Customer Reviews

Black Rage Confronts the Law (Critical America (New York University Paperback))

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It's a shame that there aren't more English translations of this writer's work. I'm eager to discover what else Montero has to say (A hint to translator Edith Grossman should she ever read this). I found this novel among those listed in the Best Fiction of 1997 compiled by Booklist. Montero's novel certainly is deserving of a "Best of" list being a uniquely constructed story with alternating viewpoints of the two protagonists (the American gets the even numbered chapters, his storytelling Haitian guide the odd) and intertwining reports of the decline of numerous species of frogs throughout the world. I have never come across a work of fiction that incorporated the extinction and threatened extinction of amphibians as a metaphor for the chaotic state of the human condition. Having recently returned from a wildlife tour of Costa Rica, I am well-acquainted with the low or completely absent populations of frogs there. I was astonished to learn from reading t! his novel that the phenomenon of vanishing frogs is a global one. Readers with an interest in the alarming environmental situation of our planet and the mysteries of life should find a copy of Montero's novel and give it a thorough read. It is sure to give some reflection on the fragile state of both Earth and the human heart. The final paragraph is heartwrenching. I gasped before closing the book leaving me with much to mull over.

A good novel that keeps your interest. Terribly factual yet absolutely incredible. Ms. Montero has managed in just a few pages to capture the essence of a certain group of Haitians, and an era not so long ago experienced. It has been said that what is happening to these amphibians is forshadowing men's ultimate demise. Let us hope that Haiti's desperate circumstances are not a sign of things to come for the entire planet. Recommended reading because you will not find this story at a theater near you. A factual accounting of the geography, mores, and human relationships in that troubled society.

A wonderful read - questions our view of the world , our priorities, our interpersonal relationships in a quiet way. This is a book wrapped in factuality re:the extinction of frogs and in mystery - the zombies, poisons and spirits of the Haitian world. This is tightly constructed story that is never a hard read.

This short novel is a warm, well-researched, -written and -plotted account of the cooperation of two strangers in a hostile and depressing environment, Haiti in 1992-3. Victor is a US-based herpetologist specialized in toads and frogs, who is intent on solving the mystery of the decline and extinction of many of their species worldwide. He hopes that catching a specimen of a near-extinct, perhaps crucial species in Haiti will secure him a new life far away from home and put an end to his poisonous relationship with his mother and wife.
Prematurely-aged Thierry is his guide. He is a native of Haiti and has assisted a foreign herpetologist before. The book consists of 20 titled, alternating chapters written or spoken by the two main protagonists, interspersed with short reports about the decline/disappearance/ extinction of other frogs or toad species, in Switzerland, Wyoming, Costa Rica, etc. in the 1980's and 90's.
In this novel Victor and Thierry gradually tell their life stories and record their progress and setbacks while tracking the elusive frog. Thierry tries to protect Victor without falling foul of the spiritual world in which he is deeply involved, or with Haiti's contemporary dangers such as violence with impunity that inspired Victor's wife to warn him that Haiti is not a safe place.
Thierry wishes to die with no one bearing him ill will and to see his loved ones again in the next world. Throughout their acquaintance he is intrigued by Victor's talk of the ostriches his father farms in the US, the birds' properties (they can kill a man with one kick, their meat can feed 100 men) and wishes one for himself. Victor promises to buy him one, once they find his cherished frog. It would make Thierry's wake and burial legendary and put the spirits and the living at rest.
This is a very rich and intriguing book. Its content will never be fully understood. Nor will Haiti.

I read this book as part of a local book club I belong to, and it was by far the most interesting, well-written (what I could tell from the translation) of the three we've read so far. I loved the juxtaposition of the Haitian guide's personal anecdotes with the main thrust of the story told by the narrator. There is even juxtaposition within each chapter, as Thierry recounts his mysterious stories about his life in Haiti (sometimes gruesome and always enthralling) the narrator is only half-listening, as he ponders his own less-than-fulfilling personal history. The writer never fully unravels the dark mysteries of Haiti, only hints at them. I am anxious to read other books by Ms. Montero.

I finally found a book that shows examples of my feelings being an angry black man living in a racist country. I have lost my temper and assaulted whites who disrespected me in the past. I fear I will die early because of the daily stress caused by white racist.

Intriqued by the title, and interested in insights on Haiti, I mistakenly wasted my time reading this 'soap opera type' strings of incidences, that kept the reader in a state of indifference.
The first paragraph deceives the reader into thinking they are in for a treat... I was not. It is a mundane story of a boring American and his lifeless responses to a ficticious Haiti. Many one line descriptions of sex, murders and spirits overwhelm the story. No real depth. It is very obvious the author is an outsider, who neither knows or cares for the place or its people. Although the format was smart, the writing itself became very predictable and annoying.

Intriqued by the title, and interested in insights on Haiti, I mistakenly wasted my time reading this 'soap opera type' strings of incidences, that kept the reader in a state of indifference.
The first paragraph deceives the reader into thinking they are in for a treat... I was not. It is a mundane story of a boring American and his lifeless responses to a ficticious Haiti. Many one line descriptions of sex, murders and spirits overwhelm the story. No real depth. It is very obvious the author is an outsider, who neither knows or cares for the place or its people. Although the format was smart, the writing itself became very predictable and annoying.