The review that follows my comments has been written by someone who is either totally disconnected from reality or has not, in fact, read VOODOO POLITICS. The book is exceptionally well written by a person who knows more about Haiti than most Haitians. I learned much from Garrison's observations, observations made from a viewpoint denied to all but a few. Garrison's situation was truly unique in that he was accepted into the upper levels of Haiti's military, and civilian government, to act as an important strategic advisor during the 3 year crisis. Most Haitians believe his efforts were responsible for Aristide's three year holiday in Washington.

During the present crisis that sees Aristide attempting to grab complete dictatorial control of Haiti opposition parties consult Lynn Garrison on possible strategies.

There are no hand-me-down history lessons in VOODOO POLITICS. VOODOO POLITICS is an important history lesson that will stand the rigors of time. Its revelations are stunning. Lynn Garrison's chapters are balanced. There is enough blame for everyone in its 582 pages as he deal critically with the series of disasters that have delivered Haiti to its present crisis in which Aristide - controller of the cocaine traffic - is given control of my poor homeland.

I didn't find any indication that Garrison believes the Haitian military was completely blameless or that Aristide's supporters are guilty of all crimes. Mind you - there is enough proof that Aristide controls 20 percent of America's cocaine consumption. Why then has the Bush administration followed meekly in the footsteps of Bill Clinton.

There is nothing racist in this book.

Two pages were reversed by the printer. BIG DEAL!!

The final chapter offers a blueprint for Haiti's future, a clear and concise outline that includes reforestation, a satellite school system, medical clinics, low-cost housing, revived agriculture, a new tourist industry and a program to attract an assembly industry lost to OAS intervention. This exact program has been adopted by a major non political movement to save the nation - RENAISSANCE.

At some stage a retrospective look at VOODOO POLITICS will place it as the most important Haitian book of this generation.

VOODOO POLITICS is an exciting book that reads like a novel. Take a look at www.voodoopolitics com for a couple of sample chapters.

"VOODOO POLITICS": Spectacular Revelations About The Clinton Administration, Aristide and Lavalas VOODOO POLITICS, The latest book about Haiti, is written by Lynn Garrison, a Canadian citizen who was an advisor to Generals Raoul Cedras and Philippe Biamby who, aided by Colonel Michel Francois, Chief of Police in Port-au-Prince, had engineered the coup d'etat that sent the then President Jean-Bertrand Aristide into exile. This book is an exhaustive account of facts and events that culminated in the return from exile of the deposed President and the coming again of the Lavalas Party (Fanmi Lavalas) to power in Haiti. It also tells about the role of different actors, Haitian and foreign in the crisis. The book by Mr. Garrison could very well be the most important one written about the Lavalas experience in Haiti, because the facts mentioned are told by an authority, a "committed witness' speaking with conviction. Through the details provided, the author attempts not only to convince the reader but also to prove the depth of research. An ally, auxiliary of the intelligence community, if not a turncoat, Garrison points out facts and calls names with such authority that he makes the reader feels as if he were at ringside. The most spectacular aspect of VOODOO POLITICS concerns big political and economic interests that the author links to the physical return of Aristide to Haiti and the deployment of the American troops. The list of beneficiaries of the economic fallout of the intervention stretches a mile long. Several big names in the Democratic Party are mentioned, namely members of the Congressional Black caucus and their political allies (Black and White), who were at the forefront of the political debate triggered in the United States by the September 30, 1991 coup d'etat and the never-ending diplomatic maneuvering to influence the media during that time. From Bill Clinton to Jimmy Carter with General Colin Powell, Senator Sam Nunn in between, the role of each actor is thoroughly analyzed and placed in its political, diplomatic and financial context with a rare touch of humor. The reader is asked to suffer while a more complete review of VOODOO POLITICS is being readied for a future edition. For the book only came off the presses October 15. Under the chapter titled "Armageddon," Lynn Garrison gives a long list of people who, according to him, "should be winkled out and put in jail." Among them, some outstanding American political figures, lawyers of great renown, actor, film-makers, functionaries...etc. In plain language, VOODOO POLITICS is likely to open jail doors or trigger massive lawsuits against the author. Nonetheless, Lynn Garrison confirms many a thesis and suspicion long held in certain Haitian circles regarding the political and financial reality which went into the decision to deploy 23,000 troops in Haiti

