University of Texas Press
Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle-Class American
Regular price
$7.95 USD
Regular price
Sale price
$7.95 USD
Unit price
per
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Couldn't load pickup availability
Title: Restavec: From Haitian Slave Child to Middle-Class American
Author: Jean-Robert Cadet
ISBN: 0292712030
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: 1998
Binding: Paperback
Language: English
Edition: First Edition
Condition Note: Clean, unmarked copy with some edge wear. Good binding. Dust jacket included if issued with one. We ship in recyclable American-made mailers. 100% money-back guarantee on all orders.
Publisher Description: African slaves in Haiti emancipated themselves from French rule in 1804 and created the first independent black republic in the Western Hemisphere. But they reinstituted slavery for the most vulnerable members of Haitian society - the children of the poor - by using them as unpaid servants to the wealthy. These children were - and still are - restavecs, a French term whose literal meaning of "staying with" disguises the unremitting labor, abuse, and denial of education that characterizes the children's lives. In this memoir, Jean Robert Cadet recounts the harrowing story of his youth as a restavec, as well as his inspiring climb to middle-class American life. He vividly describes what it was like to be an unwanted illegitimate child "staying with" a well-to-do family whose physical and emotional abuse was sanctioned by Haitian society. He also details his subsequent life in the United States, where, despite American racism, he put himself through college and found success in the Army, in business, and finally in teaching.
Author: Jean-Robert Cadet
ISBN: 0292712030
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Published: 1998
Binding: Paperback
Language: English
Edition: First Edition
Condition Note: Clean, unmarked copy with some edge wear. Good binding. Dust jacket included if issued with one. We ship in recyclable American-made mailers. 100% money-back guarantee on all orders.
Publisher Description: African slaves in Haiti emancipated themselves from French rule in 1804 and created the first independent black republic in the Western Hemisphere. But they reinstituted slavery for the most vulnerable members of Haitian society - the children of the poor - by using them as unpaid servants to the wealthy. These children were - and still are - restavecs, a French term whose literal meaning of "staying with" disguises the unremitting labor, abuse, and denial of education that characterizes the children's lives. In this memoir, Jean Robert Cadet recounts the harrowing story of his youth as a restavec, as well as his inspiring climb to middle-class American life. He vividly describes what it was like to be an unwanted illegitimate child "staying with" a well-to-do family whose physical and emotional abuse was sanctioned by Haitian society. He also details his subsequent life in the United States, where, despite American racism, he put himself through college and found success in the Army, in business, and finally in teaching.
