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mistymeadows's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thatlizhunter's review against another edition
4.0
so was the curse real? i'm still confused with the last 100 pages or so.
but i did LOVE ALAINE and her mom was so precious, and the sheer weigh of Haitian history weighing on this story was beautiful, it is such a great read.
but i did LOVE ALAINE and her mom was so precious, and the sheer weigh of Haitian history weighing on this story was beautiful, it is such a great read.
katscribefever's review against another edition
3.0
This story about a plucky young woman with a huge personality and the courage to match it made good on its promise to take the reader on a twisty journey: it is dense, jam-packed with information, and was--truth be told--a job to get through. However, Alaine's unique ancestry project gave the reader insight into her fearlessly unfiltered perspective as an ambitious student and daughter; it kept me far too invested to even consider giving up.
bookrecsplease's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a bit slow at the beginning, and then the plot was just a little bland to me. I loved being able to see so many different sides of Haiti, Haitian culture and Haitian history, but the character development was really lacking. The only characters the authors attempted to build up at all to let us get to know was the protagonist, and the four main players around her. There were several other characters tossed in to the plot that seemed like throw-away plot points honestly, like the out of place romance. There were also some really dark subject matters that were totally glossed over and treated pretty lightly. However, the style of utilizing many different sources of writing to move the story along kept it going at a pretty good pace starting at about a quarter of the way through the book, and it did get me thinking a lot about what happened being part of a curse or just normal life circumstances.
bookofcinz's review against another edition
4.0
Dear Haiti, Love Alaine is the Moulite Sisters' love letter to their dear, dear Haiti and I am happy to hear it won’t be their last because I want more of this!
In Dear Haiti, Love Alaine we are introduced to Alaine, a 17 year old Haitian American living in Miami with her father while her mother works her high profile Television job in DC. Alaine is a confident young lady, she knows exactly what she wants for her future and is willing to work at it. She is sarcastic, funny and rumbustious- not your typical teenager but she is fine with that.
Alaine attends a private school in Miami where a lot of the attendees are very rich and privilege. During one of Alaine’s school project things went left and she is asked to take a leave of absence (not a suspension because you know the family donated to the school over the years so they are afforded this privilege). For her two months absence Alaine will visit live in Haiti and work at her Tati Estelle’s non-profit organization.
Alaine is not sold on living in Haiti but embraces the experience for what is it. She also gets to spend some time with her Mother who is recuperating after having a show down on national television. Alaine makes best use of her time trying to uncover and learn more about Haiti and the family curse she grew up hearing about. This curse will change Alaine in ways she is not prepared for…
First let me say, it is not every day I read a book written by Haitian sisters that flowed seamlessly. I thought it would going to be choppy but Maika and Maritza did a solid job in writing this book together. I loved the character of Alaine, she was believable, real, very interesting and laugh out loud funny at times. I also loved that the authors gave the main character emotional range while making it realistic. A solid job for character development.
I have always had a soft spot for Haiti. I think the World does not give Haiti and Haitians the respect they deserve for being the first free Republic in history and actually fighting for that freedom. With that said, I was so happy that majority of the book was set in Haiti, I learned so much about the culture, I even have a itinerary for when I do visit. I loved hearing about all the historical facts… yoew, Haiti is just so rich with history.
Overall I really enjoyed this book- why not a five star? I felt that the book could have been a bit shorter and tighter. I felt there were a lot of sub-plots and characters that didn’t add to the overall plot but took away from it. I felt the book could have been shortened by 50-80 pages had we focused mostly on Alaine and her core family. I also felt the ending fell apart a little.
Regardless, this is a great YA read, that’s packed with history and filled with a character that will keep you entertained! Truly it was a delight reading this!
What I learned reading this book
“Jean-Jacques Dessalines: Called for the massacre of Haiti’s white minority, which resulted in several thousand deaths. He became emperor of Haiti in 1804 and was assassinated in 1806. Fun fact: Haiti’s theme song (that is, national anthem), La Dessalinienne, is named after him.”
