Breath, Eyes, Memory | 
pickBeautiful, devastating, and so so much more. There's a lot of trauma packed in this one. Many scenes that seemed so light—some made me think it's going for a happy or hopeful resolution—are revealed to be horrifying by a simple yet gut-punching line. Definitely not for the softhearted. I took plenty of breaks but I still couldn't stop my tears near the end.
Ou libéré?
pick#readingtheamericas2023 #haiti Although the ghost of Haitian hardships permeates this short book, the story is a story of mother / daughter relationships. The pain of one generation is handed down to the next. The love of one generation gives strength to the generations that follow. Still, one generation‘s memories become the weight that the next generation must carry.
So far this year, I‘ve only read a handful of books for #ReadingTheAmericas and I hope to make more of a dent in that challenge in June. I‘m not only reading two books featuring LGBTQ characters for Pride, but I‘m also reading some books for Caribbean-American Heritage. I‘m starting with the tagged book. #everybreathyoutake #volumesandvocals
BTW I bailed on Hurricane Summer for Jamaica, so I‘m looking for a replacement.
pickThe colors in this photo from work resonated with the feel of this book. This is the author‘s first book, written while in college, and while her writing continued to improve over time this is a very worthy debut. It is an intergenerational story of a daughter, living in Haiti, who reconnects with her mother who is living in the US. Traumas, throughout generations and being repeated, it is a moving story partially based on the author‘s life.
pick#2023Book1
This book presents the dangers and pain of generational trauma in an incredibly beautiful way. The narrator did an amazing job reading this novel, though I think the ending would have absolutely wrecked me if I‘d read it instead of listened to it.
#OminousOctober Day 4: There are #Ghost(s) of the past haunting the characters in this unforgettable riveting story that made me sob out loud when I finished reading it this weekend. Review is forthcoming.
"Create dangerously, for people who read dangerously. ... Writing, knowing in part that no matter how trivial your words may seem, someday, somewhere, someone may risk his or her life to read them." #OnThisDay in 1969, Edwidge Danticat was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She published her first novel (Breath, Eyes, Memory) in 1994 and has received countless awards along with continuing critical and popular acclaim. #HistoryGetsLIT
pickThis was a heart wrenching story, about family trauma and loving them anyway. Narrated by Robin Miles, it was a well told story about a.family that has had many hardships both, physical and emotional.
pickWhile not too exciting, it was a quick and emotional read. This is the story of a Haitian girl who moves to America at 12 years old. Her family's struggles and a culture's traditions are depicted, from the testing girls go through to various sicknesses and cultural remedies.
⭐⭐⭐
#boundtogetherjune #memory
I read this many years ago. A bit ironic that my memory has failed me and I can't remember a thing about this book other than I liked it.
I‘m watching the coverage of Cristóbal and feeling like the waves are my TBR list. Stay safe, Gulf Coast Littens!
Three evening online events are on the docket this week, but OTOH the FOTR readalong group is “resting at Rivendell” for the next several days before moving on to the next chapters.
Newly added books are in the top row. #doublespin #authoramonth #summerreading
#weeklyreport
pick“I come from a place where breath, eyes and memory are one, a place from which you carry your past like the hair on the head. Where women return to their children as butterflies or as tears in the eyes of the statue that their daughters pray to.” This beautiful story about Haiti and the love and connection between mothers and daughters. The love and bond of generations. The beauty and harsh realities of Haiti are well told.
pickI‘m excited to be participating in the #ReadAroundTheWorld challenge again this year!! January‘s country is #Haiti- and so I found this book that has been languishing on my TBR shelves for almost a decade! It‘s a sad but fascinating read - and one that I think would be a good choice for book clubs or discussion groups! There‘s a lot crammed into this book that is less than 250 pages!
pickThe story of a Haitian girl's transition from being raised by her aunt in Haiti to reuninification with her mother in the U.S. would be enough for an entire novel. But as Danticat's MC grows up, she also confronts a disturbing core of traumas experienced by generations of women in her family, through tense and emotionally laden familial dialogue. The pace felt a little static at times, but what characters these were: finely drawn and memorable.
pickDanticat's writing about mothers and daughters, grief and love, shame and tenderness is exquisite. #readathon
Also saw her speak this weekend. I did not love this book when I read it, but I am encouraged to try her others.
