Starthrower Foundation book list for those interested in Haiti in particular, and for everyone who donates to international charities, to better understand what is needed, and why, and why we should be working towards social justice for all.
We recommend books that give insight into Haitian life.
Here’s an excerpt from one such book to illustrate only one of the reasons Haitian families have no money to pay for their children’s schooling.
From ‘Mountains Beyond Mountains’, by Tracy Kidder, about Paul Farmer and his work in Haiti.
. . . [Most peasants] had their black, low-slung Creole pigs, which they kept like bank accounts, to pay for things such as school tuition. But in the early 1980s, they lost those as well. Alarmed about an outbreak of African swine fever in the Dominican Republic, afraid that it might threaten the American pork industry, the United States led an effort to destroy all the Creole pigs in Haiti. The plan was to replace them with pigs purchased from Iowa farmers. But these were much more delicate, much more expensive to house and feed, and they didn’t thrive. Many peasants ended up with no pigs at all. ‘When school started the year after the slaughter, enrollments had declined dramatically, throughout the country and around Cange . . .
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The Uses of Haiti
Paul Farmer, an American physician-anthropologist and award-winning author, has worked for more than 20 years in Haiti and beyond.
Amazon.com ~ The Uses of Haiti
Amazon Canada ~ The Uses of Haiti
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Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer
Tracy Kidder follows Dr. Paul Farmer around Haiti and beyond to bring this tale of how one man CAN make a difference! This book is recommended as a good introduction to Haiti issues and culture.
Amazon.com ~ Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
Amazon Canada ~ Mountains Beyond Mountains
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The Serpent and The Rainbow
Canadian Wade Davis, who received his doctorate in ethnobotany from Harvard, solves the mystery of zombis (sic) and more in this informative and entertaining account of his work in Haiti.
Amazon.com ~ The Serpent and The Rainbow
Amazon Canada ~ The Serpent and The Rainbow
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The Road to Hell: The Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity
Michael Morin’s excellent background book about international aid and why it’s not working. This book is hard to find, and if you can get one, consider yourself fortunate.
Some copies are available on Amazon.com at The Road to Hell : Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity
And a few at Amazon Canada ~ The Road to Hell: The Ravaging Effects of Foreign Aid and International Charity
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The Lords of Poverty
Copies of Graham Hancock’s excellent book about exactly WHERE our international aid money goes are also hard to find.
Try Amazon.com ~ The Lords of Poverty: The Power, Prestige, and Corruption of the International Aid Business
Amazon Canada ~ The Lords of Poverty : The Power, Prestige, and Corruption of the International Aid Business
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Canada in Haiti: Waging War on the Poor Majority
Amazon.com ~ Canada in Haiti: Waging War on the Poor Majority
Amazon Canada (may not be available) ~ Canada in Haiti: Waging War on the Poor Majority
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Haitian Creole-English / English-Haitian Creole Dictionary
Order from Amazon.com ~ Haitian Creole-English dictionary and phrasebook
Or select one of these other Creole dictionaries: More Creole English dictionariesOrder from Amazon Canada ~ See selection available at Haitian Creole-English books
Lonely Planet Dominican Republic and Haiti
Amazon.com ~ Travel Guide Lonely Planet Dominican Republic and Haiti
Amazon Canada (New Editon Due October 2008) ~ Lonely Planet Dominican Republic and Haiti
