historian Ashli White examines the ways Americans -- black and white, northern and southern, Federalist and Democratic Republican, pro- and antislavery -- pondered the implications of the Haitian Revolution.

Encountering Revolution convincingly situates the formation of the United States in a broader Atlantic context. It shows how the very presence of Saint-Dominguan refugees stirred in Americans as many questions about themselves as about the future of slaveholding, stimulating some of the earliest debates about nationalism in the early republic.

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Customer Reviews (1)

Scholarly
A very solid, researched work by a prominent historian of Saint-Domingue. The book is not for every reader (it is very detailed and a tad expensive), but Haitian history buffs will get all the information they need and more. Along with Stewart King's Blue Coat and Powdered Wigs, this is the best book out there on the free people of color before the Haitian Revolution, as well as the rise of racist legislation in pre-revolutionary Haiti. ... Read more

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The liberation of Haiti under Toussaint L'Ouverture, a freed slave who became general of the slave army, which rose against the French in 1791, is told in exciting, factual narrative and enhanced by bold, full-color paintings. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's preservation reformatting program. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the text that can both be accessed online and used to create new print copies. This book and thousands of others can be found in the digital collections of the University of Michigan Library. The University Library also understands and values the utility of print, and makes reprints available through its Scholarly Publishing Office. ... Read more

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This moving story of a couple who left a life of wealth and luxury to found a hospital in rural Haiti is a vibrant and inspiring portrait of a marriage, of two cultures, and of the practice of medicine in the Third World. The youngest of the sons of William L. Mellon, Larimer Mellon seemed destined to follow his father and uncles into a life of high finance and wealth accumulation. But Larry Mellon was made of different stuff. Graduating from medical school in his mid-forties, Mellon and his wife Gwen, a medical lab technician, left their comfortable Arizona ranch and moved to poverty-stricken Haiti. In the Artibonite Valley, where life expectancy was the lowest in the hemisphere, they built the Albert Schweitzer Hospital. Larry Mellon served as a physician there for the rest of his life. And Gwen Mellon, now in her eighties, still lives in Haiti and works for the hospital.

Written by an acclaimed biographer, Song of Haiti bridges the worlds of the super-rich and the very poor and finds in a lonely valley in Haiti a mystery, a love story, and an inspiration. 24pp. photos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

a tale of two blue-blooded cowboys
Having just finished reading Song of Haiti, I can say that Larry and Gwen Mellon were great Americans whose work should be better known and widely honored...on American streets, on our stamps, on our money. We should all be proud to stand on a hilltop and scream, "at least one over-privileged American did the right thing!"

It's interesting to contrast Larry Mellon with George W. Bush, who was born with a similar set of privileges. Both men were products of wealthy northeastern families; both men were drawn to the rugged simplicity of the western cowboy lifestyle as a sort of antidote to the culture of the northeastern establishment.

But the similarities end there. After fulfilling his cowboy phase, Mellon turned the page, studied tropical medicine, and spent over thirty years improving the lives of the people of Haiti. In addition to building a great hospital, he used his ranching knowledge to build wells and irrigation systems throughout the Artibonite Valley. Bush by contrast more or less grew up a cowboy, then applied a certain brand of cowboy thinking to national and international politics.

It's shocking that Mellon's contributions are not better known. Let's hope that every time someone is crazy enough to want to name an airport or freeway after George W. Bush, it gets named instead after Larimer Mellon, the real national hero.

Inspiring Yet True to Life
Truly an engaging read that reminds us that we can choose to turn our lives around at any time. Larimer Mellon did just that at age 37, first going to medical school, then founding a hospital in Deschapelles, Haiti, that is running to this very day. The author does well to follow their project and show how their lives were intertwined by others similarly interested in Albert Schweitzer's ethos. This idea of "Reverence for Life" has led to the existence, in the middle of poorest rural Haiti, of a thriving band of expatriates, native Haitians, short-term volunteers, and visitors of various sorts dedicated to humanistic ideals.Hospital Albert Schweitzer lives on, and you can be a part of it if you choose.

A great humanitarian and noble doctor
The life of William Larimer Mellon is an example of the life Americans should dream for themselves and those they love dearly. For one who majored in biology and gave it up for 18 years in auditing the paralells to Mellon's change of career and motivations struck me deeply. On witnessing the WTC disaster personally (a few hundred yards away) man should strive for something in life and go for it. Barry Paris well written account of a life inspired by Dr. Schweitzer is highly recommended to all readers committed to God and American morals and values. If readers have a noble vision the price of this book is totally insiginificant to the highest rewards you will gather from reading it.