LYNN GARRISON has been closely involved with Haiti since 1979 and was personal advisor to General Raoul Cedras from September of 1991 through October of 1994. He was a major strategist in the battle to block the return of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, an anti-American murderer deeply involved with the cocaine traffic. He supplied the medical dossier which became a foundation for a CIA generated psychological profile of the psychotic manic-depressive president. His September 18, 1994 eavesdropping on the Carter/Nunn/Powell team's phone conversations with the Oval Office was instrumental in derailing the Clinton sponsored invasion of Haiti... saving thousands of live... VOODOO POLITICS is the most important Haitian book of this generation.

Madison Smartt Bell's second volume of his projected trilogy about the Haitian uprising of 1793-1804 is alternately gripping and ponderous. After having been enthralled by "All Souls' Rising" I have to say I was disappointed with this follow-up.

The same characters are all there as are Bell's masterful historical descriptions but something was missing. I too often grew bored and had to put the book down. I can't quite put my finger on what it is that dissuades me from giving this book a stellar review. I suppose at the end of the day I didn't feel as though I really learned much about any of these characters, and subsequently, I didn't care about them. Toussaint L'Ouverture remains somewhat of an enigma despite Bell's painstakingly detailed account. Perhaps this is intentional. Perhaps the point here is that Toussaint is - was - unknowable. This may well be true, but it doesn't make for satisfying reading.

Again, there are impressive set pieces galore. Bell's mastery of historical detail is staggering and genuine moments of suspense sporadically leap off the page. But in the end, none of this was enough to keep me compelled.

I'd second what the other reviewers noted but would like to add that this is a follow-up to Bell's highly-praised All Souls Rising, also a masterful book about Haiti and one which first introduced many of these characters. The legacy of Toussaint is important for Haiti today, and this book gives valuable insights into today's world. The book can be a tough read--many of the descriptions of the atrocities are brutal--but is well worth the effort. Take time to read the timeline in the appendix and find out what happened after Toussaint's arrest.

Note: This review was published November 12, 2000, in the Seattle Times ...

The American Revolution helped inspire the French Revolution, which in turn sparked the Haitian Revolution -- an uprising of Africans against the sugar plantation owners who wrung their fabulous wealth from slave labor. Madison Smartt Bell's projected trilogy of historical novels tells the least well known of these momentous late-18th-century stories.

Volume 1, "All Souls Rising," traced the gruesome first stages of the rebellion in the French colony then called Saint Domingue, from 1791 to 1794. One who hasn't read that harrowing masterpiece can still enjoy Volume 2, "Master of the Crossroads," based on events of the next five years. In this novel the revolution is well under way, but the outcome is still uncertain.

It's a tumultuous, confusing time. The Spanish, who own the eastern half of Saint Domingue, and the British, who are at war with France, separately hope to oust the French, subdue the blacks, and possess the island known worldwide as the Jewel of the Antilles. Among the islanders, the French blancs, or white colonials, have split into factions: the royalists who want to enslave the Africans again, and the revolutionaries who believe that liberty is a universal human right. Old disputes flare between native-born Haitians and immigrants, between mulatto plantation owners and poorer mulattos, between rivals among the island's 500,000 rebellious Africans and, more broadly, between members of the resident races - 64 in all, according to France's official classification of blends ranging from Blanc to Négre.

Toussaint Louverture, whose amazing career Jacob Lawrence memorialized in a series of paintings, is at the center of the storm. Small and tough, formerly a slave, he possesses such extraordinary charisma and talent for leadership that he can force, frighten, mystify, or cajole various factions into agreeing to work for peace. Toussaint unites the armed, roving bands of blacks who seized their liberty and transforms them into a well-disciplined army. A brilliant military tactician, he regularly defeats the English and Spanish forces. His political gifts make him a formidable negotiator with the French and a master at switching alliances at strategic moments. He alone seems committed to protecting, regardless of the race or ideology of their owners, the lives and property that survived the time of bloodbath and burning.

