CURRENT READ (meeting September 19th)
Death of the Soccer God by Dimitry Elias Léger is a historical novel inspired by the extraordinary life of Haitian soccer legend Joe Gaetjens.

It follows Gilbert Chevalier, a gifted Haitian soccer player who leaves the privileged world of Port-au-Prince for New York, unexpectedly joins the U.S. team, and becomes famous after the 1950 World Cup. But beneath the glory is a story of love, ambition, fame, politics, Haiti, and ultimately survival, as Gilbert’s life takes a much darker turn under the Duvalier regime

(S)Kin by Ibi Zoboi is a powerful and poetic exploration of identity, colorism, and belonging.
Through lyrical storytelling, the book follows a young Caribbean girl navigating how her dark skin shapes the way she is seen and how she learns to see herself culturally, physically and mystically.
The book blends history, memory, and emotion to reflect on beauty, self-worth, and the lasting impact of colonialism in family settings.

The Magic Orange Tree: and Other Haitian Folktales by Diane Wolkstein is a rich and engaging collection of 27 traditional Haitian folk stories that the author gathered during her travels through rural Haiti. The book combines vivid, magical tales featuring talking animals, clever tricksters, enchanted orange trees, and other wondrous element. With insightful introductory notes that illuminate Haitian culture, beliefs, and the art of storytelling, the result is a world full of mysterious wonder and cultural wisdom that appeals to both young and adult readers alike.

Kingdom of No Tomorrow by Fabienne Josaphat is a coming-of-age novel about Nettie, a Haitian American girl growing up in 1970s during the Black Power era. As she navigates adolescence, family, love, and loss, she wrestles with identity, inherited trauma, and the weight of her father’s political ideals. The novel explores what it means to grow up Black, diasporic, and searching for belonging in a world that offers both hope and danger.

Masters of the Dew by Jacques Roumain is a landmark Haitian novel that tells the story of Manuel, a young man who returns to his drought-stricken village determined to unite a divided community. Blending social realism with poetic language, Roumain explores collective struggle, solidarity, and the deep bond between people and the land. He offers a powerful vision of hope through unity and shared labor.

Hadriana in All My Dreams by René Depestre is a lyrical and provocative novel set in 1930s Haiti, where love, desire, and the supernatural intertwine. Through the mysterious zombification of a young bride on her wedding day, Depestre blends sensuality, Vodou, and political satire to explore freedom, colonial legacy, and the reclaiming of joy in a society shaped by repression and myth.

Create Dangerously by Edwidge Danticat is a moving collection of essays that reflects on the power of storytelling in the face of political violence, exile, and historical erasure. Drawing from her own life and Haiti’s complex history, Danticat explores what it means to write courageously, bear witness, and preserve memory; affirming art as an act of survival and resistance.

Ayiti by Roxane Gay is a powerful collection of short stories that explores the Haitian diaspora through themes of identity, migration, love, loss, and belonging. With emotional precision and cultural depth, Gay gives voice to Haitians navigating life between home and elsewhere, illuminating the quiet struggles and enduring resilience of a people shaped by displacement and hope.