The world’s eyes are now focused on Haiti. As the death toll rises, experts look back on Haiti’s history. Why has this island experienced such tragedy? While the talking heads on TV deliver their opinions, here are two books that shed light on Haiti and can help educate us all.
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
By Jared Diamond
Haiti and the Dominican Republic occupy the same small island, yet while the Dominican Republic boasts lush landscapes and enjoys a vibrant tourist industry, Haiti’s countryside is barren, leaving it vulnerable to floods during hurricane season. The Dominican infrastructure is more supportive of industry and commerce. Haiti’s, on the other hand, is virtually nonexistent. Pulitzer Prize winning Diamond, takes a global view of the problem, dealing not only with Haiti, but with other countries that have fallen victim to hard times.
Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed
By Jared Diamond
Viking
592 pages
www.amazon.com
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
By Tracy Kidder
Paul Farmer, specialist in infectious diseases and an attending physician at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, founded a hospital and health center, Zanmi Lasante, in Cange, Haiti. Mountain Beyond Mountains, by Pulitzer Prize winner, Kidder, allows the reader to follow Farmer around the island, caring for the sick and the poor who would otherwise not be able to afford medical care. The book illustrates the dire conditions being faced by the island’s population.
Mountain Beyond Mountains
Tracy Kidder
Random House
352 pages
www.amazon.com
