Rainy Season [Paperback]

In 1986, Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, Haiti's "president-for-life," was forced to flee his country. A military junta had seized power, and the widespread feeling of unrest that had been brewing for years among the Haitian peasantry and the urban poor came to a boil, resulting in chaos: mass strikes, riots and other forms of violence. Wilentz's first book carefully, sensitively narrates these events in the first person, providing historical background when necessary, and telling the stories of Haitians from all walks of life, from the infamous "Tontons Macoute"--a ruthless government-sponsored vigilante group--to voodoo priests (who speak at length of their magic), and including government officials, missionaries, intellectuals, workers and the unemployed. The former Time reporter's numerous visits to the island between 1986 and 1988 enrich her account with details of daily life, both in the dilapidated alleys and slums of Port-au-Prince and in remote villages tucked away in lush tropical mountains. Her vivid record of an important piece of contemporary world history captures the sad political and quotidian existence of an impoverished albeit physically beautiful country.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

This welcome interpretation of Haiti provides many insights into a country that few North Americans understand. Wilentz, a journalist, captures the complex cultural ambience and mystery of domestic politics with a penetrating eye and powerful description. Covering the years 1986-89, Wilentz analyzes political developments, centering her interpretations on the activities of a radical priest, interspersed with individual Haitian portraits and personal incidents. The flavor of Haiti is superbly conveyed, as are some unsavory aspects of the role of the press, the Catholic Church, and the U.S. embassy, but Wilentz's narrative is often unclear and her objectivity flawed. For academic and large public libraries.
- Roderic A. Camp, Central Coll., Pella, Ia .
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

In the tradition of Joan Didion and Paul Theroux, this highly acclaimed writer/reporter offers a vivid portrait of today's Haiti--where during the day the streets are filled with bustling markets while at night they are filled with gunfire.

Amy Wilentz is an award-winning former Jerusalem correspondent for The New Yorker and a long-time contributing editor at The Nation magazine. She has written for The New Yorker and The Nation, as well as for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Conde Nast Traveler. She is the author of a novel and a book about life in California. She is a professor in the Literary Journalism program at the University of California at Irvine.