Krik? Krak! | 
pickI love this author also. A string of short stories making up a (implied) family narrative. The #audiobook is great but Dion Graham's delivery might be a little bit weird for this. Robin Miles is fab as usual. Haiti is the setting, moving into modern NYC.
pick(Pronounced like Creek? Crock!)
I would be remiss if I let #Haiti month go by without reading Edwidge Danticat. This collection of short stories gave me a good idea of the struggles & values of Haitians, both in their home country and when they immigrate to the US. These are not light topics but Danticat shows the importance of family as a common, hopeful thread in our protagonists' actions.
#foodandlit @butterfinger @texreader @catsandbooks
pickKrik? Krak! is a compilation of stories depicting the rich, traumatic history and cultural heritage of Haiti. It speaks of Haitian life in Haiti and in the US. Each story intertwined, linking past & present reuniting them all in the end. These stories are packed with love, loss, belonging, hope, suffering and grief. Descriptively rich, pulling the reader in to live vividly through the eyes of each character.
“Are there women who both cook and write? Kitchen poets they call them. They slip phrases into their stew and wrap meaning around their pork before frying it. They make narrative dumplings and stuff their daughter‘s mouths so they say nothing more.” #edwidgedanticat #kitchenpoets #narrativedumplings #shortstories #readCaribbean
pickFocus in the first part of this short stories collection is on the cruelty of the everyday lives of the Haitian people who are exposed to the terror of the state regime. These stories perfectly capture the captivity, the hopelessness of the situation, while the second part shows the immigrant Haitian family in America. Both parts (and all stories) are linked by another narrative thread - the connection of the women in the community. Powerful!
pick🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I absolutely loved each one of the heartbreaking short stories in this beautiful book.
Our mothers were the ashes and we were the light. Our mothers were the embers and we were the sparks. Our mothers were the flames and we were the blaze.
I just started this today. It is a collection of short stories. The first story already broke my heart. I cannot wait to see what comes next.
pickCan‘t believe this book is now 20 years old - listened to the audiobook this time around - oh how I love Robin Miles!
This is the first time in years that I haven‘t been able to attend the Festival of Faith and Writing in Michigan. I‘m not gonna lie, I cried a little.
My husband, who presented and manned the exhibition table for his quarterly book review, took on my dork mantle and got a bunch of books signed (which I‘d pre-purchased when I thought I would be attending.) PLUS, he bought me surprises!!
#book4
#ffw18 #awesomehusband #makingthebestofit
pickHeart wrenching and life-affirming short stories about the hard lives of Haitian women, spanning a wide swathe of time, and very loosely interconnected. #Audiobook expertly narrated by Robin Miles and Dion Graham.
She would make your braids Sunday pretty, even during the week. When she was done, she would ask you to name each braid after those 999 women who were boiling in your blood, and since you had written them down and memorized them, the names would come rolling off your tongue. And this was your testament to the way these women lived and died and lived again.
(Author photo by Nancy Crampton.)
#jubilantjuly #onomatopoeia
I always seem to have trouble with this one, but I think it works!! Book was good, read it a very long time ago.
I can't believe it's taken me this long to read my first Edwidge Danticat! These stories are wonderfully narrated on audio and the first one, 'Children of the Sea,' is gorgeous and heart-rending.
pickIt's poetic, lyrical, and poignant. A great, interwoven short story collection that portrays the struggles of immigration, cultural belonging, the fight for freedom and magic weaved into everyday life. 4/5
And these were the books I grabbed for myself at the library book sale. I was especially pleased to find two Edwidge Danticat books! See my previous post for the kids books I picked up. Now please excuse me while I go wipe down the books with an antiseptic wipe. Because I'm paranoid like that.
I know I'm late to #diversityFriday but it's been quite the exhausting week, both at home and in the world, to say the least. I didn't want to skip! I rounded up a small sampling of the diverse range of authors I have on my shelves and I'm so excited to read the ones I haven't gotten to yet. ❤️💔❤️
