Rating: 
Summary: Twentiety century hero
Review: "Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle Class American" is the biography of a man who endured an heroic struggle with fate even more daunting than that of Shackleton at the South Pole in 1914-15. Caudet did not choose to be born into the cruelty and abuse to which he was subjected, yet he endured his ongoing trials with an indomitable spirit which would undoubtedly have broken most of us. Shackleton sought his adventure to the Antarctic, took calculated risks, and rose above the challenges to rescue all of his men and return them to civilization. Jean-Robert Cadet did not choose his childhood, in which he was essentially alone, unloved, abused and neglected. By force of his own will, he matured, learned to love and be loved, and is a citizen in our society toward which he has every right to feel an uncontrollable anger. You cannot read this book without wishing you could be the loving and proud parent he sought.
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Summary: Another link has been broken
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Truly the greatest novel I have ever read
Review: I am a sophmore at Madeira High School where Mr. Cadet taught as well as an avid reader, but in all of the literature I have ever come across, I have never been more intellectually or emotionally stimulated than I was while reading Restavec. It has truly changed, among other aspects, my outlook on modern slavery and racism in the world and the general context in which I look upon my life and the lives of others in general. The adversities in which he endeared as a Haitian-born child slave are numerous and mind-blowing, and the tenacity and strength he displays to overcome these experiences are unbelievably inspiring and moving on so many levels. I applaud Mr. Cadet for confronting his childhood and writing this retelling of his life, and I urge you to read this memoir as there are lessons to be learned for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: I couldn't get to sleep last night and decided to pick up Restavec, which I had planned on reading and was sitting on my night table. Wow!!! I read the book straight through and finished at 6am just in time to get ready for work. As a Haitian-American, this opened my eyes to a part of Haitian society that I had only heard about and barely witnessed. To get the story first-hand, from the pen of someone who actually lived through it, was very special. All I have to say is "Mr Cadet, thank you so much for sharing your story!" It will be on my mind for a very long time.
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Summary: Jean - Robert Cadet's ability to touch the human soul.
Review: It all started when a friend at work and I were talking about spiritual things and He shared a story with me about his childhood. He told me of a boy that he met when he was a young boy himself living in Haiti, that boy turned out to be Jean -Robert Cadet and he was "Oliver" in the book "Restavec". I was so touched by his story that I wanted to know more, it just so happens that there was a book about the experience that his friend went through. He let me borrow the book and I was so inspired that I could not put the book down or stop talking about it, I wanted to share it with any one who would listen. The book stirred many emotions in me. Even though I am a white person and was never a child of slavery, I felt my inner child cry out and feel once again all the abuse that I felt as a child. Jean's story of survival and overcomming great adversity was awe inspiring. I am praying that this book gets the well deserved attention it should receive. As I read the book the vivid sceens came into view. It would make a great movie. I have since shared the book with many who have felt the same emotional response that I have. We all feel that this book is an important message for all to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Eye-opening? Yes. Moving? Yes. Literature? Barely.
Review: Jean Robert Cadet blows away the notion that slavery is a thing of the past. Through his firsthand account of being a child slave, we learn how its horrors still plague our world. I don't think I have ever read a book that impacted me more. It inspired me to do my part, however small, to overcome slavery in Haiti and in our world.
Rating:
Summary: Exposing A Nations Tradition Of Disgrace
Review: There are over 300,000 restavec children in Haiti today according to a 1998 UN study. The majority of the restavec children are not slaves of the rich, but of people too poor to afford domestic help. Many owners are worse off than the family from which the child was taken. This is not a problem of the past, but of the present and is growing even worse and more prevalent due to the worsening economical conditions in Haiti. There are no penalties in Haiti for the abuse of children in domestic service either in the rural code or the penal code. For this reason, and many others, the torment and horror suffered by the restavec children has gone unchecked. This covert travesty, carried on behind closed doors, remained Haitis' dirty little secret until Jean-Robert Cadet opened the door for all the world to see. Cadets' book gives an inside look at the world of cruel, heartless servitude endured by children who are considered to be no more than soulless property. Anyone who cares about injustice toward children, should read and remember this book. "The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that is the essence of inhumanity." --From The Devil's Disciple by George Bernard Shaw
Rating: 
Summary: thank you Mr. Cadet for this great book
Review: This book is a must for anyone living on this planet. I read this book in one sitting. I am familiar with the RESTAVECS system still plaguing Haiti. I've seen children that were beating and fed scraps just because they were restavecs. This book will have an impact on you. It's sad and heartwarming. I hope Mr. Cadet find all the joys in the world. Thank you for sharing your story with us.
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Summary: Modern Slavery: One man's story
Review: This book, is indeed, as one other reviewer put it, a collection of the life events of Cadet. This however, does not retract from the immense impact this book has. It is one thing to read about the socilogical impact of Restavecs on on a society, it is another to simply read and feel the story as one who has lived it.
I was lucky enough to hear Jean-Robert Cadet speak at Wilmington College in Wilmington Ohio. His speech moved me and prompted me to buy his book. It was a true reflection of the man he protrayed on stage: honest, dignified, and most of all true to himself.
Rating:
Summary: Must read for everyone!
Review: This is such an incredible book. It's impact is compounded by the fact that it's an autobiography and took place in the 1960s and 70s. The idea that there is slavery in the modern world is so hard to fathom. This is such a great and quick read!
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