Written in Blood (Paperback)

~ Heinl Nancy Gordon (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This book is a complete history of Haiti from 1492 to the end of 1995. The first edition was and remains the most complete history of Haiti ever written in English and one of the most complete in any language. This second edition contains two more chapters as well as updated information to make it a must read for anyone interested in the history of Haiti and its people. Praise for the First Edition: "There is no work in the English language that even approaches the extravagant wealth of information the Heinls have assembled about the world's first black republic." --WASHINGTON STAR "Praised by all who have read it as the only complete and fully documented history of Haiti in any language, "Written in Blood" is certain to become a classic." --UNITED STATES NAVAL INSTITUTE PROCEEDINGS

About the Author

Robert Debs Heinl and Nancy Gordon Heinl, both writers and historians, lived in Haiti from 1959 to 1963. Robert Heinl was Chief of the U.S. Naval Mission to Haiti until he was declared persona non grata by François Duvalier. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1964 and had a nationally syndicated newspaper column until his death in 1979. Nancy Gordon Heinl is an independent writer and journalist who has specialized in black history and voodoo. Michael Heinl spent four years in Haiti with his parents. He is an international business consultant in Washington, D.C.

Product Details

• Paperback: 902 pages
• Publisher: University Press of America; Revised edition (March 26, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761802304
• ISBN-13: 978-0761802303
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,030,032 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #92 in

  Books > History > Americas > Caribbean & West Indies > Haiti

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, thorough history of the Haitian politics, May 7, 1999

By	Jim Henry ([e-mail] (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

Having lived in Haiti for 5 months in 1996, I was quite eager to find this title. The author truly painted a vivid picture of a country that really grew on me. The early years from Columbus were very interesting as of course the last fifty years of this decade with the Duvaliers. Keen writing and explaination of voodoo was also appreciated in the appendix. A must read for anyone truly interested in the history of Haiti or the Caribbean nations.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very comprehensive, but very tedious., December 20, 1998

By	Jeffrey Cosnow [e-mail] (Palm Harbor, Florida) - See all my reviews

This is a "must read" for anyone who wants a complete, and relatively unbiased history of Haiti. However it suffers from a number of weaknesses. The one that would make reading much easier is to list the YEAR in which an event happened. The authors give a year and a month of an event, and then ten pages later state, "by September", not realizing that the reader has lost track of what year is being talked about. Second, there is no need to show off that the authors a fluent in French and Creole. It is distracting for anyone not really familiar with either language to figure out the little phrases the authors put in without translataion. Finally, one must keep in mind that the original author of this book was the senior U. S. Marine officer in Haiti during the time of Papa Doc (he was thrown out). As a result this book provides a very favorable review of the American occupation, and especially the role of the Marines.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ranks with Churchill, Gibbon and Maculay as Timeless Classic, February 28, 2001

By	Robert C. Parker (Miami, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

Very fair, with great detailed understanding of the convolutions of Haiti's tragic history. Glossary provides definitions of French and Creole terms. Photos and maps, along with a very helpful chronology .

I've read Churchill, Gibbon and Maculay's histories and say this book belongs in their company. The compassion for the suffering peoples and the trenchant and bitting comments about the selfish and deluded men and women who usually gain power, is very easy to read and hard to put down.

Living in Miami, having Haitian friends, I now understand why thse people are immagrants, and most of the Cubans who live here are "exiles"; eternal foreigners dreaming about a land with no Fidel. I also reccommend "Continental Drift", a novel about Haiti and the US, as well. Also a very good read. "Written In Blood" is a giant and great book that will leave you with one sure thing: congratulating yourself for reading it and your feeling anger at the poor leaders of Haiti, and compassion for the ordinary people who flee and those who remain.