When the Mapou Sings
Haiti, 1934. Sixteen-year-old Lucille has a beloved mapou tree that she caresses and climbs, and which sings to her. Lucille and her best friend, Fifina, attend a mission school, dreaming of one day opening their own school. When Fifina disappears and then her beloved mapou tree is cut down, Lucille confronts the powerful and corrupt section chief who is to blame for both deeds. Lucille’s family knows she’ll be punished for what she’s done, and sends her away. Lucille moves to the city and finds work as a maid in the house of a rich woman who is involved in women’s rights and other progressive issues. Lucille becomes good friends, and then romantically involved, with the woman’s son, an intellectual and secret revolutionary. When his mother notices, she sends Lucille away to work as a servant to Ameriken Zora Neale Hurston, a writer doing research in Haiti. Lucille learns from each person she meets on her journey of self-realization, finding Fifina and making a difference in her world.
This valuable, important book is a novel in verse, a format I would normally recommend to reluctant readers. But this is not an easy read, because it is complex, handling difficult questions and sometimes unpleasant historical facts. It is a powerful, engaging story with great character development, a clear look at Haiti during the 1930s, excellent historical details, vivid descriptions of the island and its people, and good questions about freedom, dreams, and personal values. The use of French and Kreyol may sometimes be confusing but adds to the verisimilitude of time and place. The extensive end notes are fascinating. Ages 12 and up.