A Lot of Mellon A Little of Haiti
The book has two distinct sections.The first 100 pages is a report on the Mellon family lifestyle, and how a rich maverick Mellon got to Haiti.The rest of the book details Dr. and Mrs. Mellon's founding of a hospital and civil engineering projects in central Haiti.
An important finding is that the Mellon's hospital was founded on the humanitarian premise, "Reverence for life."Taken from Dr. Sweitzer's work in Africa, life refers not only to human life, but also plant and animal.This little detail is critical to understanding the book.Many missions to Haiti are Christian, while Dr. Mellon's hospital is distinctly humanistic primarily as presented in the book.
As all books on Haiti fairly present, doing anything in Haiti is hard, and without American financial support, very little work done lasts.The hospital Dr. Mellon founded did well as long as he provided two of the four million dollars needed to run it.His civil engineering projects, in which he was much more interested than medicine (he actually only practiced medicine 3 years), all crumbled when turned over to the Haitians.Many other cottage industries met the same fate.
The book thus captures the Haitian dilemna, how to serve in Haiti and lift up the Haitians to be self sufficient.If Dr. Mellon's millions couldn't do it, how can any of us with less money at our disposal.Never the less, we go to Haiti because we cannot not go, nor can we not go back after going once.
An excellent book about how a real rich guy did his best to follow his heart, not his accountant's advice, and another book about how a strong wife really does the grunt work while her husband plays with big boy's toys.

An amazing book about inspiring people
Song of Haiti is an absolutely awesome book! As a nurse who has done mission work in Haiti, I found this book authentic, a true inspiration, as well as a compelling, indepth view of the lives of many dedicated andcompassionate people. Barry Paris' work describes the country and thepeople in beautiful and fullfilling language. Oftentimes, I felt as if Iwere in Haiti again experiencing the amazing, hard-working and lovingpeople of the country. I've never before read a biography with such gripingprose. I looked forward to my time to read because I became more and moreinterested in the life of every person described - be it Dr. Mellon andGwen or Albert Schweitzer, or the nurses and doctors and friends with whomthey shared their lives. I believe this is the way that biographical workshould be written. Song of Haiti is thorough in that it covers the entiretyof Dr. Mellon's life, touching on his downfalls as well as his highacheivements. I found that the realism with which the story is told isexcellent and believable. The many everyday encounters and adventures areinteresting and mesmerizing - it makes a person want to travel andexperience the third world for all of the beauty and intensity it offers. Irecommend this book to everyone, regardless of your interest in medicine,mission work, or biography. It is amazing. ... Read more

Product Description
Presents the geography, history, economy, cities and communities, and people and culture of Haiti. Includes recipes, related projects, and a calendar of festivals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Well written account!
Great addition to my Haiti library.Flows smoothly.Historical but reads like a novel.Thanks.

ONE OF THE MOSTDETAILED & ACCURATE REPORT OF THE DUVALIER
I am a Haitian man in my late 20's. I was a few days shy from my 8th birthday when Jean-Claude Duvalier (aka BABY DOC) fled the country. I remember in my neighborhood the joy, excitment and happiness on everyone's face that morning and the endless replay of a song called "Lè'm Pa Ouè Solèy La" (meanning "WHEN I DON'T SEE THE SUN" in reference to a Haiti based radio station called RADIO SOLEY (SUN RADIO) that was shut down by Duvalier's macoutes.)

Back then, I was a kid and couldn't understand very well why so much excitment. Growing up, I've heard so many stories about both Duvalier (PAPA DOC: the father AND BABY DOC: the son). My parents and some older people in my neighborhood used to talk so much about the Duvalier... and some of the accounts were so different (as some portray Papa Doc as a savior, a man with good heart and a vision fort Haiti while others only badmouth him or simply say he was a dictator and was responsible for the fate of haiti today).

After reading "FORT-DIMANCHE: DUNGEON OF DEATH" by Patric Lemoine and "DUVALIER & THE TONTON MACOUTES" a few months earlier, my craving to learn more about 2 of the most tyranic presidents who had ruled my country for 29 years altogether has prompted me to buy this book. I can say this book is more detailed than the book called DUVALIER & THE TONTON MACOUTES... Not only "HAITI: THE DUVALIERS & THEIR LEGACY" gives an accurate and complete account of the 2 dictators, but the author also took time to go back to the Blacks and Mulatoes conflict that existed way before haiti became independent in 1804 and that still exists.

The author also explains the political events and turmoil that took place before PAPA DOC and how those circumstances influenced him before and during his presidency.

