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I Am Going Where I Belong
 
 
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I Am Going Where I Belong [Kindle Edition]

Hans Lindor (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews) |
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"I Am Going Where I Belong," tells the story of a young immigrant's flight from a coup in Port au Prince that left his politician father gunned down in the street...It's a rude awakening from a life of privilege to one of crime, death and constant discrimination from whites and blacks alike. - Treasure Coast Newspaper

"In turmoil, lives are lost, yet some live on in shambles....With a unique flare in the writing style, "I Am Going Where I Belong" is a strongly recommended addition to any international memoir collection."  - Midwest Book Review

"Lindor is a firm believer that one should "write about what you know," and he succeeds here by writing a narrative that is pure and poetic." Black issues Book Review - Reviewed by Antoinette Dykes

"I am Going Where I Belong", is the tale of a young immigrant who flees to the United States with his mother and younger brother after Leger's father is killed in an uprising" - Michigan Chronicle by Patrick Keating

HEART-GRIPPING"I Am Going Where I Belong" is a heart-gripping story, which leads readers through different emotions...It reflects the story of all Caribbean Americans. They can see their reflection through Lindor's characters.
"I Am Going Where I Belong" should be the next American classic. - Caribbean Today Newspaper

Product Description

In turmoil, lives are lost, yet some live on in shambles. "I Am Going Where I Belong" is author Hans Lindor telling the story of Chriscile Leger, a mother of two who is forced out of Haiti after political unrest leads to a coup d'etat. Above all else, Lindor tells a mother's story of living for her children and going through anything and everything to do so. With a unique flare in the writing style, "I Am Going Where I Belong" is a strongly recommended addition to any international memoir collection.
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Product Details

  • File Size: 153 KB
  • Print Length: 152 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1592322654
  • Publisher: Enaz Publications (May 13, 2011)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B006DUSO22
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • Lending: Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #482,273 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I Am Gong Where I Belong relates a fictionalized and tragic tale of life for Haiti native Hans Leger. Born into the ruling class of Haiti and a life of privilege, Hans Leger discovers a side of his homeland that is both shocking and horrifying. The narrative carries the reader through a chance encounter with a child prostitute and her son, to the murder of Han's father, the rape of his mother and his family's flight to and life in the USA as political refugees. This story reflects deeply on the living conditions, mental attitudes and struggles of the Haitian people. The narrative voice of Hans Leger relates and reflects upon issues of personal safety, survival, self loathing, racial and economic discrimination and political despotism as the story progresses.

I Am Going Where I Belong is loosely built around aspects of the author's personal experiences, and offers a perspective and a vision of the Haitian people that have, until now, been given little or no voice. Author Hans Lindor eloquently weaves his personal experiences of life in Haiti and beyond into this fictionalized account, successfully capturing for his audience truths that can only be felt when shared by one who has lived and breathed them.

I had the great pleasure of interviewing Hans Lindor after having read his book, I Am Gong Where I Belong. Lindor will tell you that the book is about a fictional character and that it is not about his life. After having interviewed the author, I can see why he would assert this. Many aspects of the character Hans's life are fictionalized and differ from events that played out Lindor's own story. However, the book also contains events, losses, and incidents that the author has drawn directly from his personal experience. The road of circumstance traveled may differ for the character, Hans, but when you read about Marie and her son, or when a beloved character is gunned down and must be left untended in the streets, there is an aspect of reality being shared that is heartrendingly real. These are elements of the author's own story which are retold using the vehicle of fiction to soften the impact for both the author and the reader. It is in these moments that Lindor's ability to write is at its best. He transmits into words the incredible horror, loss and grief that has been his own and shares with all of us a tale of Haiti's children.

If you are at all interested in the lost boys of Haiti or in the politics and struggles surrounding this nation, you will benefit by reading I Am Gong Where I Belong. Well written and easy to understand, this book will open your eyes to realities and difficulties faced every day by the Haitian people. The author digs deep and offers up a piece of his soul in, I Am Gong Where I Belong.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Truly inspiring! May 17, 2011
Format:Paperback
"I am Going Where I Belong is a gripping journey through the plight of a once wealthy immigrant family. Chriscile Leger, mother of two, is forced to flee her native country with her children after her husband is brutally assassinated during a coup d'etat." - jacket cover.

Chriscile Leger and her two sons, Hans and Junior, live a privileged life inside the walls of their mansion, as her husband, Edouard, is the Minister of Finance of Haiti. The children are chauffeured to school, eat at expensive restaurants and play around their private swimming pool, tended to by their maids and butler. When Hans is 14, his chauffeur stops to make a purchase in a very populated part of town, and it opens Hans eyes to the way of life on some parts of his island that he was sheltered from all his life. He is scared by all the sights and not so pleasant smells of piles of garbage strewn everywhere; overcrowded streets, filled with peddlers, flies covering every pile of dirt and dust; and the intolerable stench. Through all the filth, he notices a 15-year old girl, and a toddler among the rubbish, and he is drawn to her. Determined to find her, he skips school the next day, only to witness an act of prostitution in the same neighborhood he was in the day before. The prostitute girl is the girl he had seen and come looking for. He develops a friendship with her that day, and spends the whole day with her and her son.

