Lavil : life, love and death in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Seven years after the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Western Hemisphere struck Haiti, the island nation remains in crisis, all but ignored by the international community. At the center of this crisis is Lavil—"The City" in Kreyol, as Port-au-Prince is known to Haitians—the cultural, political, and economic capital of Haiti and home to over 2.5 million resilient souls. This immersive and engrossing oral history collection gives voice to the continuing struggle of Haitian people to live, love and prosper while trying to rebuild their city and country after disasters both natural and man-made. AMONG THE NARRATORS: **Juslene**, who moved to Port-au-Prince as a child for educational opportunities but was instead forced to work as a __restavek__—an unpaid servant—and who maintains unwavering hope despite the loss of her family when the city was destroyed. **Johnny and Denis**, a teacher and his younger brother, who spent years... Foreword By Edwidge Danticar, P.11 -- Introduction By Peter Orner And Evan Lyon, P.15 -- Executive Editor's Note By Mimi Lok, P.27 -- Maps, P.29 -- Marielene Lene, P.33 -- Edner Brice, P.39 -- Frantz Santil, P.45 -- Juslene Marie Innocent, P.61 -- Johnny Destanville And Denis Clermont, P.65 -- Lamothe Lormier, P.83 -- Alina, P.97 -- Bazile Bermante, P.103 -- Evans Desir, P.111 -- Mina And Eve, P.115 -- Adrienne Phatal, P.121 -- Taniajeudy, P.133 -- George Valentin Valeris, P.141 -- Fran, P.147 -- Benita Manda, P.151 -- Maritza, P.159 -- Louis Ellas Eza Us, P.161 -- Jocelyn, P.165 -- Charlot Jeudy, P.167 -- Johnny, P.175 -- Jean Carrasco, P.179 -- Jane Wynne, P.181 -- Gina And Lians, P.189 -- Denise Dorvil, P.197 -- Bonhomme Peterson, P.209 -- Christopher Deragon, P.215 -- Josil Junior, P.219 -- Djenane Saint-juste, P.223 -- Patrice Florvilus, P.237 -- Taylor Mercita, P.251 -- Nadege Pierre, P.253 -- Pierre Yves Jovin, P.257 -- Snake, P.263 -- Jean Pierre Marseille, P.269 -- Introduction To The Appendices, P.289 -- I. Haitian Timeline, P.293 -- Ii. Glossary, P.309 -- Iii. Health And Justice After The Earthquake, P.317 -- Iv. Port-au-prince Infrastructure, Pianning, And The Earthquake, P.327 -- V. Suggested Reading, P.331 Edited By Peter Orner And Evan Lyon ; Foreword By Edwidge Danticat. Narratives Translated From The Haitian Creole. Includes Bibliographical References. Moving stories of life in a country enduring an ongoing crisis Seven years after the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Western Hemisphere struck Haiti, the island nation remains in crisis, all but ignored by the international community. At the center of this crisis is Lavil—“The City” in Kreyol, as Port-au-Prince is known to Haitians—the cultural, political, and economic capital of Haiti and home to over 2.5 million resilient souls. This immersive and engrossing oral history collection gives voice to the continuing struggle of Haitian people to live, love and prosper while trying to rebuild their city and country after disasters both natural and man-made. Among the narrators: Juslene , who moved to Port-au-Prince as a child for educational opportunities but was instead forced to work as a restavek—an unpaid servant—and who maintains unwavering hope despite the loss of her family when the city was destroyed. Johnny and Denis , a teacher and his younger brother, who spent years hustling for work and looking out for each other in one of the city’s sprawling post-earthquake tent camps. Lamothe , a wry and well-read expert on Haiti’s clean water crisis, who is one of the many Port-au-Prince citizens dedicated to rebuilding his city and nation. Half a dozen years after the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Western Hemisphere struck Haiti, the island nation remains in crisis, but the international community no longer seems interested. This immersive and engrossing book, based on five years of research and scores of interviews translated from Haitian Kreyol, gives voice to the continuing struggle of Haitian people to reconstruct their nation from the devastation of the earthquake, and from many decades of political and economic disaster. The earthquake killed more than 200,000, rendered more than a million and a half homeless, and wiped out what little infrastructure existed in the country. But prior to the quake, half the country was illiterate and two-thirds of Haitians lived in poverty. This book makes clear the long genesis of the ongoing crisis and illuminates the depths of the continuing problems, and does so through some of the most marginal and least-heard people in the world. An interview with a restavek--a child sent by poor parents to work as an unpaid servant in a wealthier household--is an example. A recent study determined a figure of 173,000 restaveks--about 8 percent of the population of children. Seven years after the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Western Hemisphere struck Haiti, the island nation remains in crisis, all but ignored by the international community. At the center of this crisis is Lavil—"The City" in Kreyol, as Port-au-Prince is known to Haitians—the cultural, political, and economic capital of Haiti and home to over 2.5 million resilient souls. This immersive and engrossing oral history collection gives voice to the continuing struggle of Haitian people to live, love and prosper while trying to rebuild their city and country after disasters both natural and man-made. AMONG THE NARRATORS: Juslene , who moved to Port-au-Prince as a child for educational opportunities but was instead forced to work as a restavek —an unpaid servant—and who maintains unwavering hope despite the loss of her family when the city was destroyed. Johnny and Denis , a teacher and his younger brother, who spent years... 'Seven years after the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Western Hemisphere struck Haiti, the island nation remains in crisis, all but ignored by the international community. At the center of this crisis is Lavil{u2014}?The City? in Kreyol, as Port-au-Prince is known to Haitians{u2014}the cultural, political, and economic capital of Haiti and home to over 2.5 million resilient souls. This immersive and engrossing oral history collection gives voice to the continuing struggle of Haitian people to live, love and prosper while trying to rebuild their city and country after disasters both natural and man-made.' -- Details from back cover