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Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti | 
 enlarge | Author: Frances Temple
Publisher: HarperTeen
Category: Book
List Price: $5.99
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $5.98 (100%)
New (22) Used (30) Collectible (2) from $0.01
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 326885
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Pages: 192
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 3.7 x 0.9
ISBN: 0064471365
EAN: 9780064471367
ASIN: 0064471365
Publication Date: October 30, 1991
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: very usable copy with marks
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Product Description
Every Life
Makes a Story Djo has a story: Once he was one of "Titid's boys," a vital member of Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide's election team, fighting to overthrow military dictatorship in Haiti. Now he is barely alive, the victim of a political firebombing. Jeremie has a story: Convent-educated Jeremie can climb out of the slums of Port-au-Prince. But she is torn between her mother's hopes and her own wishes for herself ... and for Haiti. Father Jean-Bertrand Aristide has a story: A dream of a new Haiti, one in which every person would have a decent life ... a house with a roof ... clean water to drink ... a good plate of rice and beans every day ... a field to work in. At Aristide's request, Djo tells his story to Jeremie -- for Titid believes in the power of all of their stories to make change. As Jeremie listens to Djo, and to her own heart, she knows that they will begin a new story, one that is all their own, together.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 5 more reviews...
 If You've Been to Haiti, You Know The Truth April 23, 2000
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
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 Cite Soleil. This book made me cry, and oh so "homesick" for a country that I only met 4 years ago!
Great for classroom use! July 1, 2000
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
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!
 A tale of Haiti January 11, 2002
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
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.
The sad story of Haiti continues September 9, 2003
J. Rifkin (Scottsdale AZ)
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
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.
Must Read April 3, 2002
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
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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