Dutty Boukman: A slave who was born in Jamaica who eventually became an early leader of the Haitian Revolution. On August 14, 1791, Boukman (along with a vodou priestess named Cécile Fatiman) led the religious ceremony at Bois Caïman that served as the catalyst for the Haitian Revolution.
In Dear Haiti, Love Alaine we are introduced to Alaine, a 17 year old Haitian American living in Miami with her father while her mother works her high profile Television job in DC. Alaine is a confident young lady, she knows exactly what she wants for her future and is willing to work at it. She is sarcastic, funny and rumbustious- not your typical teenager but she is fine with that.
Alaine attends a private school in Miami where a lot of the attendees are very rich and privilege. During one of Alaine’s school project things went left and she is asked to take a leave of absence (not a suspension because you know the family donated to the school over the years so they are afforded this privilege). For her two months absence Alaine will visit live in Haiti and work at her Tati Estelle’s non-profit organization.
Alaine is not sold on living in Haiti but embraces the experience for what is it. She also gets to spend some time with her Mother who is recuperating after having a show down on national television. Alaine makes best use of her time trying to uncover and learn more about Haiti and the family curse she grew up hearing about. This curse will change Alaine in ways she is not prepared for…
First let me say, it is not every day I read a book written by Haitian sisters that flowed seamlessly. I thought it would going to be choppy but Maika and Maritza did a solid job in writing this book together. I loved the character of Alaine, she was believable, real, very interesting and laugh out loud funny at times. I also loved that the authors gave the main character emotional range while making it realistic. A solid job for character development.
I have always had a soft spot for Haiti. I think the World does not give Haiti and Haitians the respect they deserve for being the first free Republic in history and actually fighting for that freedom. With that said, I was so happy that majority of the book was set in Haiti, I learned so much about the culture, I even have a itinerary for when I do visit. I loved hearing about all the historical facts… yoew, Haiti is just so rich with history.
Overall I really enjoyed this book- why not a five star? I felt that the book could have been a bit shorter and tighter. I felt there were a lot of sub-plots and characters that didn’t add to the overall plot but took away from it. I felt the book could have been shortened by 50-80 pages had we focused mostly on Alaine and her core family. I also felt the ending fell apart a little.
Regardless, this is a great YA read, that’s packed with history and filled with a character that will keep you entertained! Truly it was a delight reading this!
What I learned reading this book
“Jean-Jacques Dessalines: Called for the massacre of Haiti’s white minority, which resulted in several thousand deaths. He became emperor of Haiti in 1804 and was assassinated in 1806. Fun fact: Haiti’s theme song (that is, national anthem), La Dessalinienne, is named after him.”
Dutty Boukman: A slave who was born in Jamaica who eventually became an early leader of the Haitian Revolution. On August 14, 1791, Boukman (along with a vodou priestess named Cécile Fatiman) led the religious ceremony at Bois Caïman that served as the catalyst for the Haitian Revolution.
rkiladitis's review against another edition
4.0
Alaine is a smart, witty, outspoken 17-year-old Haitian-American teen living in Miami with her father. Her mother, a high-profile cable news journalist, has an on-air meltdown that puts Alaine in the crosshairs of the mean girls at school; she retaliates with a school project that goes sideways. Her psychiatrist father intervenes and comes up with an appropriate "punishment" for Alaine: she must spend two months volunteering with her Tati Estelle's startup fundraising app in Haiti. Alaine's mother is already there, spending time pulling herself together after events leading up to the on-air breakdown. As Alaine spends more time in Haiti, the burgeoning journalism student discovers her love for Haiti and its history, and stumbles onto family secrets and a situation with her aunt's organization that's sending up red flags.
