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Liked It “A beautiful, fun story that, unfortunately, never really came full circle. If you read this, it's solely for the story. Don't waste your time if you're waiting for an obvious point or message.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“A beautiful, fun story that, unfortunately, never really came full circle. If you read this, it's solely for the story. Don't waste your time if you're waiting for an obvious point or message.”
whitney! wrote this review Monday, November 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I found it impossible to ignore the collective praise of Edwidge Danticat’s 2007 memoir Brother, I’m Dying. People wouldn’t shut up about this book. It received the National Book Critics Circle Award. It repeatedly appeared on displays at Barnes & Noble, taunting me. It earned favorable reviews from numerous publications, including Time Out New York, The Boston Globe and The New York Times Book Review; all of which I read; all of which, similarly, praised the author for her narrative control and her enraging, enlightening tale.
Jennifer K wrote this review Friday, November 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
It was inevitable that I eventually read a contemporary book that I knew too much about. I did so expecting my assessment to drown in others’ opinions. Instead, I was shocked to find that I agree with the majority of the critical praise without missing the sense of discovery I covet as a reader. Now, in an attempt to prove that my reaction is genuine, is not unduly influenced, I must explore it. How, I wonder, can a nonfiction story invite a reader to personalize her vicarious journey? How does Edwidge Danticat exhibit such narrative command?
Brother, I’m Dying begins with a moral challenge. As the memoir progresses, the challenge reappears; it is woven into each story line as the author records events. In fact, Danticat’s memoir reads as a complex folktale by utilizing this technique, offering a profound dilemma, an enigma. As the challenge intervenes throughout the stories that follow, it also works to establish the author’s authorial narrative presence and justify the quilt-like structure of her memoir. The first sentence is crucial:
I found out I was pregnant the same day that my father’s rapid weight loss and chronic shortness of breath were positively diagnosed as end-stage pulmonary fibrosis.
This contrary emotional state immediately causes a reader to pause, to consider what it is like to be caught between the joy of birth and the confusion of death. Furthermore, it introduces a twofold theme that allows Danticat to interweave her many paths, to broach subjects ranging from childhood emigration and the struggle of adapting to illness to changing familial roles, assimilation and cultural opposition without losing focus. Reflecting upon her family members—primarily her father, Mira, and her uncle, Joseph—Danticat is able to simultaneously, emblematically examine her own experience.
This is a masterfully-written memoir, and I recommend it to everyone.”
“From my sister's shelf. Caribbean story. I will look at it first to see if it is too sad of a story. I am having trouble reading stories with gruesome themes (but not Agatha Christie-type writing).”
Margaret F wrote this review Saturday, October 24 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Wanted to read this author. This however is nonfiction. I really, really, liked it. It is quite a compelling story about family relationships. Highly recommend it.”
Marcia H wrote this review Sunday, October 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Excellent”
Mary R wrote this review Friday, July 31 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“So far, very good. Reminds me of how I feel watching my parents go from strong, active people to aging people. It brings home that they won't be around forever, which I always took for granted!”
Melanie S wrote this review Tuesday, June 16 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I loved this author's story about her family and I love her fiction writing. She has a simple, yet elegant prose style that I admire. I have learned a lot about Haiti, its people and history from her books. Reading her books, makes me realize how ignorant I am of many other countries' histories and cultures. ”
Kathleen B wrote this review Friday, March 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This is a well written, powerful memoir that gives us a window into the violence and political upheavel in Haiti and to the love of family that crosses time and space.”
Judy H wrote this review Thursday, March 12 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The book was a wonderfully written story about family relations. It did drag a bit in a few spots and I would have liked to hear more about Haiti overall. Not just the violence and the US and UN activities in the country. The ending was so shocking I did not believe it and found myself embarrassed at the treatment of the individual by our governments policies (I don't want to give it away) so I can't elaborate. Truely a tragedy that one would not wish upon their worst enemy.”
Tanya wrote this review Monday, March 9 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is a very sad story that shouldn't have ended as it did. It is wonderfully written, however, as an American it makes me ashamed of my country's policies toward Haitian refugees seeking political asylum here. We return them to their homeland, imprison them while they wait, deny adequate medical care while opening our borders to Cubans that make landfall and illegal immigrants from Mexico. This is tragic. Because of this policy, Ms. Danticat's family's loss was greater that it needed to be.”
Fran wrote this review Wednesday, January 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
