Synopses & Reviews
Notes from the Last Testament, by veteran reporter Michael Deibert, is a
riveting narrative account of the events leading up to and including the
overthrow of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. A fearless
correspondent and a meticulous researcher, Deibert traces the rupturing of
the social-democratic coalition that originally brought Aristide to power
and that had been the fruit of years of opposition to the dictatorships and
military juntas. From chaotic scenes of frenzied mayhem on the streets of
the bidonvilles of Port-au-Prince with their armed gangs and burning
intersections to heated debates in the halls of power, these dramatic events
throw into stark relief the obstacles facing the world's nascent
democracies, the trend of first world military intervention in third world
affairs, and the dual legacies of slavery and colonialism.
In a remarkable and deeply humane synthesis of on-the-ground perspectives
and exhaustive research, Deibert sets vivid personal testimonies alongside
an analysis of the country's rich history that reaches back to Haiti's first
days as a colony, to the time of the rebellion led by the former slave
Toussaint Louverture, and extends to the present, ultimately exploring how
Aristide, once a beacon of populism and democratic aspirations, came to
embody brutality and misrule in the tradition of his predecessors. Along the
way, Deibert introduces us to the real heroes of the Hatian people's
struggle for a just and independent society free from violence and
corruption.
Michael Deibert first visited Haiti in 1997 and serves as the Reuters
correspondent in Port-au-Prince from 2001 until 2003. His writing on Latin
America and the Caribbean has appeared in Newsday, the Miami Herald, The
Village Voice, The Economist Intelligence Unit, Salon, and The
Guardian, among other publications.
Synopsis
The book that tells the truth about Aristide.
About the Author
Since 1997 Michael Deibert's writing on Latin America and the Caribbean has appeared in Newsday, The Miami Herald, The Village Voice, The Economist, Salon, and The Guardian, among other publications. From 2001 to 2003, he served as the Reuters correspondent in Port-au-Prince. He was nominated for the 2004 Samuel Chavkin Prize for Integrity in Latin American Journalism Award.