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A review by ihateprozac
Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maritza Moulite, Maika Moulite
5.0
This story has two central themes: Alaine coping with her mother's diagnosis, while also falling in love with the motherland. Haiti feels like a character in and of itself, and Alaine is getting to know that character (both the good and bad parts!)
Alaine is one of my favourite YA protagonists I've read recently! She's feisty, voicey, and flawed. She displays so much character growth over the course of the story as she learns about her family, her heritage, and herself. Her relationship with her mother is difficult, and I'm always here for a YA that explores detached or workaholic mother relationships.
As someone who works in philanthropy, I was stoked to see all the discourse about privilege and poverty in Haiti, performative philanthropy, and how international aide can ruin an economy if not executed properly. There's also great conversation about colourism, colonialism, and whitewashing Haiti in the name of tourism.
I loved the mixed media format comprised of school assignments, diary entries, postcards, letters and emails. It added an urgency and vibrancy to the story, and I'm always interested to see how authors switch formats and respond to changing economies of dialogue.
I knew I would like this, but was unprepared for how much I would love it!I'm always here for stories of diaspora kids travelling to the motherland for the first time, and this was an exceptional example of that.
4.5 stars
Alaine is one of my favourite YA protagonists I've read recently! She's feisty, voicey, and flawed. She displays so much character growth over the course of the story as she learns about her family, her heritage, and herself. Her relationship with her mother is difficult, and I'm always here for a YA that explores detached or workaholic mother relationships.
As someone who works in philanthropy, I was stoked to see all the discourse about privilege and poverty in Haiti, performative philanthropy, and how international aide can ruin an economy if not executed properly. There's also great conversation about colourism, colonialism, and whitewashing Haiti in the name of tourism.
I loved the mixed media format comprised of school assignments, diary entries, postcards, letters and emails. It added an urgency and vibrancy to the story, and I'm always interested to see how authors switch formats and respond to changing economies of dialogue.
I knew I would like this, but was unprepared for how much I would love it!I'm always here for stories of diaspora kids travelling to the motherland for the first time, and this was an exceptional example of that.
4.5 stars