Award-winning writer Edwidge Danticat was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 1969. By the age of four, her parents had immigrated to America, leaving Edwidge and her younger brother Andre to be raised by their aunt and uncle. As a result, she quickly came to see them as a second set of parents to both herself and her brother. So, Edwidge stayed in Haiti with her beloved Uncle Joseph and Aunt Denise for the next eight years.
Edwidge was twelve years old when her parents sent for their two children to come join the rest of their family in New York City. Although she was elated to be reunited with her family again, she was also deeply saddened to be leaving Haiti behind. As she slowly began to make a life for herself in a new country, Edwidge struggled to adjust to living so far away from those she loved. Although their hearts and thoughts were never far from those whom they loved, Edwidge and her family continued to fear for the safety of those still living in Haiti as they watched the political situation rapidly deteriorate.
In 2004, tensions reached a boiling point and the Haitian people were swept up in events beyond their control. Life changed drastically for Edwidge as well: on the same sweltering July day that she learned that she was pregnant, she also learned that her father was suffering from end-stage pulmonary fibrosis. As she struggled to process such disparate events - tempering her sense of exhilaration with a certain amount of devastation - Edwidge eventually decided that her family's complex story deserved to be told; as much to commemorate her father's close relationship with his brother, as for the benefit of her relatives still living in Haiti.
I have to say that this is an extraordinary book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and found Ms. Danticat's story to be beautifully written and deeply thought-provoking - filled with a poignancy and bravery that I absolutely admire. I would certainly give this book an A+!
Edwidge was twelve years old when her parents sent for their two children to come join the rest of their family in New York City. Although she was elated to be reunited with her family again, she was also deeply saddened to be leaving Haiti behind. As she slowly began to make a life for herself in a new country, Edwidge struggled to adjust to living so far away from those she loved. Although their hearts and thoughts were never far from those whom they loved, Edwidge and her family continued to fear for the safety of those still living in Haiti as they watched the political situation rapidly deteriorate.
In 2004, tensions reached a boiling point and the Haitian people were swept up in events beyond their control. Life changed drastically for Edwidge as well: on the same sweltering July day that she learned that she was pregnant, she also learned that her father was suffering from end-stage pulmonary fibrosis. As she struggled to process such disparate events - tempering her sense of exhilaration with a certain amount of devastation - Edwidge eventually decided that her family's complex story deserved to be told; as much to commemorate her father's close relationship with his brother, as for the benefit of her relatives still living in Haiti.
I have to say that this is an extraordinary book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and found Ms. Danticat's story to be beautifully written and deeply thought-provoking - filled with a poignancy and bravery that I absolutely admire. I would certainly give this book an A+!
