Anacaona: Golden Flower, Haiti, 1490

The Royal Diaries

by Edwidge Danticat

With her signature narrative grace, Edwidge Danticat brings Haiti's beautiful queen Anacaona to life. Queen Anacaona was the wife of one of her island's rulers, and a composer of songs and poems, making her popular among her people. Haiti was relatively quiet until the Spanish conquistadors discovered the island and began to settle there in 1492. The Spaniards treated the natives very cruelly, and when the natives revolted, the Spanish governor of Haiti ordered the arrests of several native nobles, including Anacaona, who was eventually captured and executed, to the horror of her people.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Childrens, Royalty

187 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

Edwidge Danticat is a Haitian American novelist and short story writer. Her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, was published in 1994 and went on to become an Oprah's Book Club selection. Danticat has since written or edited several books and has been the recipient of many awards and honors. Her work has dealt with themes of national identity, mother-daughter relationships, and diasporic politics. In 2023, she was named the Wun Tsun Tam Mellon Professor of the Humanities in the department of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Columbia University.

Reviews

[Diz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This work of historical fiction portrays the Taino leader Anacaona in her youth, a leader that would face the violent and brutal invasion of Christopher Columbus. It starts off as an account of village life, but slowly Anacaona starts to have dreams that seem to be pointing towards a dark future. By the end of the book, the story does not hold back on the brutalities that occurred in this period of history. In fact, it went a bit further than I expected for a book for younger readers. It is a very dark story with a sad ending.

As for the reading experience, it's a bit slow at first, but it picks up towards the end.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Scholastic Royal Diaries series. They remind me very much of my childhood. I've read this particular one many times. It is a very interesting and enjoyable book and truly one of the better ones from the series.

[Kelsey Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the final Royal Diary that I needed to read. It brought an interesting culture to life and introduced me to a remarkable woman I knew nothing about.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wish I liked this book more. I loved the historical note and the epilogue and the brief glimpses we got into Anacaona’s character. But the first two thirds were very plodding and uneventful, and didn’t keep me interested at all. It reminded me of Lady of Palenque in that it was very didactic, but it was a lot more accessible and easy to read.

I don’t have much to say outside of the last third was the most interesting. Unfortunately, that was when the Spanish showed up and started causing trouble. Anacaona’s personality and voice shined through for me in this part, and it finally felt like there were stakes involved in this story. It was also a great way to introduce younger girls to imperialism and how awful it was. While I found the Taíno culture fascinating and I loved learning about it, the story itself was not enough to keep me interested for long periods of time. It’s a shame, because Anacaona sounds like an awesome ruler.

I will say this book makes me want to do more research about Anacaona. Edwidge Danticat did a great job in getting me interested in learning more.

10/11 edit: After giving it more thought, I’ve decided to give this three stars. I think the fact that I learned a lot about a different culture and a queen that was incredibly brave and, overall, human, made me reconsider.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish that these books would shift their pacing to accommodate a greater focus on these women's lives after they began their political careers, instead of camping out so long in the adolescent "waiting"/"I want" stages. I understand that that would rather defeat the purpose of humanizing their girlhood for young readers, but it would also make the series much more interesting, imho.

Ah, well. This was fine. (Can you tell that I'm already starting to lose interest in this reading project and that it may have been adopted prematurely? 😅)

<< seventh book read for my Royal Diaries 2024 self-challenge >>

🎧 "Bad Blood" by Sleeping at Last

[Ana Mardoll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anacaona, Golden Flower / 0-439-49906-2

The Royal Diaries rarely disappoint, but "Anacaona" brings a new level of pleasure and depth to the series. Our heroine is realistically mature, as she navigates the waters of her unique culture and her own progress from child to young woman.

Anacaona's unique and fascinating culture is presented beautifully here. Her uncle, the ruler of their community, is one of the more admirable rulers in the series (as opposed to many of the European monarchs) and - while he is certainly not perfect - strives to understand his people and to govern fairly, kindly, and wisely. He trains his two potential successors (Anacaona and her brother) in all the work of the community, so that they will be wise rulers.

Anacaona's community is a unique look at a non-European community and is certain to stimulate young minds. Of particular interest is the custom of the village healer consuming his own remedies - imagine the increased empathy of the chemist who must sample his own potions, imagine the interest in learning and science which would have been stoked in the European dark ages if surgeons had to submit to their own knives and leeches alongside their patients! Although the idea may seem quaint and strange, it is hardly deniable that a doctor who must take his own medicine will be deeply interested in curing, rather than accidentally poisoning, his patients.

