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Danticat, Edwidge. Breath, Eyes, Memory. New York: Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., 1994. 234 pp.
Grade Range: 10-12
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Summary and Critique
In this poignant novel, twelve-year-old Sophie leaves her native Haiti and the aunt who raised her to be reunited with her mother in New York City. As the tale unfolds, author Edwidge Danticat brilliantly reveals her own sensual memory of Haiti, its intoxicating beauty, danger and sorrow. Life in America is difficult for Sophie, though. The young girl discovers that she is the product of a violent rape, and that this traumatic event still haunts her mother in the form of violent nightmares. The mother’s psychological problems, combined with her Haitian cultural practices (e.g., mothers’ physical “testing” of their daughters’ purity), create tension in their relationship. Eventually the teen falls in love with her musician neighbor, Joseph. Convinced that her mother would disapprove, Sophie persuades him to elope. Over time, Sophie realizes that her past has created a fear of intimacy that can only be conquered by traveling to Haiti with her mother to visit her dying grandmother. Upon returning to New York, Sophie’s mother kills herself in a final attempt to stop the recurring dreams, and Sophie must learn to face and embrace her family heritage and culture.
A vivid account of a young girl and the female relationships that shape her life, Breath, Eyes, Memory offers a powerful, touching tale of love and redemption. I would highly recommend this book to mature high school students and adults, but excerpts could be used for younger readers.
Awards
1996 Best Young American Novelist for Breath, Eyes, Memory by GRANTA Lila-Wallace-Reader’s Digest Grant
Oprah’s Book Club
Themes/Topics
Families
Generations
Race, Ethnicity, and Culture
Love, Sex, and Relationships
Challenges and Triumphs
Author Information
Born in Haiti in 1969, Edwidge Danticat (much like her heroine, Sophie) was raised by her aunt until age 12, when she moved to the United States to rejoin her parents. Before Breath, Eyes, Memory received critical acclaim and was chosen for Oprah’s Book Club, Danticat published in several periodicals and is the author of Krik? Krak!, a collection of short stories.
For more information on Edwidge Danticat:
http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/Danticat.html Web site with biographical on Danticat and literary-thematic information on her writing.
Media Connections:
Movies/Documentaries
In America (2002) The story of a modern Irish immigrant family living in New York who discover that America is not all that they expected. In time, they befriend artist neighbor Mateo, and the family’s situation begins to improve. Nominated for two Academy Awards and six Independent Spirit Awards; winner of the National Board of Review’s Best Original Screenplay (2003).
The Joy Luck Club (1993) Based on the novel by Amy Tan, the story follows four Chinese mother-daughter relationships. When one mother dies, her Chinese-American daughter, June, takes her place at the table and learns about her Chinese heritage. Rated R.
Big Fish (2003) Learning that his father (a notorious storyteller) is dying, a son asks the older man to recall his past in order to learn more about him. A beautifully told tale about a larger-than-life yet everyday man, whose love for his wife and his town lead him on unbelievable adventures. A great story about family relationships.
A Raisin in the Sun (1961) Based on the play by Lorraine Hansberry, this film examines the struggles of an African-American family whose patriarch has just passed away and left $10,000 to his widow. Tension develops among members of the family as they try to decide how best to use the money to advance the family.
4 Little Girls (1997) Spike Lee’s documentary on the 1963 bombing of an African-American church in Birmingham, Alabama, that killed four young girls.
West Side Story (1961) Based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, this story about racial/ethnic tension and love in 1960 New York City lives up to all that MGM musicals were known for.
Television
Gilmore Girls—any episode (female generational relationships)
I Love Lucy—any episode (interracial marriage)
Music/Audio Recordings
Exploring America’s ‘National Identity’. John Ydstie . Morning Edition, National Public Radio. October 7, 2004. (An interesting discussion on assimilation and cultural identity. Available online at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4074849).
Online Resources
- http://www.kreyol.com An historic guide to Haitian culture (literature, art, and music) from 1804 to 2005, complete with Haitian Creole dictionary.
- http://www.windowsonhaiti.com A site created to increase awareness of Haitian culture and to oppose negative images of the country projected through the media.
- http://www.nwsa.org National Women’s Studies Association Web site, which offers information on membership, publications, conferences, and job searches.
- http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/haiti/rape.htm A Miami Herald article by Joe Mozingo that discusses rape in Haiti just before the departure of President JeanBertand Aristide. Sadly, this horrific practice was widespread and often even condoned by those in power.
- http://members.tripod.com/lmsurratt Laura M. Surratt’s article, “Understanding the Survivor of Rape,” discusses different definitions of rape, survivors’ experiences and perceptions, and victims’ post-rape vulnerabilities.