Told through e-mails, postcards, journal entries, and in Alaine's voice, Dear Haiti, Love Alaine is an unputdownable look at Haiti, its history, and its people, all wreathed in magical realism tied into the heart of the country. Alaine's voice is strong and clear; she's dealing with a seemingly nonstop onslaught of feelings and stressors and works through them all as they come. She desperately wants to improve the relationship between herself and her high-powered, emotionally distant mother, but sometimes, she isn't even sure where to begin. She's as confused by her aunt as she adores her. And does she dare explore a relationship with the fellow intern in her aunt's Patron Pal startup? (Hint: Uh, YEAH.) There's never a lull in the storytelling here, which will endear readers to Alaine and her family, and inspire an interest in learning more about Haiti's rich, yet troubled, history.
If this is the debut for sisters Maika Moulike and Maritza Moulike, I can't wait to see what's next. Dear Haiti, Love Alaine has starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly and Booklist.
Told through e-mails, postcards, journal entries, and in Alaine's voice, Dear Haiti, Love Alaine is an unputdownable look at Haiti, its history, and its people, all wreathed in magical realism tied into the heart of the country. Alaine's voice is strong and clear; she's dealing with a seemingly nonstop onslaught of feelings and stressors and works through them all as they come. She desperately wants to improve the relationship between herself and her high-powered, emotionally distant mother, but sometimes, she isn't even sure where to begin. She's as confused by her aunt as she adores her. And does she dare explore a relationship with the fellow intern in her aunt's Patron Pal startup? (Hint: Uh, YEAH.) There's never a lull in the storytelling here, which will endear readers to Alaine and her family, and inspire an interest in learning more about Haiti's rich, yet troubled, history.
If this is the debut for sisters Maika Moulike and Maritza Moulike, I can't wait to see what's next. Dear Haiti, Love Alaine has starred reviews from Publisher's Weekly and Booklist.
thenextgenlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
What a unique read! This book is full of historical context, journal entries, texts, letters, emails and realistic fiction writing styles. I learned so much and loved it! What a cool way to write and tell a story. These sisters were hilarious at TXLA 2019 and I had so much fun talking to them and watching their lip sync battle. Buy this book for your YA reader! #weneeddiversebooks
ljesica's review against another edition
3.0
Alaine is a senior in high school. She is a first generation Haitian American. She lives with her dad in Miami and her mom is a political tv personality living in DC. She knows her mom is busy but longs for the day they can have a closer relationship.
Alaine is sassy and smart and has a low tolerance for the BS that goes on with the popular kids in high school. After a stunt gone wrong, she agrees to finish her semester in Haiti, doing volunteer work in lieu of being suspended.
Her mom is also in Haiti after slapping a politician on live tv. She is staying with her twin sister Estelle in the family's estate. Estelle runs an organization that helps raise money for the children of Haiti and Alaine is there to help out.
This story was a lot of things. It talks about growing up, family dynamics, early onset Alzheimer's, vodou in relation to their family curse, guilt and moving on. It is a love letter to Haiti, and a reminder that they are still recovering from the earthquake that hit them 10 years ago. It wasn't necessarily what I thought it would be but I liked it!
Alaine is sassy and smart and has a low tolerance for the BS that goes on with the popular kids in high school. After a stunt gone wrong, she agrees to finish her semester in Haiti, doing volunteer work in lieu of being suspended.
Her mom is also in Haiti after slapping a politician on live tv. She is staying with her twin sister Estelle in the family's estate. Estelle runs an organization that helps raise money for the children of Haiti and Alaine is there to help out.
This story was a lot of things. It talks about growing up, family dynamics, early onset Alzheimer's, vodou in relation to their family curse, guilt and moving on. It is a love letter to Haiti, and a reminder that they are still recovering from the earthquake that hit them 10 years ago. It wasn't necessarily what I thought it would be but I liked it!
meesha_mo's review against another edition
5.0
This book is beautifully and honestly written. The family dynamics are so realistic and I liked that the issues were resolved - although not necessarily conventionally - at the end.