It is worth noting that this Royal Diary is unique among the series in that the narrator is married and gives birth over the course of the narrative. This is handled delicately, with judicious leaps in time to avoid details which might be deemed unsuitable for children - there is never any suggestion of Anacaona's marital behavior which led to her pregnancy.

Since this diary deals with the arrival of Europeans in Haiti, the novel takes a violent turn. The Europeans realistically murder and brutalize the population, including cutting off hands and shooting at small babies. The Europeans also force native women to (euphemistically) 'stay in their camp' with them - and it should be noted that these unfortunate women are accidentally slaughtered when the Haitians launch a counter-attack. Everything here is historically correct and, I believe, an important facet of history which should be known, but this book may be too violent for very small or sensitive children.

~ Ana Mardoll

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the beginning of Anacaona the author acknowledges that the Taino had no system of writing or reading and then goes on to write a stilted and unpleasant "diary" littered with typos. Just because you had to fake that Anacaona could have potentially written a diary doesn't mean you had to write it poorly.

[Never Without a Book · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted more back history behind each diary entry. The last part of the book was the best.

[Kelsey Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very happy when I found out that Edwidge Danticat decided to write a book for the Royal Diaries series. She is an excellent writer and her books that take place in Haiti are very well written and showcase Haitian culture and the impact that colonialism has had on the native people. This book was no exception. It is rich with culture and has an admirable historical figure as the main character. I tend to like reading about the non-European princesses in the Royal Diaries series simply because they were allowed to do more than simply get married. Anacoana was a courageous warrior and leader who had very real responsibilities. This is a bit more mature than the average Royal Diaries book because it involves more death and battles and Anacona actually marries and has a child over the course of the book. I greatly enjoyed this book, one of my favorite Royal Diaries books.

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book at the Cumberland Regional Rainbow Gathering. I was jonesing for a book, and a nice man had this one to offer.

I enjoyed reading the book, although the whole idea of a "Royal Diaries" series rubs me the wrong way. Why not the "Peasant Diaries" or the "Common Folk Diaries"?

The idea behind this particular title is even more annoying, as the book explains that Anacaona was from a culture without a written language. There is no way this woman even kept a diary!

However, I did appreciate that this book was based on historical facts and was about a woman who rebelled against Christopher Columbus and his men. Rebelling against oppression kicks ass!

If I'm going to read about royalty, it's cool to learn about the leader of an indigenous culture who led her people against conquistadors.

[Emory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book might have broken my heart. By far the darkest Royal Diaries in the series and possibly the saddest. The ending shines a light on the horrors of colonization. I learned a lot more about an issue that I shamefully didn’t know much about.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

#ReadHarder2020 Tasks #20: Middle-grade book that takes place outside of the US/UK and #7 Historical fiction not set during WWII

I loved the Royal Diaries series when I was a preteen, so I was eager to use this challenge as a way to explore some of the ones I never got to read. Even as someone who tended to prefer the books about non-European royalty, I never quite got to Anacaona: maybe thinking, know what little I did about the Taino and their eventual fate, that it would be too depressing. But this book was not that at all, and I think it does Anacaona true justice that, per what she says at the end, Edwidge Danticat ensures that her people's encounter with Columbus's ships are only a small part of her overall life story. It felt like a real reclaiming of that narrative, without making it less accurate. Danticat extensively researched this volume and along the way I learned so much about Taino culture and Anacaona herself -- and felt all the more frustrated that, despite being very well-read on the history of the Americas' conquest, I knew so little about Anacaona or her culture until this moment. Danticat's version of her is such a spirited, admirable character with just enough edges to feel real. Overall, a very speedy and enriching read that made me want to dive back into a series I loved as a kid. (Put out more e-book editions of these, Scholastic!)

[zara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe I’d never read this growing up! 7 y/o and I read it as part of home schooling, and I was worried about 7 y/o getting bored, but we both found ourselves engrossed in Anacaona’s story. Organized by lunar cycles and harvests instead of chapters, this book gives an amazing glimpse into the lives of the Taíno people of Quisqueya (now Haiti and the Dominican Republic) — how they ate, how they treated their ailments, built alliances, honored their dead. Incredibly interesting and educational.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read this series since I was a kid, but I had to read this one because I was reading a book on Caribbean archaeology and Anacaona was mentioned. In the search to learn more about her, this was one of the only sources I could get my hands on. Yes, it isn't always action-packed, but I found the writing very strong for the most part, and the end was well done. I'm happy that kids (and older people who still read children's books) can learn at least a little about Taino culture and native people of modern Haiti/Dominican Republic through this book.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably my favorite of the Royal Diaries series so far!

