This post was originally published on Audible.com.
Edwidge Danticat’s book Krik? Krak! introduced the literary world to the term used for the call-and-response style of Haitian storytelling. The storyteller begins by saying “Krik,” and listeners respond with “Krak.” It sounds like child’s play, but Danticat’s award-winning collection of short stories was anything but as story after story deals with the pains and challenges of what Haitian women have faced through the years. While Haiti has endured more than its share of difficulties, from historical rebellions to dictatorships to two devastating earthquakes and ongoing civil unrest, its literary tradition continues. Through it all, Haitian writers have continued to thrive and show the world their unique and wonderful way with words. These audiobooks, from fiction to nonfiction, memoir, and essay collections, display the talents of some of the best contemporary Haitian writers.
A shockingly powerful exploration of the lasting impact of prejudice and the indomitable spirit of sisterhood that will have listeners questioning what it truly means to be an ally, from sister-writer duo Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite. When teen social activist and history buff Kezi Smith is killed under mysterious circumstances after attending a social justice rally, her devastated sister Happi and her sister Genny embark on a journey to honor Kezi in their own way, using an heirloom copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book as their guide. But there’s a twist to Kezi’s story that no one could’ve expected—one that will change everything all over again.
Tracing a loose arc from Edwidge Danticat’s childhood to the COVID-19 pandemic and recent events in Haiti, the essays gathered in We’re Alone include personal narrative, reportage, and tributes to mentors and heroes such as Toni Morrison, Paule Marshall, Gabriel García Márquez, and James Baldwin. They explore abiding themes such as environmental catastrophe, the traumas of colonialism, motherhood, and the complexities of resilience. Danticat has an extraordinary ability to move from the personal to the global and back again. Throughout, literature and art prove to be her reliable companions and guide her through both tragedies and triumphs.
In this stunning debut novel, Pushcart-nominated author Ibi Zoboi draws on her own experience as a young Haitian immigrant, infusing this lyrical exploration of America with magical realism and vodou culture. On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find a good life. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola’s mother is detained by US Immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins, Chantal, Donna, and Princess; the grittiness of Detroit’s west side; a new school; and a surprising romance, all on her own. Just as she finds her footing in this strange new world, a dangerous proposition presents itself, and Fabiola soon realizes that freedom comes at a cost. Trapped at the crossroads of an impossible choice, will she pay the price for the American dream?
When Lucien flees Haiti with his wife, Marie-Ange, and their three children to New York City’s South Ozone Park, he does so hoping for reinvention, wealth, and comfort. He buys a run-down house in a quickly changing community, and begins life anew. Lucien and Marie-Ange call their home La Kay—“my mother’s house”—and it becomes a place where their fellow immigrants can find peace, a good meal, and necessary legal help. But as a severely emotionally damaged man emigrating from a country whose evils he knows to one whose evils he doesn’t, Lucien soon falls into his worst habits and impulses, with La Kay as the backdrop for his lasciviousness. What he can’t begin to fathom is that the house is watching, passing judgment, and deciding to put an end to all the sins it has been made to hold. But only after it has set itself aflame will frightened whispers reveal Lucien’s ultimate evil.
Zora Emerson is not here to play. She's enrolled in a prestigious summer program and is ready to use what she's learning to change the world (or at least her corner of New Jersey, for now). Zora's not expecting to vibe with any of her super-privileged classmates. So she's shocked to find she's got chemistry with Owen Whittelsey, who is charming, funny, undeniably cute ... and turns out to literally be a prince. As in, his parents are the king and queen of a small European country. What? Suddenly, Zora's summer is looking a lot more complicated—especially when Owen asks her to be his date at his older brother's wedding. Can her feelings for Owen, not to mention her sense of self, survive the royal chaos? Haitian American author Debbie Rigaud brings sparkling humor and insight to this empowering romantic comedy that's all about ruling your own destiny.
No one was prepared for the massive earthquake that struck Haiti in 2010, taking more than a quarter-million lives, and leaving millions of others homeless. Three thousand miles away, Jacqueline Florestant mourns the presumed death of her parents, while her husband, a former US Marine and combat veteran, cares for their three-year-old daughter as he fights his own battles with acute PTSD. Horrified and guilt-ridden, Jacqueline returns to Haiti in search of the proverbial “closure.” Unfortunately, the Haiti she left as a child 25 years earlier has disappeared. Her quest turns into a tornado of deception, desperation, and more death. So Jacqueline holds tightly to her daughter—the only one who must not die.
