Bad Ass Authors: Edwidge Danticat

Over the past couple of days, I've been watching the news about the earthquake in Haiti. I honestly haven't studied much about Haiti, but thinking so much about Haiti has brought to mind one of my favorite authors, the Haitian immigrant Edwidge Danticat. After reading many of her novels years ago, I always wanted to read and learn more about the history as well as the economic and political plight of the Haitian people as well as Haitian immigrants to the US.

I would have to say that my favorite novel of all time would be Edwidge Danticat's novel, The Farming of Bones. The novel is so devastating, horrific, and heart-wrenching. The novel details the life of a female Haitian servant who is living and working in the Dominican Republic during the Trujillo dictatorship. A summary of the book would definitely do no justice to it, so I won't even bother with an elaborate summary. In a nutshell, the book describes the devastating genocide that happened to Haitians in the Dominican Republic through the lens of a female Haitian who is in love and eventually is forced to escape back to Haiti in the wake of genocide.

I'm one cold-hearted bitch, but this book has probably been one of the most devastating books that I have ever read. I can remember reading it all in one setting and staying up throughout the wee hours of the night, calling in sick the next day because I was so spellbound with the book.

Every single one of Danticat's book is wonderful in its own unique way and I have been dying for her to release another.

I first came upon her when I saw her book Breath, Eyes, Memory on the Oprah show years back. I graduated to Krik? Krack!which I equally loved. Her books discuss issues with women, political and economic oppression through oppressive regimes, and issues of immigration. Every single book of hers speaks to my soul.

If you are a lover of books and you have not read one of Danticat's books, please do so. In the meantime, I think it's time for me to research some books and dig into Haiti's history, which I have been meaning to do for a long time. While I'm doing that, get off your ass and check out Edwidge Danticat's books by clicking here.



Have you read a book by Edwidge Danticat? What are your views of her work?