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to say it, but I was rather disappointed by this "Royal Diary." I rediscovered the series in the Children's section of the library (it was next to Harry Potter,) and was intrigued by the fact that Anacaona was set in Haiti. I really liked this series when I was younger, so I thought I'd give it a try. I don't know if my expectations were too high (not really) or if I'm getting too old for this series (more likely) or what (hoping for this one,) but it just fell flat. It was really disappoint because I felt like this had so much more potential. Unlike Marie Antoinette or Elizabeth I, I have a feeling few people know anything about Anacaona or Haitian culture in general. The book just fell flat for me. I didn't really care about Anacaona or anyone else in the book- and it wasn't for lack of trying. The story seemed a bit slow, and when the conquistadors show up, it was just bad. One of the good things about this book is that it puts imperialism in perspective a bit (or as much as you can hope for in a children's book.) Although the story of colonialism in Haiti and Anacaona's fate ends in a tragedy, I appreciated Danticat's efforts to end with a hopeful note.
I guess my overall review of Anacaona would be good intentions, not so sure if the actual execution was where it could be. I will say it made me want to read and learn more about Haiti, and I do think it would be a good way to expose younger kids to something they probably won't learn in school or anywhere else. So I guess I'd recommend it for young readers, but tell older readers to tackle a more substantial book if they're looking to learn about Anacaona.

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Edwidge Danticat's writing and I love this story! It's the story of Anacaona, a woman who lived in the late 1400's in what is now Haiti. Danticat writes a fictitious journal that reveals how Anacaona's life may have been. There was no written language, so Danticat uses what is known of that time period and uses that information to produce a work of historical fiction. The book is written for youngsters, but I enjoyed reading it and learning about these early, native people.

In this matrilineal society, Anacaona is groomed to be a ruler. She married and bore a daughter. The story of the Spanish invaders is also part of Anacaona's story. Tomorrow is Columbus Day, here. After reading this book, I will never again regard Columbus Day as a 'good' day. This book is a wonderful way to introduce a love of history and a respect toward world cultures to the grade-school child.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another princess book. I thought this one was very interesting because it's about people coming from Europe and how they treated all the native people. 04/06/2006

[The Book Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is completely unrelated to the book, but every time I see the title I always think of 'Anaconda'.

[Emanuela · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I first read this book when I was around 8 years old and for the longest time it was the only book would read. I remember seriously loving it and even as a child could understand how dark and twisted Christopher Columbus was before I even knew who he was. I decided to pick it up again not only for nostalgia’s sake but because I really wanted to learn about Haiti’s history pre Columbus. I think that the author did a good job of immersing the reader in the Taino culture and lifestyle.

I remember it ending a bit differently though for some reason I thought it ended with her death but we just read about that in the epilogue. I do like the way it ended however seeing as this is a kids book I think it’s good that there was some kind of happy ending before we learnt that the whole indigenous race was murdered to the point of near extinction.

I feel like the last sentence perfectly sums up what the book is about. “I do want it to be a story whose veracity the young ones will ask me to confirm when I am an old woman [...] But I do not want it to become the only story we ever have to share with one another. It cannot be. It must not be.” The biggest critique I see about this book is that the story isn’t interesting until the end. Though this story is about the way Anacaona and her family fought against the Spanish, it isn’t the most important story to tell. Edwidge Danticat used this novel as a way to shine a light on all aspects of Taino history and culture so that they can be known for more than their encounters with the white man.

It is dark for a kids book but I think it’s an important thing for kids to read about historical figures who have maybe been left out of history before. As an Australian, reading this book as a kid was the only exposure I had to any kind of Native American history and I’m certain that no one would be able to recognise Anacaona’s name. I appreciate this story for representing a group that no longer has the voice to represent itself.