That night, he goes home and is punished by his father for skipping school, but who later, reads him and his brother, a bedtime story. That night begins the horror of his life, and as you read his novel, which reads more like a memoir than a fictional novel, it is heart-wrenching and incredible at the same time. After the bedtime story, there is a coup as soldiers rush into their house and attack them. The boys are made to watch as their father is brutally assassinated in their home; their mother is repeatedly raped and tortured; their servants are killed and their house destroyed. In a flash of luck, their mother is able to kill and disable two of the soldiers and escape in their car to the American Embassy, where they are granted asylum, and a few days later, come to America to live with their grandmother in Florida. One would think that this is a happy ending, and this family deserves a happy ending after what they have been through. But it is quite the opposite. In a way, their troubles are barely beginning, and using the word 'trouble' is just putting it very lightly.

In a country that is known all over the world for its 'freedom', Hans and his brother learn the hard way. They are bullied and beaten in school because of their accent by other African-American kids; they live in a one-story bungalow in a very poor neighborhood in Miami, and experience extreme hardship, while Chriscile and her mother struggle to pay the bills and put some food on the table. This is the mildest of the suffering that Hans goes through. As you read, the events unfold, like one nauseating wave of suffering after another, hitting you so hard, that when you barely have time to recover from one, you are hit with another. You find yourself hoping that he catches a break somewhere, and the ending will surprise you.

I found myself relating to parts of Haiti, as it resembled parts of India that I have seen and grown up around; I connected to some parts of being an immigrant, as I am one myself and the part that resonated most with me, was Hans' ability to overcome, to survive and to use his unique life experiences for good. Given the many, almost unreal, circumstances of his life, Hans could have given up on life a long time ago and he would have every valid reason to, but his strength, his determination, his resolve to become somebody and make his life better is inspiring! The book is written in a very conversational style, and is easy to read. The writing style is simple yet tells the poignant story. The transitioning is not the greatest but he introduces each section with a heading, then goes on to explain the setting/people. Hans Lindor has managed to address several things in this book in a very unassuming way: politics; human rights; lives of immigrants; human ability to overcome suffering and succeed and to give back to the community and to the world, to name a few.

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review.
Reviewed on The Book Nook Club
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! April 5, 2011
Format:Paperback
Hans Leger and his family lived in Haiti. They were from a well to do family. His driver picked him up from school one day and took him and his brother downtown (and they were supposed to keep this secret from his parents). When they went to town they got a look at what the less fortunate in Haiti really lived like. The air stank so bad that Hans threw up. A girl caught his attention. He thought she was about 15. She wore a dress that was torn and had a little toddler with her who was about 3 or 4. Hans could tell that the little boy was hungry. He skipped school the next day to go back to town. He found out the girl's name is Marie and the little toddler is her baby. It was the result of being raped. You will need to read the book to find out more about how Marie ended up on the streets.

Hans' father was gunned down, and Hans and his family were forced to go to Miami. It was a big culture shock. Hans learned from his friends that in America, kids could disrespect their parents. The American kids were mean though. Actually, it wasn't just the kids. He was discriminated against. His mother really wanted to return to Haiti. You will need to read the book to find out what happened in their lives.

I really kept thinking I was reading a memoir while I was reading this book. It really made me see what life in Haiti is really like. The lives of the children in Haiti is very sad. I am so glad I got the chance to read this book and find out more about it. My eyes were opened to what some people are going through.

I Am Going Where I Belong was an amazing book, and I highly recommend it. For being only 150 pages long, there really was a lot packed into it. I felt myself tearing up as I read about the lives of these poor Haitian children.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Stirring Coming of Age Tale
Hans Lindor's I Am Going Where I Belong is a stirring coming-of-age tale set amidst the backdrop of Haitian history. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mihir Shah
Amazing!!!
Whether you are a college student, high school student this book is a must-read. If you are an immigrant, you need to read this book. Read more
Published 6 months ago by A student
Impress....
I met the author of this book last weekemd... so I just ordered the book. I am very impressed of the reviews, can't wait to read the book!
Published 6 months ago by Rebecca
Stephanie
You could write a book about your life if you've done something exceedingly accomplished. Set foot on the moon. Won the Nobel Prize. Served as president. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Romancing the Book
Haiti survivors escape with their lives~!!
I Am Going Where I Belong is a gripping journey through the plight of a once wealthy immigrant family. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jennifer Chatham
This book needs to be discovered by the readers
As an immigrant myself, after reading this book it makes me want to go back home and help my people. This book is well written. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Just love a good book
A Moving Coming-Of-Age Tale
Growing up as a member of the privileged class in Haiti, 14-year-old Hans Leger is unfamiliar with the hunger, pain, and suffering that plagues the large majority of his island... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Apex Reviews
Home Is Where the Heart Is
I Am Going Where I Belong by Hans Lindor begins in Haiti where 14 year-old Hans Leger is a member of a privileged family. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Beverly Jackson
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› Visit Amazon's Hans Lindor Page
Hans Lindor
HEART-GRIPPING

"I Am Going Where I Belong" is a heart-gripping story, which leads readers through different emotions.
As a Haitian American, I understand the struggle of Lindor's characters, but the book does not speak to only Haitians. It reflects the story of all Caribbean Americans. They can see their reflection through Lindor's characters.
"I Am Going Where I Belong" should be the next American classic.

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