Most political origin stories have the same backbone. A bright young person starts reading the Washington Post in elementary school. She skips school to see a presidential candidate. In middle school, she canvasses door-to-door. The story can be intimidating. It reinforces the feeling that politics is a closed system: If you weren’t participating in debate club, the Young Democrats, and Model UN, you have no chance. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s story breaks the mold. The daughter of Haitian immigrants, she tells how she got involved, showing how politics can be accessible to anyone, no matter their background. In today’s political climate, the need for all of us to participate has never been more crucial. This audiobook is her call-to-arms for those who know that now is the time for us to act.
A contemporary novel about the history of the Black Panther Party. Nettie Boileau joins the Black Panthers’ Free Health Clinics in Oakland in 1968 and falls in love with Melvin Mosley, a defense captain of the Black Panther Party. They head to Chicago to help launch the Illinois chapter of the Panthers, and find themselves targets of J. Edgar Hoover’s famous covert campaigns against civil rights leaders. As Nellie learns more about the Panthers, she discovers that fighting for social justice may not always mean equal justice for women.
In an era in which “I have many Black friends” is often a medal of wokeness, Haitian Canadian writer Ben Philippe hilariously chronicles the experience of being on the receiving end of those fist bumps. He takes us through his immigrant childhood, from wanting nothing more than friends to sit with at lunch, to his awkward teenage years, to college in the age of Obama, and adulthood during the Trump administration—two sides of the same American coin. Oscillating between the impulse to be "one of the good ones" and the occasional need to excuse himself to the restrooms, stuff his mouth with toilet paper, and scream, Ben navigates his own Blackness as an "Oreo" with too many opinions for his father’s liking, an encyclopedic knowledge of CW teen dramas, and a mouth he can't always control. Extremely timely, Sure, I’ll Be Your Black Friend is a conversational take on topics both light and heavy, universal and deeply personal, which reveals incisive truths about the need for connection in all of us.
Genevieve, a single mother, flies from New York to Port-au-Prince with her teenage son, Miles. The trip is meant to be an education for 15-year-old Miles—a chance to learn about his family’s roots while coming to terms with his father’s departure. But it’s also an excuse for Genevieve to escape the city, where her life is dominated by her failed marriage and the daily pressures of raising Black children in America. For Genevieve, the journey is also a homecoming of sorts: an opportunity to visit the island she remembers from childhood and reconnect with family. But when the country is rocked by a massive earthquake—decimating the city and putting their lives at risk—their visit becomes a nightmare of survival. Written before the horrific earthquake that struck Haiti in 2021, this audiobook delivers listeners beyond the headlines and into the shattered world of a distant family—coming together, forced apart—suddenly brought to the brink.
In Purpose, Wyclef recounts his path to fame from his impoverished childhood in "Baby Doc" Duvalier's Haiti and the mean streets of Brooklyn and Newark to the bright lights of the world stage. The son of a pastor and grandson of a Vodou priest, Wyclef was born and raised in the slums of Haiti, moving with his family to New York when he was nine. He lived in a Brooklyn project until his father, Gesner Jean, took them to Newark, where he converted a burnt-out funeral home into a house for his family and a church for his congregation. But life in New Jersey was not easy for Wyclef, who found it hard to shake his refugee status. He soon made his way by competing in "freestyle" rap battles, eventually becoming the best MC in his school. Within a few short years, Wyclef would catapult to international renown with the Fugees. The story revealed in Purpose is one of inspiration, full of drama and humor, told in compelling detail, about the incredible life of one of our most revered musical icons.
Born to parents of Haitian descent, the American writer Roxane Gay is known for her editorials in major newspapers, essays, and bestselling books, including a mystery. In this collection of short stories, she explores the Haitian diaspora. Many flee Haiti for better lives but their expectations aren't met and another kind of struggle endures. Yet, not all is lost—it never is. She pays homage to the Haitian spirit, and the listener roots for these characters as they forge ahead. Gay avoids stereotypes and digs deep into their lives, their emotions, and their humanity. With her beautiful writing and narration, this audiobook is definitely a "must-listen."
