Lonely Planet Dominican Republic & Haiti (1st Ed)
by Scott Doggett, Leah Gordon I
was appreciative of the honesty that the authors presented
to help travellers. I did not follow the monetary mention
in the book, as the others who have written negavative reviews
commented on, so I cannot comment on this but I must say that
it was a great book to get a general sense of where you are
going, what to expect and what to be aware of. I was glad
that I purchased this book before I travelled and recommend
this book to all looking to visit. In general monetary guidelines
are just that, guidelines, and are not meant to rely on when
travelling. I thought this was common sense but after reading
the negative comments written about this book I see that others
are not aware of this.
Haiti
& the Dominican Republic : The Island of Hispaniola
by Ross Velton
Unlike any other guide currently on the market, this one gives
equal coverage to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. My intention
throughout has been to change the way people -- especially
travellers -- think about these two countries. Haiti, in particular,
needs a new image. The atrocities of the Duvalier years, the
dreaded Tontons Macoute, the mass exodus of the 'boat people',
political oppression and violence have earned Haiti a reputation
as the crime-ridden black-spot of the Caribbean. However,
the reality is very different; and I can honestly say that
I have never been to a country where I have felt safer.
AIDS and Accusation : Haiti and the Geography of Blame (Comparative
Studies of Health Systems and Medical Care, No 33)
by Paul Farmer
This book dispels the common myths of Haitians and AIDS. It
also shows very clearly the heavy involvement of the United
States in creating the poverty Haiti has faced. This book
makes use of statistics well, but unfortunately, at this point
those stats are many years old. When Farmer wrote this book,
only three people in the village of Do Kay had died of AIDS.
Now, with huge percentages of Haitians exposed to HIV, the
picture must certainly look different. This book is a geat
candidate for a revised edition some time in the future.
The Black Jacobins : Toussaint L'Ouverture and the Santo Domingo
Revolution
by Cyril Lionel Robert James
In 1789 the French colony of Saint Domingue was the most profitable
real estate in the world. These profits came at a price: while
its sugar plantations supplied two-thirds of France's overseas
trade, they also stimulated the greatest individual market
for the slave trade. The slaves were brutally treated and
died in great numbers, prompting a never-ending influx of
new slaves.
The French Revolution sent waves all the way across the Atlantic,
dividing the colony's white population in 1791. The elites
remained royalist, while the bourgeoisie embraced the revolutionary
ideals. The slaves seized the moment and in the confusion
rebelled en masse against their owners. The Haitian Slave
Revolt had begun. When it ended in 1803, Saint Domingue had
become Haiti, the first independent nation in the Caribbean.
Dignity
by Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Christophe Wargny (Introduction),
Carrol F. Coates (Translator)
Aristide, President of Haiti, tells the story of his three
years in exile from September 1991 to July 1994, revealing
his doubts as well as his determination. An introduction reviews
events in the country from the fall of Duvalier in 1986 through
the first months of Aristide's presidency. An afterword provides
information on the period since Aristide's return.
These rambling reflections will be of little profit to those
who have not closely followed developments in the former Haitian
president's tragic country. Originally published in France
as Aristide's exile was ending in October 1994, Dignity was
essentially a plea for more of the international aid and support
to which Aristide attributes his movement's survival. He expresses
particular gratitude to the foreign governments and human
rights organizations that condemned the usurpation of power
in...
Eyes of the Heart: Seeking a Path for the Poor in the Age
of Globalization
by Jean-Bertrand Aristide, Laura Flynn (Editor) Aristide,
the former priest-turned-president of one of the poorest nations
in the Western Hemisphere, calls these nine brief chapters
"a letter written for my brothers and sisters in Haiti who
cannot write"--an attempt to explain to readers that the worlds
richest countries are accumulating wealth with breathtaking
speed and never looking back, while the poor nations are sinking
deeper into economic misery. He views every topic he addresses--globalization,
colonialism, education, womens status--through the stark lens
of the poorest Haitians.... Aristide's writing is simple and
direct; he capably juggles heartrending anecdotes, unnerving
statistics, unflinching commentary and the occasional Bible
quote. The result...[resonates] with the conviction of one
who knows firsthand the desperation about which he writes.
Passion overcomes stridency as Aristide insists that women,
children and the poor must be the subjects, not the objects
of history. They must sit at the decision-making tables and
fill the halls of power. This courageous critique of the global
economy and how it is leaving the poor behind is important
and accessible, sure to touch all but the hardest of hearts.
Why the Cocks Fight : Dominicans, Haitians, and the Struggle
for Hispaniola
by Michele Wucker The
Caribbean island of Hispaniola is home to historic, ongoing
strife between two countries deeply divided by race, language,
and history yet forced constantly into confrontation by their
shared geography. In her first book, American journalist Michele
Wucker reports from both Haiti and the Dominican Republic
on the complex relations between these two cultures and sheds
light on the sources of their struggles both in their island
home and in the United States.
This book is charged from the start with the violence and
posturing of blood sport, as Wucker observes her first Haitian
cockfight: "The air cracks with the impact of stiffened feathers
as each bird tries to push the other to the ground. Around
the ring, the Haitian men shout to one another and wave dirty
wads of gourdes in the air, seeking bets.... Soon, the feathers
of both cocks are slick with blood." Popular in both countries,
these fights become a totemic image for the author, who finds
in them, as in the many clashes between Hispaniola's two cultures,
"both division and community, opposite sides of the same coin."
This is a fine historical primer, buoyed along by Wucker's
graceful, observant prose style.
Jean Price-Mars, the Haitian Elite and the American Occupation,
1915-1935
by Magdaline W. Shannon This
is a book about the life and many careers of Dr. Jean Price-Mars,
Haiti's most distinguished scholar and considered by many
other world-renowned scholars to be the father of negritude.
He might well have become the President of Haiti but that
was not to be. During the military dictatorships which followed
the Duvalier years it was often said that what Haiti now needed
more than ever before was a president with qualities of Price-Mars.
Price-Mars, the Haitian Elite etc. Although the US forces
did not consider Price-Mars a political threat to the occupation
(unlike the mililtant cacos), he nevertheless argued forcibly
that their policies and actions in Haiti were major obstacles
to a return to self-government and democracy. In the end,
Haitiain forces that were successful in preventing the return
to full democracy received continuing support from the mulatto
elite and an illiterate peasant population. Although he sought
to...
Selected Computer Books
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Thinking
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