Behind the Mountains [Hardcover]

Edwidge Danticat (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc. (2003)
• ISBN-10: 0439531128
• ISBN-13: 978-0439531122
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #229,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Edwidge Danticat was born in Haiti in 1969 and came to the United States when she was twelve years old. She graduated from Barnard College and received an M.F.A. from Brown University. She made an auspicious debut with her first novel, Breath, Eyes, Memory, and followed it with the story collection Krik? Krak!, whose National Book Award nomination made Danticat the youngest nominee ever. She lives in New York.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Young Immigrants Featured Review, December 5, 2004

By 

Mitali Perkins - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Behind the Mountains (First Person Fiction) (Hardcover)

As I walked through the leafy Boston suburb, I saw a uniformed chauffeur waiting outside a big house. He was gazing into the trees, obviously enjoying the quiet spring morning. A nametag on his lapel identified him as "Jean."

"Are you from Haiti?" I asked.

He nodded, surprised.

"I just read a great book about your country," I told him. "I learned about the beautiful mountains and hibiscus flowers there."

I watched the smile spread across his face. Were it not for Edwidge Danticat's young adult novel, Behind the Mountains, I might have walked wordlessly past this stranger. Now I was curious about his journey, and he was thrilled by my knowledge of his country and culture. That's the purpose of Orchard's First Person Fiction series - to create understanding and empathy for the immigrants around us. Using fictional diary entries, Danticat recounts Celiane Esperance's journey from a rural town to Port-au-Prince to Brooklyn. I painlessly learned about Haitian history and politics, and gained insight into why some Haitians desire to immigrate to America.

The book is also particularly written for immigrant teens. Danticat, the acclaimed author of three adult novels, expertly depicts Celiane's high hopes of seeing her father again and the subsequent stressful reality of a family reunion. Reading about Celiane's first miserable days in New York will encourage immigrant teens to welcome other newcomers. As Celiane describes her sorrow over her father's conflict with her older brother Moy, I remembered my older siblings hammering out compromises with our parents. These and other themes common to immigrants from any country make me wish this book had been around when I was reading out on that Flushing fire escape.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for young readers, or anyone interested in Haiti, April 29, 2005

By 

P Alix "pamelalyn" (Massachusetts USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind the Mountains (First Person Fiction) (Hardcover)

Not only is this a well-written, interesting story of a young girl's life in Haiti, it truly gives the reader a taste of what Haiti is like today. My daughter, age 10, and I read it together, after my first trip to Haiti on a medical mission. I felt like I was back in Haiti, and loved the description, historical information and perspective of a young girl watching her life and country change. Behind the Mountains is written in diary form, and really draws the reader in, allowing her to see things through the eye's of the young narrator as her family is uprooted and moved to another country.

I highly recommend this to young readers (4th-6th grade) or even adults who enjoy historical fiction, learning about other cultures, or are undergoing family changes.

I give this a 5 star rating for the wonderful prose, easy readability, smooth incorporation of beautiful cultural and historical facts, and engaging characters.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Explores the experiences of teenagers of various backgrounds who immigrate to America, October 5, 2009

By 

American Immigration Council's Community Educ... (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind the Mountains (First Person Fiction) (Paperback)

Living in rural Haiti, Celiane Esperance, her mother, and brother Moy anxiously await the cassettes Papa sends them from New York each month. Forced by economic circumstances to seek work in America, Papa has been gone for three years and the family anticipates joining him when the proper visas can be arranged. While visiting an aunt in Port-Au-Prince, Celiane and her mother are nearly killed by a bomb, leaving them more determined to join Papa. Just as there are always more mountains behind the mountains, however, the family finds that there are more challenges to face when they are reunited with Papa in New York. Celiane shares her feelings about her family and experiences through the diary she was awarded by her teacher in Haiti.

Beautifully written by Edwidge Danticat, recognized by The New York Times as one of our best young writers, Behind The Mountains explores the themes of coming of age, family relationships, separation and reunification, as well as immigration and cultural identity.

Behind The Mountains is one of the books in the Scholastic First Person Fiction series exploring the experiences of teenagers of various backgrounds who immigrate to America.