Toussaint's motives are endlessly debated in the book. People close to him believe that he is unselfishly devoted to securing liberty and peace for everyone. But rumors that he secretly plans to crown himself King and reinstate slavery multiply. We view him from the perspectives of many different characters, yet he remains a mystery: a presence with a godlike power in crisis, an inscrutable Master of the Crossroads like the voudou deity of crossings and change, Legba.

Readers who can tolerate a little disorientation from chaotic historical events swirling around an enigmatic hero will have a wonderful time with this novel. Many of the episodes are works of literary art, the Haitian landscape is superbly rendered, and the characters are fully realized and memorable. We come to care deeply about them: Doctor Hébert; his beloved mistress Nanon; his sister Elise and her smuggler husband Tocquet; Hébert's friends the French captain Maillart and the African captain Riau; the African soldier Guiaou who is Riau's rival in love; plucky, wanton Isabelle; the dreamy boy-priest Moustique; the elusive, fascinating Toussaint.

Since Bell can't string their stories on a clear historical plot-line (this history is a tangle) he braids the everyday incidents and subtleties of their private lives into a central strand to which scattered public events can be tied. The characters, absorbed in ordinary pursuits, are regularly pulled into battles and intrigues, then released again into personal concerns. The point of view shifts from chapter to chapter, and we open each new one with the pleasure of greeting an old friend.

Nobody achieves an overall view of events -- which is partly the point. Yet even patient readers will wish for an index of characters keyed to page numbers. It's hard to keep people named Dessources, Dessalines, Desrouleaux, and Desfourneaux straight in a complicated narrative (sometimes set in Descahaux) with a cast of hundreds that also includes Delahaye and Dieudonné. The author's memory itself falters - the girl Paulette is called Pauline for a while -- but the Glossary and Chronology help.

Without them "Master of the Crossroads" would still be a stunning achievement: marvelously crafted, meticulous in its historical detail, magnificent in its sweep.

The work Paul Farmer has done in Haiti is admirable, though his relationship with the Aristide's is not. It is hardly fair for this book to marketed as a doctor's perspective on the many problems in Haiti when Farmer openly talks of his close association with the Presidency to Congress and others. He receives money directly from Aristide for his work and has become a veritable spokesman for the Palace on issues not soley pertaining to health. The reader should know this before diving into Farmer's slam on US policy towards Haiti. In deed, he is so in bed with Aristide he's been blinded by his own manipulation.

I read Dr. Farmer's first book "Aids and Accusation" after it was given to me by his sister Jennifer. The book really opened my eyes to the modern Haitian condition and how the origin of AIDS has been "pinned" on this tiny nation. "The Uses of Haiti" tells the truth about the U.S. policy towards Haiti, its upperhanded subversion of democracy for a people it considers less-than-human; a policy that, unfortunately, is not restricted to just Haiti. I only wish that Dr. Farmer's work could be exposed to a larger audience.

Farmer writes with passion and precision of the deleterious effects of American policy on the lives of ordinary Haitians. A truly exceptional book.

When Aristide ceased to be in with his people and their true voice, he lost his power in many ways and one seems to be in the writing of "Dignity". It lacks the "soul" his other work has. I am only 1/2 way through, but am disappointed, and not much motivated to read on.

Dear Titid, I'm always proud to read from you and sure that every one that fight for freedom will enjoy it.

There is a tendency among many Neopagans and Wiccans to distance themselves from Christianity and Christian symbolism. Among the African Diaspora traditions, this is far less common. At a Fet (Vodou ceremony), one frequently sees statues of saints standing in for the lwa -- and may even see festivals in honor of popular saints like St. Clare and St. Philomena. These religions have been strongly influenced by Roman Catholicism, and retain many of the symbols and preconceptions found in that venerable faith.

Desmangles is one of the first scholars to study these connections at length. His book provides solid historical evidence of Catholicism's role from the earliest days of Vodou, when Haiti was still St. Dominique and slavery was still the order of the day. He discusses how the Haitian Revolution led to the official Catholic Church pulling out of Haiti... and how an unofficial group of "priests" took over. Less educated than their predecessors, and less concerned with orthodoxy, they helped join Catholicism and Vodou together in the Haitian mind. Even after the return of Official Catholicism, and several "anti-superstition campaigns," this juxtaposition has not been erased.

If you're looking for a how-to guide (i.e. "How to Cast Spells," "How to be a Super Elite Voodoo Houngan"), you will be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a solid and well-researched guide to Haitian Catholicism and its impact on Haitian Vodou, you'll be more than satisfied with this book.

Vodou, while shrouded in mysticism and magic for many U.S. citizens is a rich and storied traditional practice and way of life in Haiti, with its variations of Santeria in Cuba and manifestations in Brazil and other Latin America.

Leslie Desmangles' stance on Vodou and Roman Catholicism being in a symbiotic relationship is interesting, and he defines the relationship adequately, though I would disagree with that assessment. However, his descriptions and depictions of Vodou to the Haitian practitioner are impressive and are much easier to read than Maya Deren's prose (though it is beautiful and rich as well).

How to follow in the footsteps of a great historian? One answer is found in this important successor to CLR James's "Black Jacobins." Fick effectively honors James's legacy by expanding the scope of inquiry to encompass the "self-activity" of historical actors at all levels of Haitian society. Where "Black Jacobins" stressed the key role of revolutionary leaders, Fick documents longstanding patterns of everyday resistance and marronage from which the 1791 revolution drew great strength. Her work restores popular agency to the forefront of Haiti's epic history---and James's contribution remains secure, not least due to superior literary merit.

How to follow in the footsteps of a great historian? One answer is found in this important successor to CLR James's "The Black Jacobins." Fick effectively honors James's legacy by expanding the scope of inquiry to encompass the "self-activity" of historical actors at all levels of Haitian society. Where "Black Jacobins" stressed the key role of revolutionary leaders, Fick documents longstanding patterns of marronage and everyday resistance from which the 1791 revolution drew great strength. Her work restores popular agency to the forefront of Haiti's epic history---and James's contribution remains secure, not least due to superior literary merit.

Basically, the book presumes what will be happenning by the year 200. Due to political injustice in Haiti, democratie seems not to be as effective as it is supposed to be. So the New Worl order may be a matter that can lead the country to become worst than before in all areas.

As an avid fan of Caribbean history, I claim this book to be one of the best I have ever read. It is a must for anyone interested in the Haitian Revolution on Saint Domingue. Mr. Ott thoroughly covers the revolution from start to finish. His writing style is efficient and to the point. The book analyzes the causes and effects of each stage of the revolution from every possible view point and deals in depth with the leading figures of this event. I highly recommend this book.

. . . when I was fourteen years old and feeling discontent with my life. I ordered this book from a book club knowing next to nothing about it, and it really did change my life. Jennifer Green goes on a trip with her grandma to Haiti, and she sees first hand the reality of life in a third-world country. I still remember some of the images in this book: children filling dirty water jars with brown, not clear, water, and Jennifer saying, "I really am rich. Even without a mansion or a chauffeur." While the rest of this series is expendable as a typical "Girl Grows Up" series, this one should be read by every pre-teen/early teenage girl. They won't be complaining about *anything* for a long time.

I have used this book as a guide while travelling around in the Dominican Republic by car. While I can fully recommend doing so, I would not recommend using this book as a your travel guide.

Often we found inaccuracies or even misleading information, particularly when travelling outside the charter tourist hot spots. We were often sent on wild goose chases by the so-called guide book. It is also often lacking in detailed information about the location of interesting things/places to see, so you could only read about it, but not locate it. Consistently we found the quoted prices to be wrong - sometimes actual prices were more than double the quoted prices (the book had been finished 1½ years before we travelled, it was in the low season and annual inflation had been less than 5 per cent, so there is no obvious explanation for this).

I'm a confirmed armchair traveler who buys books about countries that interest me. I don't know if this guide is factually accurate (the other reviews seem to think so) but I do know that now I want to go to Hispaniola. This book has painted such an appealing picture that I feel compelled to discover it all for myself. Isn't this what a good guidebook is all about?

It was with some normal fear that I planned my first foreign trip, one going alone to Haiti for the first time. I found the contents of this book to be invaluable. From listing considerations on what to take, providing suggestions on travel and great directions in the towns and villages listed, I found this book to be very useful. I took it with me and it was a constant reference. I also found the background and history section to be both accurate and interesting. Thanks for helping make my trip a success.