Their Maker, she said, gives them the sky to carry because they are strong. These people do not know who who they are, but if you see a lot of trouble in your life, it is because you were chosen to carry part of the sky on your head.
pickOne beautiful book-long question about pain, generation by generation. Existential and folkloric, heartbreaking. You immediately see what all the fuss was about when Danticat arrived on the scene.
I bailed on reading Eye of the World on my Kindle and ordered a physical copy. It's just too long and my other library loans will expire! I started Mudbound last night. Today I finished The Hotzone and started Breath, Eyes, Memory. Busy reading days! I'm thinking this one will count for both Haiti and New York in my personal book challenge.
I took these four wonderful books down from the shelves behind my desk yesterday morning. I wonder: should I mail them to the White House as a gift? What reaction would such a (forgive me) teaching moment elicit?
pickBeautiful! Haunting, painfully honest, sad. And yet, still beautiful! Wonderfully talented author!
Book #20 of my #twentybooksofsummer I started more than 3 weeks late and finished this very late at night but I finished all 20 books + 10 others during the challenge time. Whew!
#Debut novel by the brilliant Danticat. Among the Haitians in this book, there is a yearning for a shared African past--in this case, Guinea. In the #afterlife, Guinea represents the symbolic place where the women of the protagonist's family hope to meet each other again. Many Haitians are descended from Guineans who were forcibly brought in as slaves by the French and Spanish. #JuneBookBugs #junetunz @RealLifeReading @Cinfhen
pick🌟🌟🌟. 5/5 this was a quick read which was perfect to get me out of my reading slump. Sophie spends her childhood with her Tante Atie in Haiti until her mother in New York sends for her. Vividly written the novel gives a window to Haitian national identity, experiences with diaspora, and explores mother-daughter relationships and how they affect self identity and expression. I will be reading more by Danticat, really enjoyed this one.
#immigrantsong #rockinmay. - I M surprised by how many of these I own ...
Library book sale haul!!!!! 💯💯💯💯💯💯🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🎖🎖🎖
I found a few books at the used book store. I also dropped a pen behind my bookcase and had to take everything off to move it.
My #readingbuddy Ms. BeBop stole my spot on the couch! I am enjoying this book on my kindle app by Edwidge Danticat, as I do all her work, and learning about Haiti. #currentread #petsoflitsy.
Reading this for my #kuyh #HaveBooksWillTravel book group challenge
pickJust finished "B" and moving onto "C" for the #LitsyAtoZ challenge... Not exactly sure how I feel about it.
It hit me right in the gut... Not sure if it was the book as a whole or the atrocities both experienced and inflicted by multiple generations of women in this book.
#photoadaynov16 day 11: published in the 1990s
Today I discovered that it isn't easy finding books on my shelves that were published in the 1990s. And it is even more difficult finding 1990s books on my kids' shelves, which has its share of classics and contemporary kidlit. But the 90s did produce these gems.
I bought the Kureishi 2ndhand in England, but it has a receipt fr a San Francisco bookstore inside. So it has in a way returned home 😀
Love is like the rain. It comes in a drizzle sometimes. Then it starts pouring and if you're not careful it will drown you.
There are just so many amazing #womenwriters out there. I took this photo of some of my favourites but left out so many more like Jo Walton, Zadie Smith, Wang Anyi, Hilary Mantel, Cynthia Kadohata, Jen Sookfong Lee, Ruth Ozeki, Dodie Smith....Are any of these your favourites too? #somethingforsept #septphotochallenge
#somethingforsept. I have to credit Book Riot podcast for broadening my reading choices. The first time I heard Rebecca and Jeff talk about diversity, I was challenged (and not a little defensive) about the books I read. I have since found some real gems! Continue to preach it, Book Riot!
When my mother passed away, I read this passage at her funeral because it spoke to me and the relationship we shared. I will always love my mother and I will always love this book. The quote starts with "I come from a place..." and ends with "Yes, my mother was like me."
pickA good, strong novel. One I find to extremely important in the study of womanhood and relationships between women. When my mother passed away, I quoted this novel because it spoke to me on such a profound level. I read this for school and will read it many more times.