- http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~efhayes/haitian.htm An article by Jessi M. Colin and Ghislaine Paperwalla containing research about Haitian-Americans, their heritage, and their migration. It includes sections on family roles and priorities, along with cultural practices for children and adolescents.
- http://theliterarylink.com/yalink.html A resource site for young-adult literature, including multicultural literature. Contains links to lesson plans, ideas for literature circles, books on authors, and recommended periodicals.
Related Texts
Kidd, Sue Monk. The Secret Life of Bees. New York: Penguin Books, 2002. The story of a young white girl in the south who runs away from her abusive father in search of information about her mother, who died a few years before. She finds love in an African-American family of sisters, and discovers more about her mother and herself than she bargained for. It would be great for discussing mother-daughter relationships.
Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Orlando: Harcourt Books (1982). Walker’s novel examines the story of an African-American woman’s struggle for self-love and independence from her abusive father and husband. This novel could be used to examine at race relations, sex roles, and abuse.
Arthur, Charles. Haiti in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics and Culture. Brooklyn: Interlink Books, (2002). The title is self-explanatory. The book includes current information on the culture and events surrounding Haiti. A good guide for students to learn more about the home country of Danticat and the heroine of Breath, Eyes, Memory.
Farmer, Paul. The Uses of Haiti. Common Courage Press, 1994. Farmer re-caps the recent political history of Haiti, and ways that the United States and other countries have benefited from this turmoil. The book offers an interesting take on American foreign policy in the Caribbean and the results of U.S. “aid.”
Weiss, M. Jerry and Helen S. (Ed.). Big City Cool: Short Stories About Urban Youth, 1st Ed. Persea Books, 2002. An anthology of short stories about the lives and experiences of urban youth. It would be appropriate for discussion about how Sophie would have experienced life as a youth in New York City.
Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk (Ed.). Dancing Teepees: Poems of American Indian Youth, Reprint Ed. Holiday House, 1991. This anthology could be used in conjunction with Breath, Eyes, Memory as a way of looking at other cultures through the eyes of youth.
Hyppolite, Joanne. Seth and Semona. Yearling, 2001. A tale of the adventures of a Haitian-American boy and his friend in the fifth grade. Appropriate for younger ages (8-12), if readers are not mature enough for Breath, Eyes, Memory, or if their reading level is a few grades behind.
Chu, James A., Md. and Elizabeth S. Bowman, Md. (Ed.). Trauma and Sexuality: The Effects of Childhood Sexual, Physical and Emotional Abuse on Sexual Identity and Behavior. Binghamton: The Haworth Medical Press, 2002. An interesting look at the long- and short-term effects of childhood abuse on its victims. This work would be helpful in analyzing the psycho-sexual issues that haunt Sophie and her mother.
Teaching Ideas
(1) “Stories That Make Us Who We Are” Ask students to recall stories that were told to them as children by relatives or friends, jot them down (very informal writing), then bring them to class. Students will read or tell the stories in class, prefacing them with an explanation of one or all of these questions: Why is this story retold? Who told it to you? How many times have you heard it? When was it typically told? How is your culture/family environment reflected in the story? What do you find most meaningful in your story? These stories help to create a sense of community in the classroom. [Summarized from “Stories That Make Us Who We Are” by Theresa M. Willis and Kathleen Pierce in Classroom Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. August 2001, pp. 2-3.]
(2) “Letters from Literature” After reading a novel, students write anonymous letters to the author from him/herself or from one of the characters, posing problems they’re grappling with. The teacher collects the letters and re-distributes them to the class. Next, students assume the role of advice columnists and comment on possible resolutions to the conflict(s) expressed in the letters. [Adapted from “Traci’s List of Ten Ways to Play with Literature” by Traci Gardiner in Classroom Notes Plus. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. October 2000. p.12.]
(3) Defining the Abstract” Use this strategy to improve a student’s ability to write specific descriptions of hard-to-define abstract ideas, especially in setting tone and creating voice. Students are given a list of categories typically used to describe or give shape to abstract ideas (e.g. a color, smell, texture, place, piece of music, object). Next, each person selects an abstract idea (e.g., joy) and the students go down the list, filling in specific items for each category (e.g., joy as a color: light blue; smell: cookie dough; texture: feathers; place: grandmother’s kitchen; music: Madonna; object: swimming pool). Remind students to use this method to make their writing more vivid (e.g., “white-chocolate macadamia-nut cookie” instead of “snack.” [Adapted from “Defining the Abstract” by Carol J. Bakle in Ideas Plus Book 9. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 1991.]
(review written by Bonnie Castle Walton)
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