Category: Autobiography
Author: Jean-Robert Cadet
Publisher/Year: University of Texas Press / 1998
Genre: Biography (Autobiography), International
Pages: 182pp
Summary: This is the story of Jean-Robert Cadet and his incredible life starting in Haiti as a child-slave. He was given to a woman to be raised when his mother passed away. He was only a toddler. He grew up in slavery and was severely abused, like the other 300,000 child slaves still living in Haiti. Miraculously he ended up in the United States but he continued to suffer the outcomes of such an upbringing. He worked his way up in the U.S. Army, went to college, worked in corporate America, and yet maintained such a caring and thoughtful personality. He also experienced racism at it's worst here in the United States where he should have found rescue. Despite all the odds that were against Cadet, he has risen to a position of influence and success and continues to fight for the Restavec children still under slavery in Haiti.
Comments: I was challenged to read this book with my church, as we partner with organizations in Haiti to help the poor (and more specifically) the restavecs. I was blown away by the horrors that still occur in the western hemisphere in the 21st century, only a few hours flight from me. Children are either given or born into this slavery, and sometimes given on purpose or given by their poor family in hopes that they will have a better life. It was a very interesting read and I honetsly could not put the book down. It is realistic and matter-of-fact. I knew that there was some hope by the end of the book because I knew that he now headed The Restavec Freedom Alliance so it fueled my motivation to find out how he would overcome so many trials. There were truly some miraculous things that led him to the life he has today and there so many more children that are not as fortunate.
Classroom Application:
I think this book would be a great high school read. You could compare it to:
- historical slavery in the United States
- the Civil Rights Movement
- studying modern-day slavery
- third world study/struggles
No comments:
Post a Comment