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Haiti Rising: Haitian History, Culture and the Earthquake of 2010
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- GenresNonfiction
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 26, 2016
I wanted to love this book, but I can only give it 3 stars. As in the case of any collected volume, the essays are uneven. But I feel like they are especially uneven in this book and some just rubbed me the wrong way. (Most, if not all of these are in the Haiti and Me section.)On the other hand, others were extraordinary in a positive way.
So, some random thoughts:
Wagner's piece was really touching. It made me want to find out more about her, and her work. Beverly Bell's timeline was also extremely powerful. The one scene in Apollon's essay about the mother having to decide whether or not to have her son's leg amputated... Just no words. Le Bris' and Spears' essays seemed a bit scattered. I had a hard time following Le Bris' piece. Not sure if this is due to translation. I'm pretty sure I had already read a version of the Spears piece, which was kind of annoying.
Although I'm used to Dash's politics by now, I was a little bewildered by his essay. I really have not noticed Preval's many accomplishments and I live here: "He has tried to build bridges in the wake of Aristide's polarizing politics, neutralize the armed, predatory elements in Haiti, and walk the tightrope between market-based economic reform and social justice, as well as attract aid from an easily distracted international community" (Dash, 66). It's almost as if Dash hasn't heard of Amaral Duclona or Preval's efforts to keep minimum wage below 200gdes a day -- which is about 5USD.
I really enjoyed McAlister's piece on music and the telethon. If I ever expand my Wyclef piece into an article, I'll have to come back to it. I could feel the emotion behind Jenson's piece. I could really feel her frustration with the constant description of Haiti as a site of disaster. I am so tired of the apologizing for Aristide. From Bellegarde-Smith's essay: "He faced increasing violence, and responded with violence of his own." (Bellegarde-Smith, 142). Really? This is acceptable behavior on the part of a president?
I don't get the insistance on referring to Haitian Creole as Kreyol in English. I mean, if I can say French and not francais and Spanish instead of Espanol, why can't I say Haitian Creole? Bizarre. I suppose it's supposed to be a sign of respect to the language, but it strikes me as too easy and well, unnecessary. I noticed this weirdness in several essays, so I'm not sure if the various contributors decided to do or in Munro made the final call.
Bill Drummond irked me in a big way. He is surprised that the Haitian artists he met cited as their objectives to become rich, travel to the US or Europe and have sex with white women, stating that no Western artist would respond that way. Then states "I realize that in writing this I am open to all sorts of criticisms, almost bordering on racism." (Drummond, 182). Um, no, I don't think he's racist, just not that bright. Did it not occur to him that maybe class and not race was the issue here? That maybe rich Haitian artists would have a different response when asked the same question. And that poor Western artists might have objectives that are very similar to those of the poor Haitian artists? Why does he think so many black kids want to be ballers and rappers? He really thinks it's all about race? Drummond strikes me as someone trying to be provocative, but who's really just clueless.
Smith's tribute to Port-au-Prince is beautiful.
Quotes that stuck with me:
"In spite of these failings, in spite of its poverty, its political upheavals, its lack of resources, Haiti is not a peripheral place. Its history has made it a center" (Lahens, 11).
"Populations in underdeveloped countries are often praised for peaceful elections when they take place. But sometimes noisy demonstrations are just as important. Sometimes they are the most effective way of making our voices heard" (Menard, 52).
"The severe wounds will slowly heal, but the mark will forever remain. The city will one day be rebuilt. People will one day go back to school, church, and work in the city. But it won't be the same." (Smith, 186).
So, some random thoughts:
Wagner's piece was really touching. It made me want to find out more about her, and her work. Beverly Bell's timeline was also extremely powerful. The one scene in Apollon's essay about the mother having to decide whether or not to have her son's leg amputated... Just no words. Le Bris' and Spears' essays seemed a bit scattered. I had a hard time following Le Bris' piece. Not sure if this is due to translation. I'm pretty sure I had already read a version of the Spears piece, which was kind of annoying.
Although I'm used to Dash's politics by now, I was a little bewildered by his essay. I really have not noticed Preval's many accomplishments and I live here: "He has tried to build bridges in the wake of Aristide's polarizing politics, neutralize the armed, predatory elements in Haiti, and walk the tightrope between market-based economic reform and social justice, as well as attract aid from an easily distracted international community" (Dash, 66). It's almost as if Dash hasn't heard of Amaral Duclona or Preval's efforts to keep minimum wage below 200gdes a day -- which is about 5USD.
I really enjoyed McAlister's piece on music and the telethon. If I ever expand my Wyclef piece into an article, I'll have to come back to it. I could feel the emotion behind Jenson's piece. I could really feel her frustration with the constant description of Haiti as a site of disaster. I am so tired of the apologizing for Aristide. From Bellegarde-Smith's essay: "He faced increasing violence, and responded with violence of his own." (Bellegarde-Smith, 142). Really? This is acceptable behavior on the part of a president?
I don't get the insistance on referring to Haitian Creole as Kreyol in English. I mean, if I can say French and not francais and Spanish instead of Espanol, why can't I say Haitian Creole? Bizarre. I suppose it's supposed to be a sign of respect to the language, but it strikes me as too easy and well, unnecessary. I noticed this weirdness in several essays, so I'm not sure if the various contributors decided to do or in Munro made the final call.
Bill Drummond irked me in a big way. He is surprised that the Haitian artists he met cited as their objectives to become rich, travel to the US or Europe and have sex with white women, stating that no Western artist would respond that way. Then states "I realize that in writing this I am open to all sorts of criticisms, almost bordering on racism." (Drummond, 182). Um, no, I don't think he's racist, just not that bright. Did it not occur to him that maybe class and not race was the issue here? That maybe rich Haitian artists would have a different response when asked the same question. And that poor Western artists might have objectives that are very similar to those of the poor Haitian artists? Why does he think so many black kids want to be ballers and rappers? He really thinks it's all about race? Drummond strikes me as someone trying to be provocative, but who's really just clueless.
Smith's tribute to Port-au-Prince is beautiful.
Quotes that stuck with me:
"In spite of these failings, in spite of its poverty, its political upheavals, its lack of resources, Haiti is not a peripheral place. Its history has made it a center" (Lahens, 11).
"Populations in underdeveloped countries are often praised for peaceful elections when they take place. But sometimes noisy demonstrations are just as important. Sometimes they are the most effective way of making our voices heard" (Menard, 52).
"The severe wounds will slowly heal, but the mark will forever remain. The city will one day be rebuilt. People will one day go back to school, church, and work in the city. But it won't be the same." (Smith, 186).
October 30, 2013
This was a powerful read. At times it's a bit redundant, essay to essay, but all in all there are a few really powerful moments, past and present. As research the book has a very focused perspective. If you're looking for info about Haitian artists and the cultural impact of the 2010 hurricane I'd add another star to the book. Well worth the read.
May 9, 2012
A really great and fairly easy read about Haiti post-earthquake. Really opened my eyes to some things that I was previously naive and unaware of.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews