#breatheyesmemory

The article “Experts: Teach younger Haitian-Americans to fight stubborn stereotypes” relates to the novel “Breath, Eyes, Memory” because it highlights the many tales of Haitian students who come into the country for a better tomorrow yet have to bear underlying pains. A student named Eileen Ternize opens up about how she was afraid to let other American students know that her parents are Haitian immigrants and had to keep her ethnicity a secret in elementary school. In her doing this, this complicates her identity and how she expresses who she is. When you hide a part of yourself for the benefit of others and the benefit of not being harassed, it does something to you. In the sixth grade, students overheard her grandfather speaking Creole to another parent, and her student career was made for by then. Eileen had to deal with being made fun of and students chanting “you eat dirt” and “you do Voodoo.” This is similar in the novel when Martine had to prepare Sophie before she attended her NY school. Now that students with similar backgrounds have taken their power back and are choosing to speak up for themselves, this will help others come out and stand up for themselves as well.

Breath, Eyes, Memory reminds me of the poem Girl by Jamaica Kincaid. In Girl, the young lady’s mother is training her to be a good housewife and take care of herself as she grows into her womanhood. However, in Girl, it wasn’t nice, and her mother never considered the Girl’s feelings; it was her mother controlling her future actions. In Breath, Eyes, Memory, Martine tells Sophie not to settle for a man who is not doing something with himself and remain pure. Martine and Atie used to have vaginal check-ins, but Martine’s stopped when Sophie was conceived. Martine did not pass down this toxic trait and just chose to communicate with her daughter, which is crucial. Martine took a different approach and moved outside of gender norms. She wants Sophie to get her education, go to college, get a great paying job, not depend on a man.

The novel “Breath, Eyes, Memory” by Edwidge Danticat is first set in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. The reader is first introduced to a girl named Sophie, who her Aunt Atie is raising. Atie never really had the chance to pursue her dreams because she had to work the land and support her mother. Sophie’s mother went off to New York to try and have a better life and support her family back in Haiti. Atie is the only mother that Sophie knows, and now she has to up and move to Haiti with her birth mother, Martine. Sophie is being exiled because people think America is best for her schooling and career. Sophie only knows Atie, her grandmother, the community, and the Haitian land and will face traumas being removed from her Native land so young. With Sophie being uprooted and starting fresh in New York, she had to be mentally prepared for the American kids and their cruel ways, ex. picking on Haitian students because of “HBO.” Not even that, but she had to be prepared to face issues about her identity. Martine told Sophie that she is the product of rape, and because of this, she does not have the ability to know her dad or her true self because her mother is just now trying to make things right. This novel gives me some insight into some of my friends’ lives who are Haitian and were born there. I wish that kids in school would tell their side of things, everything they went through to be here in America, and how they still face obstacles to try and have a better life. I feel like Sophie, and other children/teens/adults may face alienation when they are not around peers similar to them. They are all people of color, but they don’t share being born in America. When Sophie became 18, she met an older man close to her mother’s age and is starting to fall in love with him. I hope that this older man is not her father or will end up hurting her in the long run

Really enjoyed the folklore and storytelling that makes #breatheyesmemory such a captivating read 📖 #bookclub #igreads #storytelling #edwigedanticat #beansbooksandbooze

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This passage reflects the barrier between Sophie (Dandicat) and the other children. Sophie is different from the other children because she does not live with her mother, she lives with her aunt who has neither a husband nor children of her own. This distinction between Sophie and the other children displays the complexity in her life in relation to the others' more simple lives. The list of their names is equivalent to the joy and energy they share as they play in the garden of leaves. In contrast, Sophie is unable to fully enjoy her youth because of her strange situation and because of the upcoming news. Dandicat's life was strikingly different from other children - she was more quiet, more reserved, more observant. She held the wisdom and manners of an adult just as a young child which fueled her emotions and actions.

Throughout the excerpts of Dandicat’s book, there are several passages that talk about the connection to the Bible and the religious interconnectivity of the older generation like Tante Atie and Grandmè Ifé. Although Sophie does not directly comment on religion herself, the cultural traditions that are passed down to her to ease fears and to keep faith can be what she needs to hold on to during hard times. Personally, this passage also strengthens the warm relationship between grandmother and grandchild while drawing on the cliché of having the grandmother read (in this case, recount) stories to children as a way of teaching morals.

The book for this month's #bookclubbrunchseries is by #haitian author EdwidgeDanticat! It's a such a page turner, @findingpaola and I can't wait to here what you have to say! We just sent another email with some talking points. Theres certainly more coming. Tickets for the brunch will be available very soon. The brunch is on Sunday March 29th, which means you still have time to read the book (several times). Seriously, even if you haven't gotten the book yet, you will finish it by then. We read ours in just a couple of days despite our crazy schedules. No excuses! #BreathEyesMemory Disclaimer: if you sign up AFTER we send our newsletters, you won't receive an email from us until we send the next one. Unfortunately, we are not able to resend the same emails every time we get a new subscriber. We of course would love to keep you updated so please follow @bookclubbrunchseries for more info. Click on the link in the bio to read recaps, and subscribe. Photo: @islandboiphotography