First published 2023
Myriam J. A. Chancy confronts the aftermath of Haiti's catastrophic 2010 earthquake in this urgent collection of essays and creative responses. The 7.0 magnitude quake killed over 250,000 people, injured 300,000 more, and left 1.5 million homeless in a nation already weakened by decades of political turmoil and economic struggle. Chancy documents the on-ground realities that emerged in the disaster's wake, from the precarious situation of Haitian women to the shortcomings of international relief efforts. Drawing from campus lectures, newspaper columns published in Trinidad and Tobago, and other writings created during the critical years following the catastrophe, she preserves the immediate concerns and reactions of those turbulent times. Chancy dissects the underlying systems that shaped Haiti's post-earthquake circumstances while reflecting on how the disaster affected the country's most vulnerable populations. Her work calls for sustained support of Haitian dignity and deeper comprehension of the historical and contemporary challenges facing Haitians, including gender inequality and the complex relationship between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Genres: gender-studies, biography-memoir, 21st-century, current-affairs, activism, african-american-historical-fiction, academic, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-narrative, social-commentary
Setting: Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominican Republic
Period: 2010
280 pages · Hardcover · University of Texas Press
Content warnings: racism, sexism