Reviews

An Unbroken Agony: Haiti, from Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President by Randall Robinson

epersonae's review

2.0

This was not the book I was hoping for -- I think I was looking for more of an overview of Haitian history, and this was almost exclusively about the 2006 coup against Aristide. And unfortunately, I couldn't even get into that aspect. The narrative style is roundabout and discursive, cutting back and forth over time, which made it hard to get a good sense of what was happening when.

Additionally, there's only so much "Americans are racist thugs" that I can handle being lectured about. Not that he was wrong in the particulars, of course, but the repetitiveness started to get on my nerves.

Between the lecturing and the confusing narrative, I couldn't finish it. There are a few bits and pieces that were intriguing, but mostly that makes me want to seek out another book on Haitian history.

rosedee1995's review against another edition

5.0

This book was a rollercoaster of emotions. I knew that the Aristide has always been labeled as a traitor among my unaware peers but everything that most American born Haitians hear about Haiti comes from American media, which loves to demonize my beloved country. This book left me speechless at some parts and audibly gasping at others. The author really went out their way to tell the whole truth and to paint the political turmoil that plagues Haiti in a new light. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

daustin_94's review

informative tense medium-paced

4.75

I thought this was an extremely informative and well written book about contemporary Haitian politics and history.