Paradise Lost: Haiti's Tumultuous Journey from Pearl of the Caribbean to Third World Hotspot [Hardcover]

Philippe Girard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 24, 2005 | ISBN-10: 140396887X | ISBN-13: 978-1403968876 | Edition: First Edition

Why has Haiti been plagued by so many woes? Why have multiple U.S. efforts to create a stable democracy in Haiti failed so spectacularly? Philippe Girard answers these and other questions, examining how colonialism and slavery have left a legacy of racial tension, both within Haiti and internationally; Haitians remain deeply suspicious of white foriegners' motives, many of whom doubt Hatians' ability to govern themselves. He also examines how Haiti's current political instability is merely a continuation of political strife that began during the War of Independence (1791-1804). Finally, Girard explores poverty's devastating impact on contemporary Haiti and argues that Haitians--particularly home-grown dictators--bear a big share of the responsibility for their nation's troubles.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Clinton in Haiti by Philippe Girard:

"An engaging and wonderfully readable account of the circumstances leading up to the U.S. invasion of Haiti in 1994, and its restoration of Jean-Bertrand Aristide as Haitian president."--Elizabeth Abbott, Trinity College, University of Toronto

"This is an extraordinarily well written account that places Clinton's Haitian foreign policy in historical perspective. Linguistic wit and analytical sophistication prevail as Girard skillfully weaves readers through the complexities and tragedy of Haiti's history and the highly touted, but unsuccessful aftermath of the 1994 "invasion" by U.S. troops to restore Aristide and democracy to this Caribbean republic. Until Clinton administration classified documents become available this will remain the standard account and an object lesson for all future American cut-and-run attempts at peace-keeping and nation-building."--Joan Hoff, Montana State University, Bozeman

"Written by an outstanding young French scholar of recent American history, this examination of U.S. intervention in Haiti under Bill Clinton probes the motivations behind an unnecessary military action and explains the ways in which objective failure is translated into political success. The author's finely-calibrated sense of irony makes his work as entertaining as it is instructive."--Alonzo L. Hamby, Ohio University, and author of For the Survival of Democracy: Franklin Roosevelt and the World Crisis of the 1930s

About the Author

Philippe Girard is an Assistant Professor of Caribbean History, McNeese State University of Louisiana.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; First Edition edition (November 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140396887X
• ISBN-13: 978-1403968876
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,190,210 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Philippe Girard was born in Guadeloupe in the French West Indies. He studied at Sciences Po in Paris and Ohio University and now teaches at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Girard has written three books on the history of Haiti. Clinton in Haiti (Palgrave 2004) uncovers the efforts by president-in-exile Jean-Bertrand Aristide to incite Bill Clinton to invade Haiti and restore him to power. Paradise Lost (Palgrave 2005) is a general history of Haiti from pre-Columbian times to the present that explains the historical roots of Haiti's current poverty; an expanded and updated paperback edition entitled Haiti: The Tumultuous History appeared in August 2010. Last but not least, The Slaves Who Defeated Napoleon (University of Alabama Press, November 2011) is an ambitious research monograph that retraces the fate of the expedition that Napoleon Bonaparte sent to Haiti in 1802 to overthrow Toussaint Louverture.

Visit Dr. Girard's blog at http://philippergirard.blogspot.com/.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tragic, heartbreaking history. . . ., November 5, 2006

By 

Danniray99 "Danniray" (Expatriate in Germany) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Paradise Lost: Haiti's Tumultuous Journey from Pearl of the Caribbean to Third World Hotspot (Hardcover)

Philippe Girard's book about the chaos and utter hopelessness of Haiti makes for mesmerizing but disheartening reading. It seems that for 200 years, Haiti has been plagued by voodoo-like bad luck. Haiti's slaves may have staged the first and only successful uprising against one of the most brutal (French) occupations, but this did nothing to improve their lot. But as Girard makes clear, international racism is NOT the cause of Haiti's never-ending troubles! Haiti's problems are directly due to the unspeakable ineptitude and corruption of political leaders who expressed utmost contempt for the very people they were elected to Govern. Papa Doc Duvalier may have been one of the most vicious dictators, but he was in fact just one in a very long line of political leaders who have systematically stripped Haiti of whatever potential it once had. Sadly, Haiti now seems forever destined to retain its status as the poorest, most desolate nation in the western hemisphere.

Girard splendidly details Haiti's history from colonial to present-day. He writes of Haiti's entangled and complicated racial history, the abdication of the French, the contempt that the remaining ruling class of mulattoes (of mixed race and lighter skin) had for their illiterate and ill-informed darker-skinned countrymen; the US occupations; the unrelenting exploitation, pollution and pillaging of land, resources and foreign aid; the brutal repression, violence and callous indifference of politicians to building an infrastructure that would allow the country to advance from an antiquated rural-based economy to one more modern and service-oriented.

I was expecting to receive a thick, heavy history book--one that is usually issued in high school or college, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book is a very SLIM volume and a very quick read, the better to showcase Mr. Girard's beautifully concise and lively writing style. I highly recommend this book to anyone remotely curious (as I was) about why Haiti continues to be the pariah of the carribean. "Paradise Lost" is a real page-turner, worth every penny and more!

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Provocative and informative, December 22, 2005

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Haiti lover (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Paradise Lost: Haiti's Tumultuous Journey from Pearl of the Caribbean to Third World Hotspot (Hardcover)

This is likely to be the most ground-breaking book on Haitian (or even Third World) history in a long time. Refuting the tired "this is the white imperialist's fault" that is still the Haitian mantra 200 years after independence, Girard shows that the disastrous rule of Haitian dictators like Duvalier and Aristide is the main reason why Haiti is such a mess today. One might expect a racist diatribe with such a premise, but the book is well documented, surprisingly civil, and often funny as well.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've read it twice!!, December 18, 2009

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TropicalDoc (Coeur d'Alene ID USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Paradise Lost: Haiti's Tumultuous Journey from Pearl of the Caribbean to Third World Hotspot (Hardcover)

I just finished reading "Paradise Lost" for the second time. Now I am going through and making notes! This is an excellent, fair and balanced account of Haiti's birth to nearly the present day. Those who are blind believers in Paul Farmer's "Uses of Haiti" will rankle at the idea that endemic racism and Haiti's plethora of predatory leaders might be responsible for the curent plight of this country. I tire of the xenophobic attitude that has held Haiti captive. The author presents a concise and very readable account from start to finish. He is not afraid to recount history without "spin" and I find this very refreshing. He does not present Duvalier and Aristide "in the same basket" but he does clearly define why both leaders were despots. Liberals will not agree with the presented facts but that only lends this excellent book more credence. The author offers a concise synopsis of why Haiti has failed and how they can succeed. I have recommended this book to many others. I GIVE "PARADISE LOST" THE HIGHEST RATING!!!