Also Disney, where is my Princess Anacaona movie? Make it a dark one like Notre Dame I need this in my life.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The entire Royal Diaries series is near and dear to my heart as I grew up reading most of them. Recently I discovered that there were four that were published after I moved on from the series, and I have acquired them to read for nostalgia's sake (and, as a member of the Pokemon generation, have the compulsive need to complete my set).
This novel follows the coming-of-age of Anacaona, ruler of the Taíno people at the time of the Spanish invasion. It begins just before her "hair ceremony," the traditional coming-of-age ceremony for Taíno girls, and goes through her engagement, marriage, the birth of her daughter, and their first encounters with the Spanish invaders. Anacaona was trained from birth to be a ruler of one of the Taíno tribes, and carried out her duties faithfully even after the death of her husband, as the Epilogue shows. While the book manages to immerse the reader in a distant land and culture, it does so without alienating the reader or making the reader feel as though they have to constantly flip back and forth from the glossary. The Epilogue and historical notes help to paint the picture of the life Anacaona would have led, and the world she would have led it in, in addition. The characterization was steady, even if there were more "aha!" moments plainly stated than I would care for, it *is* supposed to be the diary of a teenager, and what teenager doesn't make every revelation seem like *the* revelation they were meant to have all along?
I would recommend this book for elementary and middle school readers. There is no graphic language or sex, but there is violence (not terribly graphic). Three stars.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good read in my opinion, and very important for young readers. Hatian-American writer Edwidge Danticat writes in an entertaining yet informational manner. I have learned a great deal about Taíno life and culture. I have also learned a new indigenous perspective on the coming of Christopher Columbus and his invaders in 1492 and then on, especially how the Taínos did not know how to label the Spaniards–gods, Night Marchers (deceased people crossing over into the afterlife), etc. which left them confused as how to approach them. This book is also written in the perspective of a mother who wanted to protect her daughter from men who had intentions to kill. This is precisely where it becomes emotional, yet it is important to read because the coming of Columbus to the Caribbean and other lands was not, in fact, something to be celebrated, but a devastating event that led to countless deaths, including Anacaona's at age 29, despite, as Danticat explains, her efforts to get along with them. This is a great way for readers to learn the devastation (and brutal reality) of Christopher Columbus' "discovery" of the Americas that I think greatly supplements any history lesson or textbook: the fictitious aspect of it (as it is historical fiction) allows you to better sense emotionally what was going on at the time.

[Tegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been collecting this series since it was first published, and I was just given the final four I needed to complete my collection. Though I've long since aged out of its target demographic of girls aged 9-12, I still think The Royal Diaries is a fantastic series. The shtick is that the books are diaries written by the historical women when they were tweens or teens. The books explore the cultural context, family life, and interests of the diarist. We also get their perspective on major world events.

What's tricky about this one is that not... a ton happens until the last third or quarter or so, when the Europeans arrive. I don't think it was boring per se. It was still interesting to read about a Taíno woman going about her daily life in 1490s Haiti as she prepares to take on a leadership role either within her own community or a potential future husband's.

Actually, the biggest complaint I have is a biographical note at the end, which says that Anacaona "was captured by the Spanish in 1493, and hanged." I had skipped ahread to the end notes before actually reading the diary, so I was really surprised when we got to 1492 in the story. Like, wow, we're not going right up until the end are we? Indeed, no. She was actually killed in 1503. I'm deeply unimpressed that this typo made it in.

[Sen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up for two reasons: Nostalgia (I remember really enjoying the Royal Diaries series when I was younger) and representation (I am of Puerto Rican Taino descent). However, within the first page there was misinformation about the Taino people. The author claims that the Taino people could only count until the number twenty "the number of their fingers and toes." This is not true. The indigenous people of the Caribbean and Southern America had a base twenty number system. The best way to describe this is that English is base ten: we have the digits 0-9. A clumsy equivalent would be that the Taino digits were something like 0,1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J. So while we have 10, 20, 30, 40, ect, Tainos would be jumping every twenty. When the Europeans came, they did not understand this and falsely assumed that the Tainos were ignorant of math. Beyond this error, the book, written by a Haitian American author was decent. A little heavy on explaining Taino customs and beauty standards, but otherwise it was appropriate for it's age group. I just think it could have been better researched and done. The more I think about it, the more I am annoyed about the numbers thing.

[Angelica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book a four out of five because I feel like it paints a good picture of what life would have been like before the Spaniards invaded the Caribbean. The novel starts by saying that Anacaona and her people wouldn't have written down things as we do today, but the first entry helps with that by saying that her Uncle has given her some sort of creation to write upon. The story then goes on to explain about the simple and contented life that they all live, despite the threat of the Kalina's (a war-like group) and hurricanes (which is apart of our vocabulary because of them) and the ominous visions and dreams that Anacaonda has. The story then moves to Anacaona's marriage and then subsequent motherhood (which is unusual for a Royal Diaries book) and then her people's first horrific encounters with the Spaniards. I found this part of the novel especially harrowing because it was quite vivid (if not simplified for a middle grade audience) to show the horrors of what happened when the Spanish landed in the Caribbean in their quest for gold. It breaks my heart that this strong woman who fought along side her husband and then ruled her own people was killed at such a young age.

