On February 29, 2004, the first democratically elected president of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was forced to leave his country. The president was kidnapped, along with his Haitian-American wife, by American soldiers and flown to the isolated Central African Republic. In An Unbroken Agony, best-selling author and social justice advocate Randall Robinson chronicles his own cross-Atlantic journey to rescue the Haitian president from captivity in Africa while also connecting the fate of Aristide’s presidency to the Haitian people’s century-long quest for self-determination.
A heartbreaking but important read To quote from the book: "Where the poor were concerned, the United States invariably opposed the efforts of the poor's own governments, whenever and wherever those governments tried in any serious structured way to ameliorate the poverty of their own people. If there has ever been a circumstance in which the Americans did not take the side of the rich in efforts to quash even modest reforms to help the poor, I do not know of it."
The plight of Haiti is undeserved, shameful and mostly the result of US intervention to keep the people poor and powerless. Well-written and compelling.
Should We Be Worried? Randall Robinson paints the accusation that the United States and perhaps France as well masterminded the February 2004 coup d'état ousting Haiti's democratically elected president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. This would be a troubling revelation, if true. But doesn't the CIA do that sort of thing all the time? God knows what they've done! Unfortunately, Randall makes Aristide look like a black Mahatma Gandhi - virtually without flaw, that is. Hasn't he done anything wrong? Doesn't he at least cuss every once in awhile? Randall's racial bias is also palpable. There's anti-white rhetoric throughout this book. Randall also has a penchant for writing very short chapters that seem little more than afterthoughts. This book could definitely use better organization. Nevertheless, Randall writes a compelling narrative that many students of international machinations and outright shenanigans would find informative. Moreover, anybody interested in the plight of poor little Haiti should probably read this book.
Opens Your Eyes I sent the author an e-mail when I finished reading this book. And I will tell you like I told him. This is one of the best books I have read in quite sometime. Mr. Robinson is a voice for the people of Haiti. I admire people like him because he cares so much for which most people care so little.
An Unbroken Agony I like the book, and would recommend it to someone else. I learned a lot about our goverment involvement and about the Haitian people.
Great Book on Haiti, Even Better Book on U.S. This book is a great book for anyone who wants to understand Haiti's 2004 coup and the events leading up to it. But it is even better for anyone who wants to understand U.S. foreign policy towards Haiti and other poor countries. It should be required reading in US high schools and colleges. As with all Mr. Robinson's books, it is written with passion and eloquence, from the perspective of someone who was there, with his eyes, ears and mind open.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
