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texcajunlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
An incredibly moving, interesting, and relevant non-fiction novel. Has to be one of the best books I read all year.
kcdarmody's review against another edition
4.0
Death and life, never far apart. This is a raw and touching account of the bonds of family and the pain of life in two worlds. It offers a damning look at US immigration policy where Haitians are concerned. The heart of the memoir is this:
“He shouldn’t be here,” my father said, tearful and breathlessly agitated, shortly before drifting off to sleep that night. “If our country were ever given a chance and allowed to be a country like any other, none of us would live or die here.”
“He shouldn’t be here,” my father said, tearful and breathlessly agitated, shortly before drifting off to sleep that night. “If our country were ever given a chance and allowed to be a country like any other, none of us would live or die here.”
elempr's review against another edition
5.0
Very sad book. Amazing to read this story. Danticat is great
shaynicole's review against another edition
5.0
Words cannot fully express how much I enjoyed reading this book. Not only was it a beautifully written story about Danticat's love for both her father and uncle, it highlights what needs to be addressed about the dangers of political warfare and immigration laws. I would enthusiastically recommend this to anyone.
hakeyplummet's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
pottsmonica's review against another edition
4.0
Danticat is always elegantly sparse and heartbreaking.
labyrinth_witch's review against another edition
5.0
Edwidge Danticat takes my breath away. Her writing is captivating. I feel completely invested in the people of her story, in her and her family. I feel as if I have lived through the horror and heartbreak of what the US has done to Haiti, of the horrible immigration system, and of the legacy of dehumanizations that we still enact today. I cried through most of this book, so deeply did it touch me. I particularly resonated with the maternal story threads, about mothers giving birth, children and the adult who love them. Family. It really shows how the "boundaries" between the US and Haiti disappear, how one's privilege maps onto another's suffering in the here and now.
gracekeltner's review
4.0
Read this for class and was supposed to take 2 weeks to finish it. I read it in 3 days. That should tell you everything you need to know. I’m not going to blather on here about it because I’ve had to do so much writing about it for class already. But I definitely recommend.
hanntastic's review against another edition
5.0
Edwidge Danticat is an amazing writer. This was a beautiful, heart-breaking, inspiring book.