This book is definitely a MUST-READ for anyone who wants to learn about politics in Haiti and all Haitians who were born after the Duvalier regime and all Haitian-Americans who want to learn more about Haitian politics, about the Duvaliers and more....about HAITI.

so much...
This was the first book on Haiti that I read, and there is a lot of detail here.The author really spares no detail in recounting the regimes of the Duvaliers.I must admit that I may have gotten lost in the midst of it all, but I enjoyed every bit of it.That's not quite true.There were many parts of this book that I very much did not enjoy, but this was due to the facts of history and the clarity with which they were presented.I remember feeling enraged as I read (in detail) the exploits of many of the people involved and sorrow at the plight of many of the individuals whose stories are told here.For an in depth look at the Haiti of the Duvaliers, this is the book.

Like Being There
I was reminded while reading this book of listening to an excited acquaintance with an extensive and astonishing tale to tell; my attention was never lost but the temptation to stop at various points for elaboration was overwhelmed by the fast flowing story.This is by no means a bad thing.Having previously read a book on the Duvaliers, and finding it overly sanitized, this book was the right one to cure that sentiment.The skeleton is provided by a framework of Haiti's history from colonization to the exile of its first elected post-Duvalier president; the meat comes from individual tales garnered from interviews, from the horrible tortures of Duvalier victims to the decadent self-absorbed excesses of "Baby Doc" and his family which led to his ouster.The tales are so engaging that I found myself feeling the emotions reflected in the anecdotes, something a history book rarely successfully accomplishes.Even though the ultimate end of the story was already known, the personalized details lead the reader suspensefully along, eagerly wondering exactly HOW events will unfold.

The book loses the one star only because the dizzying array of places and names may tend to confuse those unfamiliar with Haitian history or geography.In that vein, I would suggest either prior to (or concurrently) reading this book, consulting another general Haitian history book so as not to slow down digesting the narrative in this one.Also, in the book's bibliography in the back, there is a LONG list of interviewees--most of whom figure prominently--along with a one or two sentence biographical sketch which I would have used extensively in sorting out some of this confusion while I read this book, had I not known it was there until after I was finished!

Content-wise, this book is 5 star.It provides insight into the origins of Haitian social and political mentalities, and a highly personal view of the depravities and decadence of the Duvaliers that could not be otherwise (or better) illustrated. ... Read more

Product Description
The U.S. invasion of Haiti in July 1915 marked the start of a military occupation that lasted for nineteen years--and fed an American fascination with Haiti that flourished even longer. Exploring the cultural dimensions of U.S. contact with Haiti during the occupation and its aftermath, Mary Renda shows that what Americans thought and wrote about Haiti during those years contributed in crucial and unexpected ways to an emerging culture of U.S. imperialism.

At the heart of this emerging culture, Renda argues, was American paternalism, which saw Haitians as wards of the United States. She explores the ways in which diverse Americans--including activists, intellectuals, artists, missionaries, marines, and politicians--responded to paternalist constructs, shaping new versions of American culture along the way. Her analysis draws on a rich record of U.S. discourses on Haiti, including the writings of policymakers; the diaries, letters, songs, and memoirs of marines stationed in Haiti; and literary works by such writers as Eugene O'Neill, James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston.

Pathbreaking and provocative, Taking Haiti illuminates the complex interplay between culture and acts of violence in the making of the American empire. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

US in Haiti
The U.S. invasion of Haiti in July 1915 marked the genesis of a military take-over that lasted for nineteen years - and informed and nurtured an American Orientalist relationship with Haiti that thrived even longer. Renda writes, "The military occupation of Haiti that began in 1915 was no sideshow... it was one of several important arenas in which the US was remade through overseas imperial ventures in the first third of the twentieth century" (Renda, Taking Haiti 12). At the core of this budding culture, Renda argues, was American paternalism, which saw Haitians as wards of the United States. Renda writes, "Paternalism should not be seen in opposition to violence, but rather as one among several cultural vehicles for it" (Renda, Taking Haiti 15). Exploring the cultural dimensions as well as foreign policy implications of U.S. contact with Haiti during the occupation and its aftermath, Mary Renda shows that what American contemplation and writing about Haiti during these formative years contributed in important and unforeseen ways to an emerging culture of U.S. imperialism. Renda writes, "The central discursive construction that supported the US presence in Haiti... It was more than mere rhetoric. It was the cultural and ideological framework within which US imperialism would be conceived and carried out" (Renda, Taking Haiti 303).

Renda looks at the ways in which an eclectic collection of Americans - including activists, intellectuals, artists, missionaries, marines, and politicians - act in response to paternalist constructs, shaping new versions of American culture along the way - in effect a transnational connection. Renda's study draws on a rich record of U.S. discourses on Haiti, including the writings of policymakers; the diaries, letters, songs, and memoirs of marines stationed in Haiti; and literary works by such writers as Eugene O'Neill, James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston. Taking Haiti shed light on the complex interplay between culture and acts of violence in the formation and construction of the American empire.

