HAITIAN LINKS
Literature with book images and descriptions
JUST PUBLISHED / JUST PUBLISHED 04/06
THE TRILINGUAL PUBLICATION / LA PUBLICATION TRILINGUE
VEVE: L'ART RITUEL DU VODOU HAITIEN /
RITUAL ART OF HAITIAN VODOU /
ARTE RITUAL DEL VODU HAITIANO
AUTHOR / AUTEUR : NANCY TURNIER FERERE (561) 883-0226, or snailmail at 20136 Ocean Key Drive, Boca Raton, FL 33498. The book sells for $35.00 plus $3.50 mailing cost in the U.S. email: Nancy and Gerard Ferere
INTRODUCTION: GERARD A. FERERE, PH.D., PROFESSOR EMERITUS, ST. JOSEPH'S UNIVERSITY
Nancy Turnier Férère
is pleased to announce the publication of her trilingual French/English/Spanish book
'VèVè: L'Art rituel du Vodou haïtien
Ritual Art of Haitian Vodou
Arte
ritual del Vodú haitiano
Classification of the book: religion and sacred
art. The deluxe, hard-cover 104 page volume is a serious, well-researched work
containing valuable, historical, cultural, religious, explanatory, and
descriptive information about Haitian Vodou in general, and in particular, the
Vèvè, its sacred iconographic art, 35 of which appear in the book, in color. The
Introductions are by Dr. Gérard A. Férère, University Professor Emeritus, author
of various publications on Vodou, the Prefaces by Dr. Marie-José St. Lôt,
University Professor. Following are some unsollicited reviews:
"Illuminated by the magic of traditional Vèvès, Nancy recreates these
religious symbols with remarkable precision and finesse ... The artist's
profound respect for tradition leads her to carefully research her models".
(Marie-José St.-Lôt, Ph.D., University Professor, author of 'Vodou, A Sacred
Theatre')
"It is wonderful! Not only is it a work of art, Nancy's
interpretations of Vèvè are a great combination of authenticity and art. It is
also a most welcome aid towards greater understanding of Vodou. I recognize many
of the Vèvès, having seen them produced in the many ceremonies that I had the
honor to attend". Robert Maule, American diplomat who spent many years in Haiti)
"Un très beau et très bon livre qui vient combler un vide dont nous
n'étions pas nécessairement conscients. Mais maintenant que le livre est entre
nos mains, nous sommes presque tentés de nous demander comment nous avions pu
nous en passer jusqu'ici, et comment jusqu'ici, aucun de nos créateurs n'y a
jamais pensé non plus. Chapeau, Nancy!".
(Eddy Cavé, Haitian multi-lingual,
multi-cultural expert)
"I love your book. I have gone through it many
times already and look forward to reading it over and over in the years to come.
The paintings are beautiful".
(Gloria Smart, American citizen who spent many
years in Haiti)
"Compliments for a well-done project; the artistry, the
impression, the capture and everything else seem to be part of this precious
compilation". (Léon Salnave, Ingénieur)
"Gérard et Nancy, félicitations tardives pour l'admirable 'Vèvè: L'Art rituel du Vodou haïtien', et surtout à Nancy qui consacre son grand talent à la diffusion de la culture haïtienne. Son choix de couleurs illumine les Vèvès et permet de mieux capter les intenses vibrations de ces dessins". extraordinaires. (Franck Laraque, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus)
"Such unique and powerful interpretations of the Vèvè, and very useful
descriptions ... I am teaching two classes on Vodou in September, and I will
show the book then. It's great to have examples of so many Vèvès... Perfect!"
(Mary Gaetjens, Art and Vodou teacher).
"Laissez venir les lauriers. Car
vous les avez bien merités. J'ai toujours su que Nancy a fourni un livre
important, un artistique trésor à tous ceux qui savent et peuvent apprécier".
(Fred Champagne, M.D.)
The book can be ordered by sending a check or money-order for $35.00 + $3.50
(Postage) = $38.50 (Canada: U.S.$7.00) to: Nancy T. Ferere 20136 Ocean Key
Drive, Boca Raton, FL 33498. Postage to other countries to be determined.
