Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti

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Summary: If You've Been to Haiti, You Know The Truth
Review: And, Temple tells it wonderfully! She writes english with the Creole (Kreyol) feel of putting words together, and the research was dead on. I have stood outside of the burned out St. John Bosco, I have walked and worked in Cité Soleil. This book made me cry, and oh so "homesick" for a country that I only met 4 years ago!

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Summary: Life of Haiti.
Review: I read this book and know about the life of Haiti. In this book I read obout Djo and Jeremi, their lives are very miserable. The Haiti Goverment did not care about poor people and the children have to work for food and they have not too much education. This is a real story, that's why I liked reading it. I recommended it to my children and other people to read this book.

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Summary: Great for classroom use!
Review: I recently read this book in order to find fresh literature to present in the classroom. I can't wait to read this with my 7th-grade English students. Because of its structure, Taste of Salt lends itself to many creative teaching strategies. The values and themes are very relevant to our students today. Read it and you will see!

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Summary: Life in Haiti
Review: I think the book was very good. It tells me about how people live in Haiti. The trouble they went through to survive,and how they pick kids to go to school. But Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide was trying to make a difference.It was a very good book to read,and I think everybody should read it.

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Summary: The sad story of Haiti continues
Review: I'm reading this book because it is on The Battle of the Books list in Scottsdale AZ. Students read books and answer questions in a "Jeopardy" type contest, and I always read along with my grandchildren. I am very happy that this book is on the list for 7-8 graders. A Taste of Salt refers to the key to releasing zombies, and in this book reading is the taste of salt for the lost boys of Port-au-Prince, as they are rescued by Father Aristede. Djo, a leader of the boys, lays dying in the hospital as his story is recorded by Jeremie, a convent-raised young woman sent by Aristede. Djo was kidnapped by government troops to work in the sugar cane fields of the Dominican Republic (I'll always think of Djo and the cane cutters when I buy sugar) and his years there are terrible. I looked on Human Rights Watch website and found that there are 500,000 Haitians still working in the cane fields in deplorable conditions. "Father" Titid is now married, president of Haiti, and perpetuating the same dreadful oppression upon the people which he formerly preached against. A revolution gone wrong, as they often do, but an important and touching story of the strength of young people.

Rating:
Summary: The sad story of Haiti continues
Review: I'm reading this book because it is on The Battle of the Books list in Scottsdale AZ. Students read books and answer questions in a "Jeopardy" type contest, and I always read along with my grandchildren. I am very happy that this book is on the list for 7-8 graders. A Taste of Salt refers to the key to releasing zombies, and in this book reading is the taste of salt for the lost boys of Port-au-Prince, as they are rescued by Father Aristede. Djo, a leader of the boys, lays dying in the hospital as his story is recorded by Jeremie, a convent-raised young woman sent by Aristede. Djo was kidnapped by government troops to work in the sugar cane fields of the Dominican Republic (I'll always think of Djo and the cane cutters when I buy sugar) and his years there are terrible. I looked on Human Rights Watch website and found that there are 500,000 Haitians still working in the cane fields in deplorable conditions. "Father" Titid is now married, president of Haiti, and perpetuating the same dreadful oppression upon the people which he formerly preached against. A revolution gone wrong, as they often do, but an important and touching story of the strength of young people.

Rating:
Summary: Must Read
Review: Taste of Salt, by Frances Temple is the best book I have read yet. This book teaches you how life is special. The book has emotion, love, happiness, loneliness, and a lot more real feelings people have. The best part is the writer is very graphic in her writing, you almost feel like you were there. The whole book is interesting, you never get tired of reading it. I think Taste of Salt can touch many people in different ways.

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Summary: A tale of Haiti
Review: Taste of Salt, written by Frances Temple, is a provocative, exciting tale of the life of a young Haitian man, Djo, and the struggle against a dictatorship that hired Macoutes, thugs, to keep itself in power. Djo grew up on the streets with his brother before Father Aristide, known to them as Titid, adopted them. Djo was injured by Macoutes who firebombed him. Now he lies in a hospital bed telling his story to a student of a nun school named Jeremie. She listens.
There are several reasons to read this book, but the two greatest are its complex setting and the intricate writing style. The setting is elaborate as the book takes place in 1991in the city of Port-Au-Prince, when people were trying to attain a democracy and end the dictatorship of Jean-Claude Duvalier who named himself president for life and hired Macoutes. The writing style is unique as it has many flashbacks and the story is half from Djo's view and half from Jeremie's view. The flashbacks are interesting as they tell how the characters came to their current state and telling what they did until then. Also the different characters views have are written slightly different with slightly different writing styles that reflect the different characters speech styles.
This book is quite good but some may find fault with the fact that it uses some Creole words that can be quite confusing and force you to look back to the glossary disrupting. Though at first it may appear a negative fact, by the end it becomes interesting and you feel you have learned a little of their culture. However, even if one finds the Creole to be disrupting they will still enjoy the overall quality of this book.

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Summary: This Book is a Chilling Reminder of Cruelty in the World
Review: This unusual story of modern Haiti is very personal and human. The instability of Haiti's government is explained by two young Haitians. The violence and poverty these people have to endure is heart-breaking. The content is sometimes hard to understand and difficult to take. Even so, I think every young person should read this book to understand how people can love in a time of crisis. This book was my taste of salt, a revelation.

Rating:
Summary: Must Read
Review: While on a business trip I read this book aloud to my husband as he drove. We took the book into the hotel with us and I read aloud until we finished the book. It is the telling of a very cruel and long chapter in the history of Haiti through the strong voices of Djo and Jeremie. It is a story of an overwhelming struggle against unbelieveably evil odds; of youth and raw courage; of love for family and friends, and of the force these weld that eventually wrenches the government from it's vicious grip on its citizens. It definitely earned a five star rating from us.