Paternalism= imperialism evolved
Renda's book illuminates the early stages of America's invisible empire: providing an excellent account of paternalism and the racial undercurrents that swell beneath the surface. While I believe she is a little too harsh in her assesment of the Wilson administration, the ideological premise and the conclusion in which she arrives is dead on. A must read for anyone with an interest in U.S. foreign policy and carribean history.

The final chapters are a bit tedious (but that could be my lack of interest in U.S. cultural exoticism) and the "gender" angle is a bit over-amplified for my taste. Otheriwse a great book.

A study of the imperialism of the U.S., a bit overstated
Paternalism is the central theme of Mary Renda's analysis of the US involvement in Haiti during the early part of the 20th century, an imperialistic foray in to what most Americans (including the thousands of US Marines sent there) considered to be a "backward," undeveloped land of childlike inhabitants.Renda asks two questions in this well-written book: "who did US American men think they were in Haiti and how did the people of the United States imagine themselves when they read about their nation's occupation there?" (9) She structures her study in two parts, in order to answer each of these concerns.
Statesmen, diplomats and soldiers of the U.S. involved in the invasion and occupation of Haiti in the second decade of the 20th century brought with them a piece of cultural baggage known as paternalism.By observing and reacting to Haiti with this frame of reference, U.S. Americans almost universally saw their duty as occupiers as being in the role of parent to the native Haitians, to bring to the island and its people the benefits of what U.S. Americans regarded as order, stability, secure commerce and modern, rational customs."Paternalism," she notes, "was the cultural flagship of the United States in Haiti." (15) As agents of U.S. cultural conscription, Marines tried to remake Haiti in to something of their own image of American society primarily through coersive means, though this largely failed due to Haitian resistance.Nevertheless, attitudes toward race, gender and sexuality the soldiers brought with them was the lens through which they viewed this island to be tamed. The racism of the Marines made them see the native Haitians as either ignorant "children," or savages not worthy to rule themselves.Through this paternalistic discourse, policy makers "appealed to the marine's sense of manhood," (303) which made the later look on their roles as that of fathers to children.This of course did not apply to the rebels they were expected to kill."Seeing people of African heritage as children," Renda concludes, "enabled marines to imagine themselves acting on protective and disciplining motivations.Seeing them as targets, however, did not." (156)
Renda argues in chapters 5 and 6 that the Marines' occupation in Haiti had a pronounced effect upon U.S. citizens at home; it was a military intervention that remade U.S. America.She writes that the US imperialism "could...intervene in domestic cultural politics," (185) and she attempts to support this claim by pointing to the popularity of the journalism of American writer James Weldon Johnson, Eugene O'Neill's hit play about a Caribbean leader entitled The Emperor Jones, a novel, film, and cruise line travels to the island in the 1920s.With regard to these claims, Renda is unconvincing.It is difficult to agree with her conclusion that Haiti was "no sideshow" (15) given other larger and more significant U.S. ventures abroad including World War I, the administration of the Panama Canal, and continued U.S. involvement in the Pacific Islands.Renda acknowledges this issue herself by quoting NAACP President Moorfield Story: "It is very hard to get the people to consider anything except the war [in Europe.]" (189) Additionally, Renda offers no convincing evidence as to how many Americans actually read Johnson's work or cruised the islands; the mere fact that critics acclaimed O'Neill's play is hardly proof of a significant intervention in cultural politics.
Despite these limitations, Taking Haiti is an excellent study of the imperialism of the U.S. in which Renda identifies clearly the racial, sexual and gender apparatus that came along with the marines, all under the cloak of interventionist paternalism, the "cultural fabric" of Haitian occupation. (303) ... Read more

Product Description
In 1934 the republic of Haiti celebrated its 130th anniversary as an independent nation. In that year, too, another sort of Haitian independence occurred, as the United States ended nearly two decades of occupation. In the first comprehensive political history of postoccupation Haiti, Matthew Smith argues that the period from 1934 until the rise of dictator Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier to the presidency in 1957 constituted modern Haiti's greatest moment of political promise.

Smith emphasizes the key role that radical groups, particularly Marxists and black nationalists, played in shaping contemporary Haitian history. These movements transformed Haiti's political culture, widened political discourse, and presented several ideological alternatives for the nation's future. They were doomed, however, by a combination of intense internal rivalries, pressures from both state authorities and the traditional elite class, and the harsh climate of U.S. anticommunism. Ultimately, the political activism of the era failed to set Haiti firmly on the path to a strong independent future. ... Read more