Discounts offered for muliple purchases, to libraries, book stores, book
dealers, museums, art galleries, etc.
Haitian Revolutions: Two Decades On The Ground
Format
Hardcover
Subject History / Caribbean & West Indies
ISBN/SKU
1904132650
Author Ethan Casey
Publisher Independent Pub Group
Publish Date June 2005
Dancing Wisdom: Embodied Knowledge In Haitian Vodou, Cuban Yoruba,
And Bahian Candomble
Format Paperback
Subject Social Science /
Anthropology / Cultural
ISBN/SKU 0252072073
Author Yvonne Daniel
Publisher Univ of Illinois Pr
Publish Date April 2005
Toussaint's Clause: The Founding Fathers And The Haitian
Revolution
Format Hardcover
Subject History / United States /
Revolutionary Period (1775-1800)
ISBN/SKU 1578067111
Author Gordon S.
Brown
Publisher Univ Pr of Mississippi
Publish Date February 2005
Annotation
A history of the founding fathers' critical disagreements
over Haiti's rebellion against France is detailed in an analysis of one of
America's early foreign policy balancing acts, examining the conflict between
supporters of Toussaint's rebellion against France and Southern slaveholders
alarmed by the struggle.
Haitian Refugees Forced To Return: Transnationalism And State
Politics, 1991-1994
Format Paperback
Subject Political Science / State
& Local Government
ISBN/SKU 3825845443
Author GOTZ-DIETRICH OPITZ
Publisher Transaction Pub
Publish Date February 2005
Haitian Creole: 10 Haitian Creole Language Lessons
Language
French Language
Format CD/Spoken Word - Audio Product
Edition UNABRIDGED
Subject Foreign Language Study / General
ISBN/SKU 0743538498
Author
Pimsleur
Publisher Simon & Schuster
Publish Date October 2004
The Haitian Americans
Format Hardcover
Subject Social
Science / Ethnic Studies
ISBN/SKU 0313322961
Author Flore Zephir
Publisher Greenwood Pub Group
Publish Date August 2004
Review
Part of a series of volumes introducing high school and
general readers to the newer immigrant groups in the United States, this text
considers the characteristics of the Haitian Diaspora in the United States.
Zéphir (Romance languages and African Diaspora studies, U. of Missouri in
Columbia) first includes an examination of the history of Haiti before providing
demographic information on Haitian immigration and settlement patterns; economic
and political life, interactions with other ethnicities, and impact on American
life. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Haitian Immigration
Format Library
Subject Juvenile
Nonfiction / General
ISBN/SKU 1590846915
Author Jena Gaines
Publisher Mason Crest
Publish Date April 2004
Annotation
An
overview of immigration from Haiti to the United States and Canada since the
1960s, discussing conditions leading to emigration, cultural adjustments and
problems facing immigrants, and more.
Review
These volumes explore how specific aspects of
immigration affect both the United States and Canada. The books provide
historical background, include plenty of supporting statistics, and address the
impact of terrorism on immigration in the post-9/11 world. The informative but
dryly written texts are illustrated with stock photos. There are four other
spring 2004 books in this series. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. [Review
covers these Changing Face of North America: Immigration since 1965 titles:
Refugees, Haitian Immigration, Asylees, and Deported Aliens.] Copyright 2005
Horn Book Guide Reviews.
Selavi, That Is Life: A Haitian Story of Hope
Format Hardcover
Subject Juvenile Nonfiction / Law & Crime
ISBN/SKU 0938317849
Author Youme Landowne
Publisher Consortium Book Sales & Dist
Publish Date April 2004
Annotation
A homeless boy on the streets
of Haiti joins other street children, and together they build a home and a radio
station where they can care for themselves and for other homeless children.
