Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle-Class American (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

This autobiography of a young man who escaped the most foreboding of circumstances and raised himself up by his own bootstraps will appeal to a wide range of readers.... His courage in dealing with and overcoming a wretched existence in Haiti and the dehumanizing effects of racism in the United States will stimulate much reflection on the nature of these two societies. (Alex Dupuy, author of Haiti in the World Economy and Haiti in the New World Order )

Product Description

African slaves in Haiti emancipated themselves from French rule in 1804 and created the first independent black republic in the Western Hemisphere. But they reinstituted slavery for the most vulnerable members of Haitian society--the children of the poor--by using them as unpaid servants to the wealthy. These children were--and still are--restavecs, a French term whose literal meaning of "staying with" disguises the unremitting labor, abuse, and denial of education that characterizes the children's lives. In this memoir, Jean-Robert Cadet recounts the harrowing story of his youth as a restavec, as well as his inspiring climb to middle-class American life. He vividly describes what it was like to be an unwanted illegitimate child "staying with" a well-to-do family whose physical and emotional abuse was sanctioned by Haitian society. He also details his subsequent life in the United States, where, despite American racism, he put himself through college and found success in the Army, in business, and finally in teaching.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 193 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press; 1st edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292712030
• ISBN-13: 978-0292712034
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #122,213 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another link has been broken, January 20, 2000

By A Customer

For all those interested in the ways Haitian society operates, RESTAVEC is a must read and will occupy your mind a long time after you've put it down. But you will not be able to put the subject of this book to rest. As a child growing up in Haiti, You witness a lot of things that you do not consider abnormal. As far as I knew I belonged to my parents, and I considered other kids to be so. I knew Mr. Cadet, I played with him, I saw him everyday for at least four years, and only thaught of his adoptive mother as a strict disciplinarian. A lot of what my young eyes saw did not prepare me for what I read in this book. As they say in HAITI, nothing is what they seem. RESTAVEC has broken another link in this vicious chain of poverty and child abuse. BOB -as I used to call him - has overcome.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Restavec is a powerful story of one man's determination to j, October 22, 1999

By A Customer

Jean Cadet is a friend and teaching colleague of mine and I am continuously amazed that this thoughtful, caring person had such a miserable childhood. His story moved me to tears of pity, anger and joy. His life is a testimony to the human spirit. He is driven to change a society which has remained unchanged for decades. Anyone who travels the journey with Jean-Robert Cadet will be forever moved.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Recounting of Childhood to Compare With Angela's Ashes, April 2, 2000

By	Dr Jane M Beaulieu (NY,NY) - See all my reviews

In "Restavec", Jean-Robert Cadet recounts to us in disturbingly matter-of-fact language the outrage that was his childhood in Haiti.The illegitimate son of a wealthy man,he was given into slavery as a gift to his father's former mistress. The brutality of this woman, whom he came to think of as his mother, is recounted in excruciating detail. The facination of this book is in watching this brutalized child realize an escape from this degraded life. The parallels between Jean-Robert Cadet escape from slavery and Frank McCort's escape from abject poverty are very striking. The role of education in their own countries, and their fulfillment as teachers in the U.S. are just two similarities in their stories. "Restavec" is an intense read, not relieved by humor. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in a tale of human potential and quiet heroism.