Haiti: Land of Inequality

From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up-Turck examines the history of this troubled country and highlights the underlying causes of its political and societal problems. The recent political upheavals and their effects on the population are explained and then further analyzed in subsequent chapters that introduce the country's early colonial period and ethnic conflicts. Each chapter provides background information that helps readers understand how each conflict started and how it has escalated to the current political and economic woes. The author also discusses geography, people, and economy. The text is a bit daunting but the full-color and black-and-white photographs and historical engravings help make the subject matter accessible. Some of the graphic photos show the raw reality of life and death such as one of a woman collecting water from a puddle in the sidewalk for drinking or cooking or another of mutilated bodies-the result of politically motivated killings. Helpful sidebars highlight the major players in the current conflict. Another interesting sidebar on voodoo helps to further an understanding of Haitian culture and religious beliefs. The material is backed up with an excellent bibliography, chronology, detailed index, and sources. Unfortunately, there is no mention of the country's health and education problems, such as AIDS. Nevertheless, this title offers in-depth information for report writers.Diane Olivo-Posner, Long Beach Public Library, CA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
A serviceable account of the troubled history of Haiti, from early colonial days to the present. This title in the World in Conflict series is current to 1998, and provides readers with web sites for continuing information on the topic. Turck discusses the geography, people, economy, history, and politics of Haiti; the material is backed up by a chronology, selected bibliography, detailed index, and the sources of the quoted material in an endnote. While some readers will find the dense three-column format daunting, the use of bold headings, many full-color and black-and-white photographs, and glossary make the text accessible and useful. (Nonfiction. 12-14) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Card catalog description
Examines the history of Haiti's ethnic conflict and its continuing effect on the people of that country.


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