Review
K-Gr. 4. "People with guns could take a family, burn
a house and disappear, leaving a small child alone in the world." Through the
story of one Haitian child, this stirring picture book puts a human face on news
images and tells of young people caught up in the terror of war at home. Selavi
finds family with a group of other street children. Helped by a church, they
build a shelter. After "others" set fire to the building, the house is rebuilt,
and the children start a radio station to reach young people. The simple
watercolors show the boy alone, then the warmth of his community and the angry
faces of men in uniform. In a moving afterword accompanied by her own
documentary photos, Youme, as she's identified on the jacket, tells more of the
story, which is based on the experience of homeless kids in Port-au-Prince. For
older readers, adult writer Edwidge Danticat contributes a powerful essay about
her own Haitian childhood, her country's proud history, and its desperate
upheaval. ((Reviewed July 2004)) Copyright 2004 Booklist Reviews.
Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution
Format Hardcover
Subject History / General
ISBN/SKU 0674013042
Author Laurent Dubois
Publisher Harvard Univ Pr
Publish Date March
2004
Review
Like many other books (e.g., David Geggus's The Impact of
the Haitian Revolution in the Atlantic World), Dubois's analyzes the Haitian
Revolution of 1791-1803, the largest and only successful slave revolt in
history, responsible for transforming the Caribbean's richest colony into the
first independent nation in Latin America. Dubois (history, Michigan State
Univ.) asserts that the events of the revolt and their results in Haiti
symbolized that the rights proclaimed in "France's 1789 Declaration of the
Rights of Man and Citizen were indeed universal." He sees the Haitian Revolution
as a "uniquely transcultural movement." Unlike other authors, he places the
violence of this massive uprising in context, validating its complexity;
analyzes its participants regardless of their racial designations-white,
mulatto, or black; and focuses on the political schemes that surfaced at the
different phases of the revolution. Clearly written, well researched, and with
excellent notes, this work would be useful for researchers, since Dubois's
intent is to "spur the imagination as well as to invite response and revision."
Recommended for anyone interested in Caribbean history and slavery.-Edward
McCormack, Univ. of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Lib. & Media Ctr., Long
Beach Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. 
Vodou Shaman: The Haitian Way of Healing and Power
Format
Paperback
Subject
ISBN/SKU 089281134X
Author Ross Heaven
Publisher Inner Traditions
Publish Date November 2003
Review
A British-born shamanic teacher, Heaven (The Journey to You)
presents a historical treatise and instructional guide to the healing art of
Haitian Vodou (its correct name). After becoming interested in the healing
techniques of Haitian and other shamanic traditions, Heaven became the first
white Vodou priest (houngan) in Europe. Here he outlines the tradition's core
beliefs and highlights the striking similarities between Vodou and other
traditional healing arts. The historical background adds to the overall quality
of the work. Chapters end with a Vodou lesson, each progressively more
difficult, showing readers how to incorporate the beliefs and techniques of
Vodou into their own spiritual lives. Explanations are designed to reassure any
skeptics and encourage more in-depth instruction and exploration. Unfamiliar
words are defined in a glossary at the end of the text, and notes to each
chapter allow for more research. This well-written and enlightening book is
recommended for larger public libraries, especially those that do not already
own Sharon Caulder's Mark of Voodoo, which covers similar ground.-Jennifer
Kuncken, Williamsburg Regional Lib., VA Copyright 2004 Reed Business
Information.