[Erin Becker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the Royal Diaries books i didn't read as a child. I was skeptical about this one going in as i wasn't sure how sound the historical footing would be, given the nearly complete distruction of the Taino people by European colonizers. I was pleasantly surprised though, as apparently we do know quite a lot about Anacaona and family, as well as more general information about the lifeways of the Taino in the late 15th century. I appreciated that Danticat chose to set the majority of the story before the arrival of Columbus, as we get to meet Anacaona and learn about her life before it is disrupted. I loved the attention Danticat paid to describing the songs, dance, poetry, and physical arts of Anacaona's people. One word of warning for parents considering this book for children - the violence of the European massacre of the Taino is written about very explicitly in the final section of the book, including dismemberment and (slightly less explicitly) rape. There is also a recurrent theme of suicide throughout the book. I do recommend this book, just perhaps with some guidance for younger readers.

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I began reading this book in April of the last year—it wasn’t until this past Sunday, the 12th of January, that I decided I’d restart it and go from there. I decided that I’d do a three-book rotation—one heavily informative/study-like read, and two leisure reads (bonus if they’re informational).

This book was one of my leisure reads, and whew—it’s truly touched some of the deepest parts of my heart, considering that I have roots in the very area that was first known as Xaraguá… Over the last year I’ve been on a journey to learn more about Ayti (adding to my previous knowledge), her first inhabitants & their customs—so as I’m finally getting to it, I thought it was best to begin with a story on exactly that.

Edwidge Danticat, you have a way with words, and it’s *how* you use them to tug on the heartstrings of your readers at the *right* moments. Learning so much more about Anakaona (and what life must’ve been like for her and her people) through your eyes has brought me great solace—despite her tragic, and unfortunately inevitable, ending. But in warmer news, this is one of those stories that will stay with me, and hopefully my [future] children, for life. I feel this is a wonderful starting point for the story of our home.

[Tyra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I waffled between 3 and 4 stars for this review and landed reluctantly on 3, mostly because I usually reserve a 4 for a book that I really enjoy and there has some sort of can't put it down feeling while reading it and I don't think this book really grabbed either my kids or I till the end. Its a children's book I read to my kids as we were studying Precolumbian America as well as first contact between Europeans and for that purpose, it was great. The diary format provides a relatable window into Taino life and viewpoint from the perspective of the Taino people. As my kids and I are studying American history this year we are trying to do so through the viewpoint and perspective of the marginalized and indigenous people. This book provided a good learning experience for that and some really interesting information about life in a Taino village. It spawned a lot of good discussions with my kids and inspired us to try to do things like find yucca and plantains to cook like we read about and to look up pictures of Taino artifacts that we heard described in the book. We enjoyed it.

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd like to take a moment to gush about Tim O'Brien's cover art in the Royal Diaries series. The compositions, the clothes, the colors... all gorgeous! I have no idea why they changed the cover art for the reprints of Marie Antoinette and Anastasia. You just can't top these!

Anacaona is a respectable entry in this series. It was really neat to learn a bit about Haitian history and this strong leader whom not many people have even heard of. I like Danticat's version of Anacaona and how dedicated she is to doing right by her people. And though Caonabo doesn't get as much development he is still very noble and likable. Their romance was surprisingly convincing despite their interactions taking up a rather small amount of time. But I did find the narrative voice a bit too distant somehow. The writing was nice but felt more like an eloquent dramatic dialogue than like a real woman's personal musings.

Anacaona isn't the most vivid or immersive of this series, but if nothing else it's still interesting to read about a figure of a culture that is so overlooked in Western media.

[Nico · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to binge-read this series when I was a kid and stumbled upon it again when trying to complete the TPL 2021 Reading Challenge.

First off, I was thrilled that a historical book about a Hatian princess was written by a Hatian woman whose Mother grew up where Anacaona would've loved. More Own Voices please!

It was a very well written account with beautiful descriptions of Taíno legends from their oral history. There were some incredibly dark moments (as there were in history when violent Spanish colonial invaders arrived) that are important to read. It was an incredible challenge to create diary entries for a woman who wouldn't have recorded her life as such and I admire the passion for history needed to make this as compelling and accurate to what we know of Taíno culture as this was.

Anacaona was a strong and wise warrior and leader who valued ballads and the beautiful nature around her. I admired her many strengths and enjoyed being inside her head in this book as I learned for the first time about some of Haiti's history.