A Proslavery Foreign Policy: Haitian-American Relations During
the Early Republic
Format Hardcover
Subject Political Science / History
& Theory
ISBN/SKU 0275980022
Author Tim Matthewson
Publisher
Greenwood Pub Group
Publish Date September 2003
Review
The slaves
of Haiti overthrew their French masters and declared independence in the 1804
revolution that shocked and frightened slaveholders in the United States,
including presidents Washington and Jefferson. Independent researcher Matthewson
describes their foreign policy towards the small island nation, drawing
connections between foreign policy and domestic constituencies, especially
Northern traders and Southern slaveholders. he also explores how the Haitian
Revolution impacted the culture of slavery and race relations in the United
States. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) 
Haitian-Dominican Counterpoint: Nation, State, and Race in
Hispaniola
Format Hardcover
Subject Political Science / International
Relations
ISBN/SKU 0312294328
Author Eugenio Matibag
Publisher
Palgrave Macmillan
Publish Date April 2003
Review
Matibag
(Spanish, Iowa State U.) explores the spatial dimension of how national
relations and identities in the two countries that share a Caribbean island are
constructed. Within the conceptual framework of spatiality, he argues, identity
and difference appear as constituted geographically as well as historically, so
that geographical dispositions and differences display the effects of power as
surely as political processes do. The book jacket reverses Race and State in the
subtitle. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Walking on Fire: Haitian Women's Stories of Survival and
Resistance
Format Paperback
Subject Social Science / Women's Studies
ISBN/SKU 080148748X
Author Beverly Bell
Publisher Cornell Univ Pr
Publish Date December 2001
Review
Most people know that Haiti is
the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, but what that means for the
Haitian people is usually lost in a morass of statistical data. In this moving
book on opposing tyranny and degradation, activist Bell, who is the founder and
director of the Center for Economic Justice in Albuquerque, NM, gives face to
the numbers by providing a forum for indigenous women to speak about their
lives. Some of the 38 oral histories here come from illiterate farmers and
market women. Other informants are well schooled, earning far more than
subsistence wages as teachers and writers. Nonetheless, all of Bell's sources
are dedicated to the alleviation of poverty and believe that food, housing, and
education are entitlements and that gender equity is inseparable from economic
justice. Their articulate views make for exciting reading. Likewise, their
resistance to the status quo is inspiring. An antidote to cynicism, the book not
only introduces American readers to an array of courageous role models but also
proves that change is possible. Highly recommended for all public and academic
libraries. Eleanor J. Bader, Brooklyn, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business
Information.
Open Gate: An Anthology of Haitian Creole Poetry
Format
Paperback
Subject Poetry / Single Author / General
ISBN/SKU 1880684756
Author Paul Laraque (EDT)
Publisher Consortium Book Sales & Dist
Publish Date October 2001
Review
The first such collection
available in English, Open Gate: An Anthology of Haitian Creole Poetry begins
with works from the grandfather of Creole literature, Felix Morisseau-Leroy, and
rounds out with today's poets in diaspora. Edited by Paul Laraque and Jack
Hirschman, the collection addresses the poverty, violence and political struggle
that characterize Haitian history, but there are also poems celebrating love or
nature or simply the quotidian. As George Castera writes in "Blood," "Let's go
see the blood flow,/ darling./ For once in a lifetime,/ it's not people's blood
spilling,/ for once in the street/ it's not animal's blood flowing,/ let's go
see the blood flow,/ darling:/ the sun is setting." Copyright 2001 Cahners
Business Information.
The Butterfly's Way: Voices from the Haitian Dyaspora in the
United States
Format Paperback
Subject Fiction / Anthologies (Multiple
Authors)
ISBN/SKU 1569472181
Author Edwidge Danticat (EDT)
Publisher
Consortium Book Sales & Dist
Publish Date February 2001
Annotation
An anthology of thirty-three essays and poems that explore
the Haitian TmigrT experience focuses on four separate themes--Childhood,
Migration, First Generation, and Return--in works by Jean-Robert Cadet, Marie
Helen Laforest, Patricia Benoit, Gary Pierre-Pierre, Francie Latour, Babette
Wainwright, and other writers. Original. 12,500 first printing.
Review
Diaspora kindles painful and conflicting emotions,
and those living in exile from Haiti carry burdens both archetypal and unique to
the legacy of their homeland, the first black republic in the Western
Hemisphere. Danticat, the gifted Haitian American author of The Farming of Bones
(1998), has assembled a potent and piercing collection of essays and poems that
articulate the frustrations and sorrows of Haitians who are now outsiders both
in Haiti and in their places of refuge. Her eloquent contributors express anger
over the negative images conjured by what Joel Dreyfuss calls "the Phrase," the
automatic tag line "the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere," and voice
pride in Haiti's spirituality and art. Not that there isn't much to lament, as
evident in searing essays by Jean-Robert Cadet, Barbara Sanon, and Marie Ketsia
Theodore-Pharel. Haiti is a profoundly complex and alluring place, a neighbor,
as Francie Latour observes, "whose history and future are so intertwined" with
the U.S. that it must be better understood, and Danticat's revelatory anthology
is a giant step in that direction. ((Reviewed February 15, 2001)) Copyright 2001
Booklist Reviews
Diasporic Citizenship: Haitian Americans in Transnational America
Format Paperback
Subject Social Science / Ethnic Studies
ISBN/SKU
0312211384
Author Michel S. Laguerre
Publisher Palgrave Macmillan
Publish Date September 1998
Review
Laguerre (social
anthropology, U. of California-Berkeley) studies immigrants in present day New
York City (primarily) and their adaptation in American society, along with the
border crossing practices they engage in as they maintain their relations in
their homeland. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle-Class American
Format Paperback
Subject Biography & Autobiography / Historical
ISBN/SKU 0292712030
Author Jean-Robert Cadet
Publisher Univ of Texas
Pr
Publish Date March 1998
The Magic Orange Tree: And Other Haitian Folktales
Format
Paperback
Subject
ISBN/SKU 0805210776
Author Diane Wolkstein
Publisher Random House Inc
Publish Date March 1997
Annotation
A collection of folktales gathered by the author in Haiti
with comments on Haitian folklore.
Framing Silence: Revolutionary Novels by Haitian Women
Format
Paperback
Subject
ISBN/SKU 0813523400
Author Myriam J. A. Chancy
Publisher Rutgers Univ Pr
Publish Date February 1997
Review
A
number of recent studies have treated Caribbean women authors, e.g., Out of the
Kumbla, ed. by Carole Davies and Elaine Fido (CH, Dec'90), and Caribbean Women
Writers, ed. by Selwyn Cudjoe (CH, Jun'91). The present finely crafted work is
an important addition to this literature. Chancy (Vanderbilt Univ.) examines the
relationships among history, politics, language, culture, literature, and
storytelling. The works discussed include a 1960 speech by her mother, Adeline
Lamour, and several novels: Virgile Valcin's La blanche negresse and Annie
Desroy's Le joug (both 1934); Ghislaine Charlier's Memoires d'une affranchie
(1989) and Jan J. Dominique's Memoire d'une amnesique (1984); Nadine Magloire's
Le mal de vivre (1967) and Edwidge Danticat's Breath, Eyes, Memory (CH, Sep'94);
Marie Chauvet's Les rapaces (1986) and Anne-Christine d'Adesky's Under the Bone
(1994). These writers seek to break the silence and marginalization; to reveal
the memory, dreams, and imagination; to clarify the identity; and to arouse the
consciousness of Third World women. Postcolonialism, postmodernism, the Duvalier
regime, and US intervention in Haiti come under careful scrutiny. Challenging
some ideas of Antonio Benitez-Rojo, Jacques Derrida, and others, Chancy's voice
should be heard. Many bilingual quotes. Highly recommended for all libraries.
Copyright 1999 American Library Association
Poland's Caribbean
Tragedy: A Study of Polish Legions in the Haitian War of Independence 1802-1803
Format Hardcover
Subject
ISBN/SKU 0880330937
Author Jan
Pachonski
Publisher Columbia Univ Pr
Publish Date October 1986
Dancing Spirits: Rhythms and Rituals of Haitian Vodun, the Rada
Rite
Format Hardcover
Subject Music / Ethnomusicology
ISBN/SKU
0313297185
Author Gerdes Fleurant
Publisher Greenwood Pub Group
Publish Date October 1996
Review
Fleurant (music, Wellesley
College), an initiated Vodun priest and ethnomusicologist, provides a study of
the Rada rite, one of the major rituals of the Vodun religion and way of life.
Fleurant covers his own research process and the history of Vodun; the music,
musicians, and musical instruments involved; and an analysis of song tunes and
commentaries on song texts. B&w photographs. Annotation c. by Book News,
Inc., Portland, Or.